SHOCKING POISONING CASE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2300, 2 January 1892, Page 4

SHOCKING POISONING CASE.

Wellington, Dec. 31. The Post’s Masterton correspondent sends the following details : —On Fridaylast, Christmas Day, Mr W. P. Sedcole, of Pahia,tn a, was married to Miss Taylor, of the same township, and a _ large number of guests, nearly thirty in all, were invited to the wedding breakfast, including friends from Masterton. Ihe festivities of the day being over, the company dispersed in the iisual jovial manner,, and those who lived in the neighbourhood retired to their homes, A number of the guests, however, remained in the house of the bride’s father, and on the afternoon of the following day (Saturday) partook of refreshments : slightly different from those used at the wedding breakfast. “ All went merry as a marriage belluntil early on Sunday morning, when the whole of the guests of Saturday were attacked by intense vomiting, abdominal pains, frightful purging, cramps, and a peculiar taste in the mouth. Mr Kidd, the local was communicated with, and expressed the opinion that the symptoms were those of billiousness resulting from the feasting of the previous day, and prescribed accordingly. As the pains, however, became more intense and the vomiting increased. Dr Davenport was sent for from Woodvillo, who administered emetics, and then Dr Hosking, of Masterton, arrived. The latter first attended Mrs Dickson, and then b’ent to Mr Dickson, who, however, died a few minutes after the Doctor entered his room. Mr Joseph Moore was j already dead, Mrs Moore and several i siu4w were still suffering, aud every- 1

thing was done to relieve them. Although only two deaths had occurred when Dr Hosking left at night, most of the victims —between twenty and thirty altogether —were in a serious condition.

Dr Hosking has no doubt whatever that the poison taken was arsenic, and how it came to be in the food is a mystery. Those who partook of food on Friday, Christmas Day, only have escaped. The whole of those who were present on Saturday, with the exception of the bride, who ate nothing, have been attacked. The doctor is of opinion that the arsenic might have found its way into some of the confectionery in mistake for baking soda. It could not, as was at first thought, have been mixed with the puddings, as some of the puddings had been eaten some days before without any deleterious effect. So many different foods were partaken of at the wedding feast that it is difficult to trace the poison. How arsenic came to be in the food is a complete mystery. A quantity of confectionery has been handed over to Dr Hosking, who will make a very careful analysis. Later.

At the inquest on the bodies of Messrs Peter Dickson and Joseph Moore, victims of the poisoning case, Dr Davenport deposed that the symptoms were those found in cases of arsenical poisoning. He had from the first considered the cases hopeless, and at the post mortem examination he found every indication that deceased had been poisoned by arsenic in a solid form. A portion of the stomach, intestines, and liver had been preserved for analysis, as well as a portion of the food used at Mr Taylor’s house on Boxing Day. Dr Hosking gave similar evidence. After a warrant had been issued to bury the bodies, the inquest was forihally adjourned until the Bth January. No further deaths have occurred, but Mesdames Naylor (senr.) and Moore, and Messrs Robert Sedcole and Pierce Lundon are lying in a critical state. Masterton, Dec. 31.

There is no fresh development in the poisoning case. The clue to the mystery will probably not be obtained till after the inquest. Dr Hosking ridicules the idea that oxalic acid was put into confectionary in mistake for epsom salts. Later.

Intense alarm still prevails at Pahiatua, the whole of the victims fearing the worst. Another death occurred this afternoon. Mr Samuel Naylor’s child succumbed.