THE ALFRED - STREET POISONING CASE.

Evening Post, Volume XL, Issue 10, 11 July 1890, Page 2

THE ALFRED - STREET POISONING CASE.

■ 4 CONTINUATION OF THE INQUEST; As was intimated by Inspector Thomson at the commencement of the enquiry into this most unfortunate affair, the evidence was not finished yesterday, owing to the absence of a most important witness, the young man Cumberworlh, who is supposed to have filled the dispensitg bottle from which tho fatal dose was taken by Mr. Fitzgerald in making up Dr. Kemp's prescription. Our report published yesterday gave the evidence taken np tb the adjournment which was made for lunch at half-past 1 o'oiooK. On resuming at half-past 2, William Inglis, assistant to Mr. W. C. Fitzgerald, chemist, was oalled, and deposed to Mr. Fitzgerald making np Mrs. Bennett's med ; cine from Dr. Kemp's proscription. Witness handed the packago to Mr. Bennett shortly after 7 o'clook. After it had boon taken away, witness sent the shop boy into the store for tho stock bottle of solution of morphia from which ho intended replenuhin? tho dispensing bottle. Whei .ho boy brought tbe bottle be noti:ed ihit the capsule was intact, and he accordingly senttholad baok again, telling him there must be a bottle opened as the dispensing bottle had been previously filled. The boy came back again and reported he could not find an opened bottle, and that the unopened one was the only bottle in the store. Witness then went himself, and was satisfied that there was only one bottle of the solution of morphia in tho store — the unopened one. In 1 o'dngfor it, however, he noticed that tie bottle containing solution of stryobnia had been opened, and it flashed across his mind that possibly a mitt ike had oocurred. He therefore sont to the shop for the green dispensing bottle, which contained only a few drops of liquid, and after tasting it he was convinced that it was not morphia > He next informed Mr. Fitzgerald of his suspicion that the dispensing bottle had been filled with solution of strychnia instead of morphia. Mr. Fitzgerald said, " Surely such a mistake could not have been made," and suggested that perhaps liq. morph. aoet. had been put into the dispensing bottle in plaoe of liq. morph. hyd. Witness replied he did not think so, as there appeared to have been more taken from tho strychnia bottle than there ought to have been, and besides that in the dispensing bottlo did not taste like morphia. They tested that in the dispensing bottle, but tho result was unsatisfactory. Dr. Pollen came in at this moment, and Mr. Fitzgerald said to him he feared there had been a mistake, and the doctor, after tasting the contents of the dispensing bottle, agreed that it tasted like stryohnia. The witness thon referred to Dr. Pollen's departure for Mrs. Bennett's house with a fresh bottle of morphia and an emetic, &0., and said that he left tbe shop about 9 o'olook, telling Mr. Fitzgerald, who was very anxious about the matter, he would call at Mrs. Bennett's (as he lived close by), enquire if anything had gone wrong, and telephone the result of his enquiries. After arriving at Alfred-stroet he could sco no sign of Dr. Pollen's cab, bo he concluded he had gone, and did not go to the house. He, however, intended telephoning to Mr. Fitzgerald, but could not get him. Subsequently he learned from a night-watchman that a death had occurrod in Alfred-street. To the Foreman— He hid been in Mr. Fitzgerald's employ for about two months, but never had occasion to dispense liq. morph. before. To the best of witness' knowledge, the green dispensing bottlo had only been once filled since Mr. Fitzgerald commenced business. It was' a soz bottlo, and would probably have contained about 4oz. Could not Bay whether any more of it had boon dispensed besides that sent >to Mrs. Bennett. When the test was made there was not more than a drachm in tho bottle. To the Coroner-— Witness conld not say what quantity of liquid remained at the present time in the bottle of hydro-chlor. strychnia now in tho shop. To tho Foreman— Only from five to ten minntoß elapsed from the time suspioion of the liquid was aroused until when tho doctor went off to Mrs. Bennett's house. About three-quarters of an honr bad then elapsed since Mr. Bennett took away the medioine. To Mr. Chapman— Was not in the shop when tho police took away the bottles. So far as he conld tell the bottles now in the room wero obtained from tho shop. Witness had been 9 or 10 years in the busincsß. There was no rule laid down as to who should fill np tho dispensing bottles. It did not require any chemical knowledge, but only personal oare. It was not usual to allow a phop boy to fill up the bottles. William Henry Bennett, husband of tho deceased, was next called, and examined by Inspector Thomson, said that his wife had been nnder Dr. Rawson's care for about three yoars, and about two years ago an operation was performod upon her. Since then she had been in the habit of taking morphia to reliove pain, and had taken as many as seven toaspoonfuls at a time. He received the bottle produced from Mr. Fitzgerald's shop about half-past 7 o'clock on Tuesday evening, and took it directly home. He told hiswifetbatthedoctor toidhimthatit was in j ur ions for her to take so much morphia, and she promised ehe would not take it if sho could help it. Ho then left home, and about half-past 8 rocoived a message that his wife was dying. Ho found her at her mother's honse, which adjoined his own, and seeing the urgency of the matter ho sped off to the Tramway office, where he rang up several doctors, bnt they could not attend. Finally he left a message at tho Empire Hotel for Dr. Pollen to come up at once. He then ran baok homo, and found that Dr. Pollen was already thore, bnt that his wife was dead. Before he went to the telephone his wife told him she thought she had been poisoned by the medicine. Dr. Pollen said there had been a mistake in the prescription. To Mr. Chapman— Witness took a tram from Mr. Fitzgerald's shop homo with the medioine Ellen Pain, mothor of tbe deceased, said that as near as sho conld recollect it was about half-paßt 8 o'clock when her daughter came across to her house on Tuesday ovening. Witness was in another room at the time, but hearing her daughter's voice oame out. The deceased then said, " Oh, mother, I'm so bad," and witness asked if she had been taking more morphia. Tho deceased replied, " Yes, two teaspoonsful, and I'm dying." She then called after he* little daughter Millio and asked witness to load her back home, complaining at the samo time that her strength was going. Witness led her as far as the gate, but not finding the child they came baok again, and her daughter then knocked at the front door, calling to her brother, who was in bed, "Alfred, get up, I'm dying." Witness led her round to the baok door, and into tho kitohen whero her father was sitting, and she in a wav stumbled over him. Convulsions then seized hor, and it was all they conld do to hold her, so fearful were hor straggles. After the first attack she asked for a drink, and said, " Put salt in it." Witness gave her a cup of warm water with a spoonful of salt, but she could not swallow it all owing to her teeth olencbing. After a second attack the deceased asked for some cold water, some of whioh sho drank. They then placod her upon the sofa and loosened her olothos, but about ten minutes afterwards she died. Dr. Pollen arrived about three or four minutes after she died. Only about half an hour elapsed from the time deceased camo to witness' honse until sho died. Witness thought that only the two small children were in the house when deceased took the medioine. Ellen Blandford, a neighbour, who was called in to see Mrs. Bennett soon after she was attacked with convulsions, and was present when she died, also gave evidence. The witncsß said that tho deceased had several seizures with convulsive fits, bnt was perfectly luoid in the intervals. To Mr. Chapman— lt was certainly not more than ten minutes after death that Dr. Pollen arrived at the house. She was with the deceased for about a quarter of an hour before sho died. William Crowthers Fitzgerald was then called, and on being sworn ho explained that it was his wish to havo this most unfortunate affair thoroughly sifted, and for that reason he was perfectly willing to give every possible assistance. Inspector Thomson admitted that Mr. Fitzgerald had baon most frank in his communication with the police, and had afforded them every facility in conducting their investigation. Mr. Fitzgerald then proceeded to explain the receipt of Dr. Kemp's prescription, and the conversation whioh he subsequently had with his assistant and Dr. Pollen about the extraordinary largeness of tho dose ordered. Speaking of the bottlo marked liq morph. from whioh he dispensed the dose, Mr. Fitzgerald said he believed that it had only been once filled, and then by Mr. Cumberworth, who was employed by him as a junior assistant when he first opened the business. The young man, he said, enterod his employment on tho 18th of April, and except for an interval of a week was with him until the 24th of June. Ho was not then discharged, but left simply because tho special work for which he had been engaged was finished. He (witness) hod had thorough confidence in his assistant, so much so in fact that only last weeK he telegraphed offering him a further engagement for a few weeks. Before engaging him several interviews took place, at which witness questioned him closely as to his knowledge of the business, and the result was quite satisfactory. While he was employed witness had frequently overlooked him whilst filling the dispensing bottles from the stock ones, and noticed that he invariably kept before him a copy of Squires' edition of the British Pharmaoopceia for reference. He had also in his possession an excellent testimonial from a well-known Christchurch firm of chemists, by whom Cumberworth was previously employed. The bottle of solution of morphia referred to was the only one witness had in the shop to dispense from, and he recollected haying used it in making up several prescriptions— one in particular he remembered, as the patient had suffered a remarkable recovery. Of course the qaantity of liquid from a bottle used in these cases was very small, and not anything like what would be regarded as a fatal do3o. Mr. Fitzgerald then wont on to describe the tests made by himself and assistant, and afterwards by Dr. Pollen, the dreadful suspicion that dawned upon them, and the subsequent hasty departure of Dr. Pollen for Mrs. Bennett's house with a fresh bottle of morphia and an emetic, &o , in case any of the solution first Bent should have been taken by the patient. A telephone message came soon after the doctor had departed saying thathe was urgently needed at Mrs. Bennett's house, but as he had gone nothing could be done but to wait. The assistant (Mr. Inglis) afterwards went away, and Mr. Fitzgerald said the next information he got was from the cabman who drove Dr. Pollen to the house. He learned from him that Mrs. Bennett was dead, and he also explained that he had some difficulty in finding the house for the doctor, who had arrived too late. After hearing this news Mr. Fitzgerald said he posted off to Newtown, intending to call at Mr. Bonnett-'s home acd sco th& dootor, but ho saw Mr. Ingiis before ho reached thore, who informed him thai Dr. Pollen had gone and as the house was full of people it was of no use his calling there. He accordingly returned to town, and after spending some- time in hunting for the dootor

