STRYCHNINE ON TOAST.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 4 February 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

STRYCHNINE ON TOAST.

A SERVANT CHARGED WITH

.MURDER

A remarkable charge of attempted poisoning came before the Halstead

L'etty Sessions on December 2L A young domestic servant named Elizabeth AYalford was brought up on a charge of attempting to administer strychnine to Mrs Elizabetli Sophia Marlar, wife of John Marlar, chemist and druggist, Hal stead, with intent to

murder

Mr J. Murlar stated that prisoner was in his employ as a domestic servant up to December 15. At 7.30 a.m. on that day prisoner brought his wife a cup of tea and some toast to tier room. She placed them on the washstand, and then went out.

It was not customary for prisoner to bring tea up, but they thought she had done it out of pure goodwill. His wife took some tea and then some toast, but immediately look it oiit of her mouth, exclaiming that it was

poisoned. Witness sprang out c'f bed and laid his finger on some powder which he perceived on the toast, and putting it to his lips, said. "This is strychnine.' He went down stairs to where he knew' strychnine was laid for mice, and then asked the prisoner what she had been doing, but she said nothing.

Witness sealed in two boxes the toast and the poison which he had laid on a shelf in the passage mixed with rice and wheat-flour to kill mice, and handed them over to the police. inspector Jones gave particulars of (he arrest of the accused. She made no reply when the warrant "was read to her.

Dr. Roberts stated that he had*examined the toast, and found sprinkled on the fourth piece of toast a powder which he found to be strychnine. It was impossible to aaj" without further investigation whether there was sufficient powder on the toast to cause death. He therefore asked that expert evidence should be obtained to ascertain positively the amount of strychnine laid on the toast, as that was beyond his province, and he had not the expensive apparatus that was necessary. The powder was spread on one small piece of toast and sprinkled on the top of the other. There was only one piece of toast that contained any serious amount of the powder, that being the piece which Mrs Marlar had broken, and of which, she had put a piece in her mouth.

The Bench made an order that the powder should be sent to an expert analyst, and remanded the prisoner for a week.