THE WHOLESALE POISONING CASE. One Man Killed and Others Prostrated by a Draught of Whisky.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 51, 24 May 1884, Page 6

THE WHOLESALE POISONING CASE. One Man Killed and Others Prostrated by a Draught of Whisky.

OnßisTCiiru on, May 17. Thk reported case of poisoning at Urral. near Rakaia. is confirmed. It appears that the party, seven in number, left Tiverton on Thursday on a .shooting excursion, and before starting were supplied with .1 bottle of whit-ky by Mr Want. On reaching Urral they stopped to have a drink, and immediately after were all seized with convulsions. One of the party, who was not so bud as the others, drovo oil to Ashburton for tho doctor, and in the meantime three settlers in the vicinity administered emetics. Whon Dr. Host arrived from Ashburton one of the men, Thomas Fahoy, was dead, but tho other.*were soon out of danger. It appears that a jug which had contained stiyuhninc and had not been washed out, was used by Mi Mant to pour the whisky into the bottle. Had the party reached their destination before partaking of the whisky, they would most probably all have died, as they would have been too far from assistance. CifKibTonuiu'H, Sunday. At the inqueston Fahey (poisonedby drinking whisky) at ltakaia, John Munn, tho hotelkoeper who supplied the drink, by the udvice of his lawyer, refused to give evidence, but other witnesses showed that he had acknowledged having mixed strychnine w ith vinegar in a jug tome time ago for the purpose of killing Kits or biids. Subsequently he had thrown the contents of the jug away, but had not washed it. When taking the w husky from a jar to put it in the bottles, ho used tho same jug. The medical evidence was to the effect that if the vinegar was weak it would not dissolve tho crystals cf strychnine, which would adhere to the jug, but strong spiiit would dissolve them. The opinion of the men who drank tho whisky was at first that Mann had played a practical joke upon them. The jury returned an open verdict.