FATAL POISONING CASE IN A BROTHEL. "Rough on Rats" Again. Auckland, March 19.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 196, 26 March 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

FATAL POISONING CASE IN A BROTHEL. "Rough on Rats" Again. Auckland, March 19.

About 2.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon a lad named Robert Johnston accosted Constable Kwieyr, who was on duty in Queen-street, and told him that a man had pois mci himself in Grey-street. The constable accompanied the lad to a cottage in a libble alley off Grey-street, near Clifton Homo. Here he found a young man named William Ayres lying on the floor of the front room up3tairs. Besides him, ia a half-drunken condition, was a well-known prostitute named Elian McG-irry. In the same room alao waa a young girl, who, on seeing the uniform, hastily drew some scanty raiment around her to hide hear nakedness. There was every evidence that the house was a brothel of an exceedingly low type. Both Ayres and the girls at first denied thit he had taken anything, bat subsequently he admitted that he had taken

' HOUGH ON RATS." Constable Keaney then Bent for Sergeant McMahon, who also called for Dr. Tennent. Upon hearing that the man's name wad Ayres.Dr Ten neat, knowing thathia parents resided in the lana at the rear of Hewin's Buildings, ran round, thinking that the son would be at home. Upon teaming hia mistake, he told Mrs Ayres the sad newe % and she at once accompanied h m to the house where hec son had poisoned himself. Upon arriving at the house Dr. Tennent found the patient in a very exhausted coa« dition, and in a semi-cotnatosd state, apparently half dozed. A mug containing coffee was King alongside of him, and on the floor wa^ fluid matter, evidently vomited by the man, A woman and a girl were aleo in Iheroom. Thedoctor examined tho patient, and found the pupils of his eye very widely dilated, the pulse feeble, and every symptom that the man was in a critical condition. Upon questioning Ayres, Dr Tennent elicited the information that he had taken about half an ounce of " Rough on Rats" about li o'clock in the morning. As it wa3 then nearly 3 o'clock, Dr. Tennent recognised the danger of delay, and at ooce ordered the removal of the patient to the Hospital Constable Keaney accoidingly procured a cab, and upon offering to aseiat the man, Ayrea shook off hw arm, and said, "I can walk all right. " He then walked to the cab, whereupon Mrs Ayres commenced screaming violently at the evident danger in which her eon was. Upon arrival at the Hospital, Ay res a'so walked out of the cab unassisted into tha ward The House Surgeon said ihat after such a lapse of time it was all the tcoro difficult to etay the effects of the poison. He, however, took the necessary pieps, administering emetics and using tho stomach pump, but all to no purpose, for the man died about midaighfe

CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE. From the statements of the women, who witnessed the occurrence, id is evident that much valuable time was wasted owing to the girls not taking the trouble to forward information to the police, or obtain medical assistance until nearly three hours after the poison had been taken. A woman named Mrs Bridget Amelia Johnston did attempt to save Ay res by administering as an emetic salt and water. She alao gave him strong coffee,inthehopes of it acting as an antidote. This it was that caupod him to vomit on the floor of the room Mrs Johnston, upon seeing that the man was rapidly getting worse, sent her son Robert to inform the police. Ayres admitted that he had taken a email quantity of poison, but gave no reason for hia having done co. He also stated that he had purchased the box of Hough on Rats at Hendersons, the chemist, at the foot of Grey -street". Apparantly after purchasing the poison he went direct to tbo brothel, which he was in the habit of frequenting. The house was kept by a very dissolute young woman named Ellen MeGarry. A girl named Mary Letts, aged 14, who al«* lives in the house, states that when Ayrea came into the house she snatched the box of poison out of his handa and threw it into the fire. If this statement ia to be depended upon, it would seem as though he bad taken a dose before he entered the house. Before leaving the premises Constable Keaney secure^ the lid of the "Rough on Rats" box, and Dr, Tennent scraped the aches out of the fire, and also took up a small quantity of the fluid matter on the floor, which bt handed over to Sergeant Mahon.

A DEN OF INFAMY. The house in which Ayres waa found is one of those infamous dens which dfa* grace our presumably civilised community. In the house was scarcely any furniture, and the room in which the deceased waa found only boasted a few raga. Deceases waa only 20 years old. An inquest commenced at 2 30 o'clock this afternoon at the District Hospital, Dr. Philson officiating as coroner.