ultimately tflet him as be wns entering the door of the Empire Hotel, whore he was staying. He asked at once to be told the worst — whether it was the medicine which had caused the woman's death, aa it meant ruination. The doctor replied that it Was impossible to toll until an analysis had been made, bat it certainly looked like it. Mr. Fitzgerald went on to Bay that at two o'clook in the morning he went to the police station, and fonnd that Drs. Eemp and Pollen had already been thore, and at halfpast seven o'clook the following morning he handed over the bottles of liquid now in the room to Sergeant Kiely. Questioned by a jury mm, Mr. Fi zgerald said tbat the medicine was banded Mr. Bennett some time before the mistake was suspected. The juryman explained that he asked the question because it had been stated that Mr. FitzGerald and his assistant were heard discussing the (Juestioii of whether the medioine was correot or not before it was handed to Mr. Bennett. Mr. .(Fitzgerald replied that no one was present when the matter was disoussod by Dr. Pollen, himself, and his assistant. The bottle had gone three-quarters of an hoar before the mistake was suspeoted. . At half-past sis o'clock the enquiry was adjourned nntil nine o'clock on Tuesday next, Inspector Thomson intimating that he hoped to have the witness Cumberworth in attendance on that day. At the present time he bad not been found, but was believed to be at Mauriceville.