A MYSTERIOUS POISONING CASE.

Evening Star, Issue 6711, 1 October 1884, Page 2

A MYSTERIOUS POISONING CASE.

The City Coroner initiated an inquiry at the Castlereagh Hotel, Woollahra, on Wednesday, the 10th ult., into the circumstances attending the death of Frances Ann Payne, who died at her residence, Como, Ocean street, Woollahra, at an early hour the previout morning, from poisoning by strychnine. The following is a summary of the evidence taken in the case:—Joseph Marks deposed : I am managing clerk for Messrs Norton and Company, solicitors, Sydney. The dead body viewed by the Coroner and jury in my presence at Como, Ocean street, is that of Frances Ann Payne. She was a widow, and was thirty-eight years of age on the Bth instant. She was a native of England, and has left one son, I have known the deceased five years, and knew her in Melbourne during her husband's lifetime. On Monday evening, the Bth instant, I was on a visit at Como, Ocean street, Woollahra, and it was the deceased's birthday on that date. There were some Jewish friends at the house, amongst them Captain Osborne, of H.M.S. Nelson, and Mr Long, of Sydney. I and Mr Long sat talking to Mra 3?ayne till afeout & quarter to twelve o'clock, the other guests having previously gone. As I was too late to catch the twelve o'clock boat for North Shore, Mrs Payne offered me a bed. Mr Long left at a quarter to twelve o'clock, to catch a tram; Mrs Payne and I sat talking till a quarter to one o'clock. She was in the best of spirits and was not in a depressed state. About a quarter to one o'clock on Tuesday morning I retired to my room upstairs, and Mrs Payne came up immediately after to her bedroom, and I heard her shut the door. The two rooms were on the same floor and opposite each other, with a passage between. I had partly undressed when I heard the deceased scream, I rushed into her room and found her standing in the room screaming, and I believe she was partly undressed. Some three or four minutes after parting with the deceased downstairs I heard screams proceeding from her room. When I went into the room I a'ked her what was the matter, and the said: "Oh, I have taken some poison by mistake I have taken strychnine," and she asked me to give her a glass of water. I rushed to the washhandstand and took a tumbler which was on it, and then took the water-jug and poured its contents into the tumbler, which was apparently empty, to wash it out. I then crank some of the water that was in tbe tumbler, and detected a bitter taste, also a crystal in my teeth, which also h?d a bitter taste. The quantity of water which I poured out of the jug into the tumbler overflowed it and half filled the bacin. I endeavored to force some of the water into the deceased's month, but by that time her teeth were clenched, and she was in convalsions. She was standing at that time and staggered towards the bed. I was the only person in the houee with the deceased when she soreamed. The servant was in her own bedroom over the kitchen, which is detached from the house. I ran to get Dr Nott, who lives next door, and he sent me for Dr Collins, who returned with me, and I then roused the servant. When I came back with Dr Collins deceased was in strong colvulsions, and was speeohlesa. Dr Nott sent me to get some chloride hydrate, and my return, in about five minutes, he met me at the fate and told me that Mrs Payne was dead. , in company with a constable, the same morning searched the house to see if we could find a paper which contained strychnine, bat could find none. I knew the deceased had some strychnine in the honse some time ago, whioh she got for the purpo e of poisoning rats. It was in a bottle. I searched for that bottle, but oould not find it. Deceased was in independent circumstances, and had no pecuniary difficulties. She was in good health. She had an income from property representing L 30.000 or 140,000, and bad a couple of thousand pounds deposited in the Commercial Bank, besides her ordinary running account. She had never said or did anything whioh would lead me to think that she contemplated snioide.—Alfred Carter deposed that on June 30 he sold to the deceased Is worth of strychnine. It was in a bottle with a red label marked "Poison."—Era Cliff, the servant, gave evidence that she had never seen such a bottle in the house.— The inquest was then adjourned, and was resumed on the 16th inst,, when the witness Marks was recalled. He stated: that he and the deceased went to New Zealand together in January last by the Botomahana. They did not get married while in that colony. They visited Auckland and other places. On their return he used to sleep at Como thrice a week, and had been in the habit of keeping some of his clothes there. He knew the nature of the will left by the deceased's husband. Her husband died very shortly after the will was made. Witness was not aware that deceas d's friends in Melbourne became cool towards her on account of her intimacy with him. He and deceased never passed as man and wife during their New Zealand journey. It did not strike him that by sleeping at her house he was compromising her reputation. They were engaged to be married. He was not aware that there was a report in circulation before they left for New Zealand that they were married.— The evidenoe of Drs Collins and Nott showed that deceased had died from a powerful dose of strychnine. She was found lying on the bed, and appeared to be undressed as for the night. The bed was not much disturbed; part of the bedclothes were thrown back, and ,sho was partly covered by the clothes. There was nothing irregular about her hair, and she appeared to have regularly prepared for bed. All her clothes were carefully placed in a ohair to the left of the room, near the window.—At this stage the Coroner said it would be necessary to adjourn the case, in order to enable the police both in Sydney and Melbourne to make the necessary inquiries. The case was surrounded with grave mystery, and was full of suspicion. He was at present unable to realise the fact as stated that Mrs Payne died from poison taken accidentally.