ANOTHER POISONING CASE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4024, 29 January 1892, Page 2

ANOTHER POISONING CASE.

Dow Poisoned With Biscuits. Tbe Fault in the Ginger.

The Pahiatua Star, referring to the 1 cose in which doss have been poisoned by Inking biscuits, says;— The biscuit poisoning has, it appears, much more in it than was at first supposed. It has been proved by further expert ments made by Mr A, 0, Marsh, who lives on the MBngatainoka Central Road, and whose wife made the ginger-nut biscuits, that the poison in this case was contained in some ground ginger bought several months ago of Mr Crawford, storekeeper, Woodvillo. Unfortunately the whole of the contents of the tin from which Mr Marsh's ginger was taken lias been sold out by Mr Crawford, and it jis most unlikely that any other parcels of tho spico out of tho same tin will be obtainable. On Sunday last Mr Marsh gave three or four of the biscuits which had first aroused his suspicions to two dogs, with the result that one died in a<iou'< half an hour, exhibiting all the symptoms of poisoning by stryohnine. The other dog also died soon afterwards, The body of one of the dogs has been handed to Constable Cooper. The biscuits have been handed by Mr Ridd (to whom they have been sunt for examination) to Detective Herbert, by whom thoy have been conveyed to the Government Analyst. Up to the time of .writing no report has been received from Mr Skey, and of course it is merely conjecture that the poison was strychnine. All the other ingredients of the giugernuts have been experimented on by Mr Marsh, and he has satisfied himself that no deleterious substance is to be found in either the flour, sugar, treacle, butter, or other ingredients of whioh the biscuits were made. The symptoms oxhibited by the poisoned dogs, and the bitter taste which first drew attention to the poison in the biscuits, are both compatible with the theory that the poison in this case is stryohnine, for it is well known that when dissolved in water strychnine imparts to it an intensely bitter, taste, (joW water dissolves only one tWO-tkmmndtb. part of this poison, yet this solution, even when largely diluted, is distinctly bitter, To show how very deadly this poison is it may be of interest) to state that the one-hun-dredth part of a grain dissolved in an ounce of water wilt cause tetanus and death to a small frog in from three to four hours.

According to Atlicld. the great chemical authority, -strychnine is manufactured or prepared from Nux Vomica, and it is also found in St, Ignatius's bean. These huts, disintegrated by subjection to steam, are dried and ground in a coffee mill, and from this powder strychnine is made. So that it is quite possible that some of these nuts have been accidentally mixed up and ground with tb"e ginger, There is of course the objection to this theory that no human beings have died either in this dietriot or in Hyoodrillo from thii poison: but against this it may fairly be urged. that ginger is notan 'afticle of every (lay 'rise" in many b.Qnseklijs, and. altljougli tjie 6torekcepef by whqm'jt was sqfd has disposed of the whoje flf'thaji jiinj a jgipbpr of the inay yet have the ginger bought by theni uij.

Every enquiry therefore be made by the polioe in the Woou','!. 8 district, bo that, if the theory at present set up is BwbtsantiateJ, no more ofthis stuff Djay he used,.'

FURTHER PARTICUURS. Constable Cooper visited Mr Marsh's yesterday, and we are indebted to bim for the following further particulars :- When Mrs Marsh was mixing the ginger-mi la she tasted the dough, and noticed then that it had a very bitter taste, and when baked the same bitter taste was noticeable. She then took some of the biscuits to her husband, who tried them on a after tasting them himself, Though serfou'sly affected the'dog recovered. Later ou an incredulous neighbour volunteered to partake of some of the biscuits himself, but'was persuaded by Mr. Ma'sh to try them on his dogs. He did try them on the tlo.gs, and he is now sorry for it, as both were valuable—one being a good sheep dog and the other a Cooker spanial. No less than two pounds of this ground ginger was purchased ia one parcel at Woodville, and of this" there is at present about three-quarters of a pound left. • The bitter taste that 6rs't drew attention to the danger is dearly noticeable in the ginger after the first burning sensation has passed, I Biscuits "made (if exactly the same

ingredients, minnß ihe ginger, have been made Bince by Mrs Marsh, and have been found, perfectly harmless, so that it woul sesui perfectly dear in tbia case what the deleterious ingredient is. ...