TREVANION’S DEATH

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8356, 17 February 1913, Page 8

TREVANION’S DEATH

PROBABLE SUICIDE " NO EVIDENCE HOW POISON ADMINISTERED.” THE USE OF VERONAL. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright LONDON, February 14. At the inquest on Hugh Trevanion, a victim of the drug habit, who was at first thought to have died of an overdose of veronal, but who is since thought to have been murdered, Campbell, a Swansea jeweller, admitted that the story he told the police about Roe was not true. He was drunk at the time. The story was not disclosed. The coroner, in summing up, pointed out that Roe’s influence over deceased was in some respects for his good. The theme of the evidence was that Roe had a powerful motive in desiring his death. Roe’s conduct was open to suspicion, hut he failed to see that there was evidence of foul play. On the contrary, it was very difficult to see how eighty large doses of veronal could be administered without deceased consenting. A very likely explanation was suicide. A verdict was returned that death was due to poisoning, but that there was no evidence as to how the poison was administered. The jury was of opinion that veronal should be placed on the poison schedule.