POISONED BY STRYCHNINE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1291, 21 November 1911, Page 5

POISONED BY STRYCHNINE.

Yesterday afternoon an inquest wafl held concerning the death of Alfred Thomas Daniels, who died at Nairn Street between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Deceased had been employed as a clerk in tho Education Department. Dr. Fyfl'e, who had conducted u post mortem, gave evidence that the causo of death was poisoning by strychnine. • ' Stanley D. Paul, chemist, manager of tho Grand Pharmacy, Willis Streot, said that on Friday last deceased, who had been a customer of tho firm, had called for 6omo strychnine. Witness hnd not given it to him that day, because Daniels had not a witness to introduce .him. Daniels bad called again on Saturday, and had brought Mr. F. A. Wilkinson, who had introduced him. Daniels had said that ho wanted... ftrychnino for. tho ymrposo of killing a en'ti Mr. Harold James Daniels, a brother of tho deceased, asked how it was possible. for n customer "to buy such a large quantity of strychnino at ono time." The witness explained that- tho poison had been asked for. for tho purposes of killing a cat, and ten grains was not an unusual, quantity for that. Mr. Daniels said that tho purport ol his query had not quite been grasped. Was such a quantity within the chemist't discretion? Tho witness: "Oh, yes. Of course, wo use our own discretion." Harold James Daniels, commercial traveller, a brother of tho deceased,' doposed that the deceased had been in bad health for two or throo years. However, there appeared to be nothing unusual with him on Saturday uight, but on Sunday morning when witness went to tako his breakfast to him there was no answer to the knock at tho door. The door was locked, but that was usual, and an entry had to be effected by pushing the key out with another key and then pulling tho key under the. door with the aid of a Ion" knife. After witness got into the room, the police and a doctor were com--municated with. Dr. M'Arthur, S.M.. coroner, brought iu a verdict of "poisoning by stryclminc.