PHOSPHOROUS POISONING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 55, 6 March 1891, Page 4

PHOSPHOROUS POISONING.

SUDDEN DEATH OP A YOUNG

WOMAN

SHE AD.MITS HAVING EATEN

MATCHES,

AN INQUEST PEOCEEDING.

A STKAKGE fatality occurred afc Pon.-onby yesterday, a younjj woman named Emma Lilian Whittinaham having died, after (i brief bub very painful illness, which, according to medical testimony, was cansocl by phosphorous poisoning. The deceased waa a hoalthy tcaUiug young woman slightly over 21 years of afie, the daughter of Mrs Cameron, who resides in College Road, Pousonby, by her first husband. She was not married, and for some time past bad been in service with Sirs Percival, of I'arneil. THE DOCTOR'S STATEMENT. l)r. Knight states tliafc on Wednesday nftornoon last he was called to sou the deceased ab her mother's residence in College Road. She complained of being iil. Ho examined her and prescribed for her. Ho visited her a™aiu übout ten o'clock on Wednesday night, ai.d found her unconscious. He then observed signs of phosphorous poisoning and bo prescribed again for her. The deceased did not teli Dr. Knight that she had taken anything;. He called to see hor a third time on Thursday afternoon and found she wns dead. From what ho has sson he is quite satisfied that the deceased died from phosphorous poisoning. THE MOTHER'S STATEMENT. Mary Jane Cameron, the mother of the deceased, states: The nmne of the deceased ij Emma Lilian Whittingham. Sho is my daughter by my tint husband. She had just turned her twenty iiuib year and was usually in very good health. She had been in service with Mrs Percival, of Avr-strecfc, Parnell, for soir.o mouths. She came home on Tuesday even ing last, and asked mo to and take her place At Mrs Peroivul'e, because the was ill, When I asked her what was the matter with her s-he told mo that she had a pain in her head and a sore throat, bub spoke cheerfully, and did not seem to be very ill. I left her lying on tho sofa, and wci;6 to Mrs Porcivol's.

She was not alone, a sister remaining in tho bouse with her. At ton o'clock on Wednesday ni<<bi a messenger camo for nio with news that Etsma was dangerously ill. I went home aa quick as possible, and when I arrived I found her in an unconscious condition. Dr. Knight liud been with hor twice. Slio remained unconscious until about three o'clock on Thursday morning, A DISTRESSING SCENE. About four o'clock she sDoke to her sister, under the impression that the was speaking ro the doctor. Sho took hold of her sister's hand, and said, "Oh, doctor, will you forgive mo ?" The sistev asked "What for?" and tho deceased said, "Oh, doctor, forcrive mo, for 1 am only a poor girl." The t.istor asked her what wrong she had clone that eho should need forgiveness, but roceivod no repi} , . Mrs Rogers, a married sister, who was also present, then asked her if sho had eaten matches, and tho deceased, still labouring under tho delusion that she was speaking to Dr. Knight, replied "Yes, doctor." Dr. Knight was nob present at this time, so that it was evident the girl was not in possession of hor senses. Tha sister asked, " How many matches did you eat?" and tho deceased, throwing her head back, appeared to consider for some time. At length she replied, "About forty." Sho did not say whether they were wax matches or not, find I do not know whether sha had eaten them at Mrs Fercival's, or after sho camo homo. The deceased was asked WRY SHE ATE THE MATCHES, and whether she did not know that she had done wrong) and the answer she made was " Don't speak to me liko that, mother." 1 think that was all siie said to me uafcil about twenty minutes to five o'clock, when I was with her alone, the others having gone for their sister Sarah, whom"" the deceased had been inquiring for. The deceased asked me to lay her down on the floor, stating that she would be happier so. Previous to this she had been lying on her bed, and had suffered a good deal of pain. After she was laid on the floor she did not appear to suffer so much. I asked her if she was going to leavo us, and the replied that sho was.' She was then pretty conscious, and evidently knew that she was dying. I asked her had f=he made her peace with God, and she eaid she was QUITE PREPARED TO DIE. I asked her again about the matches, and she said " What matches ?" I t-aid, " Are yon nob afraid to die?" She eaid, "No," that it was better for her to die. She then called for her brothoi'3 and sisters. Had she bson in her senses sho would have known that ono of her brothers could not come to her, being across the sea. Her three sisters then arrived. When they came in sho looked up ami seeing Sarah, said, "Oh, my. sister." She thia twice. Sho did not say anything , after that except "Oh," which she repeated three times, and then she died. She appeared to be calm at the end. Up till the last she gave no idea as to why she had eaten tho matches, and I have no idea why she should have done so. because she was usually a very jolly girl. It is truo that she had had a slight difference with one of hor sisters, but L do not consider that would have caused her to do anything rash," and I do not know of any other reason for such an act. We had noticed since Christmas that the deceased was somewhat melancholy, bub we did not consider it a serious matter. When the deceased vomited a short time before she died there was a slig-hfc ginell which might have besn of phosphorous, bat I could not say whether it was not a powder given her by the doctor." A SINGULAR OCCURRENCE. Mrs Cameron was informed by Mrs Percival of a singular incident in relation to the deceased. Mrs Cameron says : When I went to Mrs Fercival's on Tuesday Mra Porcival told me that on the "morning of- that day tho deceased was sent to clean the

scheo' before breakfast. After breakfast was over, -Mrs Percival was surprised that the deceased hud been so long away, and called her, but receive.'! no reply. She sent one ot' the little boys who were boarding thero to the school. Ths boy went, and found the daceajeti lying en her back in tho schoolroom. He came back to -Mrs Percival and told her that tho girl was dead. Mr Fercivai ran up to the school and found.the deceased lyinir en the floor. He iiftect her head, when she locked at him and smiled. Ho fet her upon her feefs and asked hsr what was the matter, and she replied that it was only dizziness that came over hur and caused her to go off in a faint. Mr Percival wanted to send for a doctor, but she aaid there was no need tor a doctor, uric! that she would be alright in an hour or so. When she jrot back to the house Mrs Percival made her lie down for an hour or so, after which she went about hor work as usual. In tho afternoon the) deceasod said she folt unwell, and asked Mrs Percival to let her go borne, and Mrs Percival granted her request, asking her to send someone to take her place. Sirs Cameron form ho idea as to the cause of tho deceased's action in eating: matches, if tho deceased had eaten matches, of which Mrs Cameron docs not feel sure, f-jhe recollect.?, however, that on one occasion when after the deceased came home she asked hor, " Ara you gl.td to leave us,' ; tnd the deceased replied, "Yes; it is better so." WANTED TO MAKE HER WILL Mrs Mabel Rogers, a married sister of the deceased, who lives in tho same houss as Mrs Cameron, says: The deceased camo to my houso in Collego Road on Sunday last. She soemed io>v-spirited, and" saici, " I am going to nsika my will ; you nan have all my finings." I took no notice of her. On Tuesday, tho 3rd ir.sb., she returned, and complained of being ill. She bold me she had coir.Q home to die, and that she had caton matches-. She gave mo no reason a* to why she had done so. I said I would send for a doctor and a constable, when she said, ''Don't be foolish; 1 did not eat '.any matcher. , '. I thensenfc for Dr. Knight. The deceased died about 5 a.m. on Thursday. I can givo no idea as to why she should have eaten matches. She was generally of a cheerful disposition." An inquaeL on tho body was proceeding at the Suffolk Hotel as we went to pres3.