NIGHTMARE RIDE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1932, Page 15

NIGHTMARE RIDE.

THREE BROTHERS DIE.

STRYCHNINE IN SCONES,

QUEENSLAND TRAGEDY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, April 22.

The story of a nightmare drive by three brothers, all suffering from strychnine poisoning, which killed all of them, was told this week at a coroner's inquest at Maryborough, Queensland.

The three brothers Bayley worked a farm on a share basis. Last Saturday one of them, who was acting as cook, made scones from flour in their larder, and the three ate the scones for lunch. Almost immediately ole of them became violently ill, and while the others were attending to him they also were affected.

Detective Keefe, who interviewed Henry Bayley, the third brother to die, in hospital, tendered a statement in evidence which described the ride to hospital.

"When we felt the first awful pains," said Henry Bayley, "we knew that something was wrong, and harnessed the horse in the sulky and made a dash for hospital.

"I was so bad that I fell out of the sulky soon after we started. My brothers helped me bacic. We drove on half a mile, and Jim got the cramps. He stood up, stiffened, and nearly fell out, but we pulled him back on the seat. A few miles further on Will took cramp, stiffened, and died in his seat. Jim and I drove on until we came to a creek. Then I took another turn. I said to Jim, 'It's no good; I can't go any further. I will only fall out and break my neck. If I am going to die, I'm going to die here.' I got out and lay down. Jim got out, staggered, and fell dead beside me. I remember nothing after that until I woke up in hospital."

Henry Bayley died shortly afterwards, and could give no information to show how the strychnine had been placed in the flour.

The coroner closed the inquest, saying that only the person who put the poison in the flour knew who did it. He directed the police to initke the fullest inquiries and report to him in a fortnight.