ALLEGED WHOLESALE POISONING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2709, 8 September 1894, Page 3

ALLEGED WHOLESALE POISONING.

Napibb, Sept. 5. A man named John Westall, a gardener, was arrested at Potoka yesterday by Detective Kirby, charged with attempting to poison, by means of ataenic, ten station hands on Mr Rhodes's estate, situated about 30 miles inland. On Monday morning the men partook of some stew for breakfast, all eating from the dish except Westall. A few hours afterwards the men were seized with severe pains in the stomach, accompanied by violent fits of vomiting. Medical assistance was telegraphed for from Napier, and on arrival Dr DeLisle found the men suffering from arsenical poisoning. Emetics were applied and the victims gradually recovered. The circumstances and other information gained by the police point to Westall bang the culprit, as a bitter feeling existed between himself and the employees on the station. The..names of those poisoned are Abraham Lincoln, William Buck, Thomas Whittle, John Egan, John Preston, James Montgomery, William Jones, Michael O'Connor, John Lydon, and Alfred Hughes. Sept. 6. John Westall was brought before the Magistrate's Court this morning charged with attempting to murder by means of arsenic ten employees at Potoka station. Prisoner is about 54 years of age, and was remanded for a week. On the night previous to the poisoning the cook employed on the station had been having a carouse, and the manager charged Westall with bringing drink to the station, which prisoner admitted, and was disehaged there and then. Subsequently Westall heard the men in the where joking, end appears to have become angry, supposing that they were making merry over his discharge and loss of whisky. On the following morning he expressed a belief that some of the men had betrayed him to the manager. As the oook was suffering from the effects of drink which had been brought to the place by Westall, two others prepared a meal for Monday morning and one of the men -who was assisting in the cooking happening to leave the fireplace for a few minutes noticed on returning that somebody had interfered with the lid of the saucepan. This was thought strange, but nothing was said at the time. Westall aat down with the other men to partake of breakfast. He did not eat of the stew, and shortly afterwards rose from the table' and left the where. The fact that he did not eat was noticed and commented on by the men, who wondered what was the matter with him. Later, however, when the stew was cleared away and the men had left the where he came back, and finding that the cook had fried some bacon sat down and ate a hearty meal of it with him. He then went away to another part of the station. Within about ten minutes after the conclusion of breakfast every man who partook of the stew was vomiting and retching violently. Information was at once sent to Napier, and Dr DeLisle proceeded with all haste to the scene of the trouble. On arrival he found the men suffering from all the Symptoms of arsenical poisoning. Emetics were applied and gradually the patients began to show signs of recovery. Traces of arsenic were found in the stew and vomit of the men, who are now all recovering. On examinin g a dram of arsenic which is used on the station the manager found marks of three fingers on the surface, evidently caused by someone taking out a good pinch of arsenic.