POISONED SWEETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 599, 27 February 1929, Page 9

POISONED SWEETS

DRAMATIC ADJOURNMENT OF INQUEST STORY OF TWO YOUTHS SYDNEY, Tuesday. A dramatic sequel has occurred to the case of Hilda Johnson, aged 15, who died on December 29 at Newcastle after eating some chocolates which she said had been given to her at a picture theatre.

At the inquest to-day tho police obtained an adjournment of the proceedings in order to enable them to take a certain course. Detective Ryan informed the coroner that he had heard from two youths employed at the Post Office that they had been offered some chocolates on tho night of the girl's death by one Harold Ferris. The youths said Perris had casually remarked: "You need not eat them unless vou like, because they have been in a pocket where I had some poison. They did not eat them.

Hilda Johnson, aged 15, of Newcastle, became violently ill after eating a portion of chocolate on the evening ot December 29, and died. The girl said a friend F handed round the chocolates at the pictures. The ones she had tasted bitte?, and she only ate half of them, and placed the rest in her handkerchief. Subsequently an analyst discovered traces of poison in the chocolates much the girl did not eat. The police ascertained that the girl was not at the pictures at all, but she died without disclosing With whom she spent the evenin on January 14 a message troin Mel- , t ~,T that three daughters of ur T Gurr, of the Melbourne Electrical Company, while on a holiday at Rarwon Heads, ate chocolates. One of ftfem aged 13. died, and the other two were very ill.

(Tho cable news in this Issue accredited to “The Times” has appeared in that Journal, but only where expressly stated io such news the editorial opinion of “The Times.”) (By special arrangement Reuter’s world service in addition to other special sources of information is used in the compilation of the overseas intelligence published in this issue, and all rights therein in Australia and Mew Zealand are reserved.)