PHOSPHORUS POISONING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 222, 16 September 1905, Page 5

PHOSPHORUS POISONING.

WOMAX SWALOWS MATCHHEADS. The District Coroner (Mr. T. Gresham) ield an inquiry at Mount Albert •• this morning ■ into the eireumstances attending the death of a single woman oi 35 years of age, nan*d Elizabeth Jane Bennett. The deceased's sister, upon entering her bedroom yesterday morning. noticed a strong smell of phosphorus. while the deceased herself, who was in bed, seemed to be in a semi-dazed condi- ) tion. Dr. Eoberton was sent for., and emetics administered, but before the doctor's arrival the woman was dead. 1 The police were represented by Ser- ! geant Carroll and Constable Hodgson. Ada Mary Bennett, sister of the deceased, said that about three months ago s the family had removed to Mount Albert t from Waikumete. where they had kept .\ store. About a month ago deceased hail returned home from a visit to Kawa- ] kawa. where she nad been taken ill with 11 a severe attack of hysteria. Since then 3 j her health had become continually worse. a j and she had become ot late exceedingly " I despondent. While at Kawakawa she ' i had been under Dr. Eccles for treatment. i! Since returning home she had been attended by Dr. Eoberton. Yesterday morning, at about eight o'clock., upon , : going i Q to her sister's room, witness no- * ; ticed a very strong odour of phosphorus. . I She found the deceased's dress under the j bed. The dress was wet through as t J though she had been out in the rain, and J had evidently been placed under the bed ;i to escape observation. Witness asked de- - J ceased, who was in bed. where she had ( been to get her dress so wet. but iie- : ceased seemed to be in a semi-dazed condition, and did not make any intelligible answer. Witness later found a cup in tne wash-house turned upside down, and bearing evidences of having had phosI phorua in it. Dr. Roberton was sent lor at abouc 12 o'clock, and in the meantime ) emecics were administered. Before the doctor's arrival, however, the deceased was dead. She died about one o'clock. The cup in question was here produced, besides two empty matchboxes. J also found in the wash-house, from which i had evidently been oDtained the matchheads that had beeu used by the deceased to offect her purpose. " i Dr. Roberton said he was called in to ' i the case yesterday morninpr. and arrived ■ at the deceased's late residence at about 1-45 p.m. He found she was already dead. On conducting a postmortem examination he discovered all the eviden- ' i ces of phosphoric poisoning. In fact, in the lower bowel, match heads were dis- : tinetly noticeable, and pho-phorie fumes were emitted from it. The cause of .leatli jin witness' opinion was acute phosphoric I poisoning. j To the ;oroner: In witness' opinion I the phosphorus was self-administered. Dr. Robt-rton said that he had previously attmdfd deceased. She had theu just returned from Kawakawa. and seemed to be in a wild, irrational state. She did not seem to be at all dangerous, however, either to herself or to others. She appeared at times quite rational, and although decidedly eccentric, was not sufficiently peculiar to warrant being placed under any particular restraint. She seemed to be mostly in a worried, hysterical state. A verdict was returned "That deceased came by her ileath through phosphorus poisoning, the poison bein;* self- | administered while deceased was of unj sound mind. - '