WERE NEAR DEATH

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10827, 26 March 1932, Page 3

WERE NEAR DEATH

Women in Agony. POISONED AFTER EATING CAKE. Sydney, March 12. Since Thursday night, a Bondi woman, aged 70, and her two daughters have been at the point of death at their home in Paterson St. as a result of being mysteriously poisoned allegedly by cake purchased in a city shop.

An hour after eating the cake the three women became paralysed by most excruciating pains and fell unconscious on the floor of their home. If their plight had not been discovered by another member of the family they would have died, say doctors, within three hours. Creamy Cake. The victims are Mrs Helen Rose, and her daughters, May and Nellie, the last-named being manageress of Fred Searl’s floral studios in Kingstreet. Aliss Nellie Rose, who is wellknown as a floral artist, left her place of business shortly after (5 o’clock on Thursday. She purchased from a city shop three slices of rich, creamy cake which was garnished with fancy decoration. She took the cake home, but her mother and sister decided not to eat it until supper time when they made tea. Each ate a slice of the cake. Aliss Nellie Rose broke a piece from her section of the dainty and gave it to her Mexican parrot, which promptly ejected it from his mouth. The incident, of course, aroused no suspicions in the mind of Miss Rose. She returned to the living room, where her mother and sister were sitting on a sofa, and found Doth of them complaining of feeling queer. in Agony.

A minute later Miss Neiiie Rose had cause to similarly complain and within five minutes the three were in the throes of most agonising pains.

The girls in spite of their condition, managed to lift Mrs Rose to her feet and commenced to lead her into her bedroom.

They had gone half-Avay when Mrs Rose collapsed. The daughters thought she had died. They got her to her bedroom, however, and then she fell to the floor and commenced to vomit violently and cry out. All Collapsed. The daughters collapsed immediately afterwards, and, after seizures of vomiting, they lapsed into unconsciousness on the floor beside their mother. That was at 10 p.m. An hour and a-half later Miss Georgina Rose, who is manageress of the Domain Baths kiosk, returned home from the pictures. Fortunately, the front door had been left open. She walked into the bedroom and made the astounding discovery of the condition of her mother and sisters. From 11.45 p.m. until 6 a.m. yesterday morning the doctor and nurse worked upon the three women to relieve them of the poison.

They were sinking speedily towards death, and several times it was thought, that Mrs Rose had succumbed. Acid Suspected. It is believed that sulphuric acid was the cause of the poisoning. Board of Health officials have interviewed the proprietor of the shop at which the cake was bought. He states that the pastry in question was purchased from a cake-making firm.