POISON IN CHOCOLATES

Evening Star, Issue 23724, 4 November 1940, Page 3

POISON IN CHOCOLATES

PACKET SENT THROUGH POST SCOTS WIDOW'S SUSPICION AROUSED Suspicions aroused in the mind of a K.O.’s widow who received a mysterious gift of chocolates by post started inquiries in Scotland, which brought retribution at Perth High Court upon a man who proved to have been the sole beneficiary under her brother’s will. Finding that the chocolates tasted bitter and burnt her mouth, the widow handed them to her bank manager, and this led to the discovery that they contained potash permanganate crystals. The sequel was a trial before Lord •Keith, which ended in John Millar, jun., aged 47, of llevack Lodge, Crieff, being sentenced to three years’ penal servitude for attempted murder. How the chocolates reached the widow, Mrs Georgina Anne Ferguson, aged 83, of Ballater, was described by her in remarkable evidence. " RICH !N VITAMINS.” On January 29 last, she stated, her maid brought her a small parcel bearing the Crieff postmark. In it was a tin bos containing a letter and what appeared to be chocolate pastilles. The letter was signed “ Brigadier-general E. Wingate Tredegar,” and purported to have been written from the Drummond Arms Hotel, Crieff. The writer claimed that he was friendly with her son, who was killed in the last war. The letter read:— , “ I came over from France a few weeks ago, bringing with me a small quantity of band-made chocolates which were special favourites of your son and myself. “ They contain grapes from south of France vines in crystal form. The French take them with coffee three or four at a time. Doctors say they are rich in vitamins and health-giving. “ I felt I could do no better than send them to you, and I trust you will enjoy them.” Mrs Ferguson stated that on receiving the package she put one of the chocolates in her mouth. It “ tasted very hot and extremely unpleasant,” and she spat it out. Replying to Mr Thomson, K.C., prosecuting, Mrs Ferguson declared she bad never heard of anyone by the name of “ Brigadiergonoral E. Wingate Tredegar.” She went on to speak of the death of her brother, Mr Andrew 'William Agnew, which occurred at the age of 7G, in March this year, in a fire at Balmeuoch,

She explained that he had lived in a hoarding house, ikept by John Millar, for many years, and after his death she learned that his will had been made out in favour of Millar. In other evidence it was disclosed that Mr Agnew’s estate, of which Millar was sole beneficiary, was valued at £II,OOO. Millar had also received a gift of £6,000 from Mr Agnew in appreciation of kindnesses shown while Mr Agnew was in his boarding house. Mr S. Graham Mickel, town clerk of Crietf. told a conversation he had with Millar shortly after Mr Agnew met his death. Millar then stated that Mr Agnew had made a will appointing him (Millar) sole executor and residuary legatee of his estate. Mr Mickel remarked that there might be trouble, and .Millar then said he did not want to have any trouble with Mrs Ferguson. “If Mrs Ferguson had i been a client of mine,” commented Mr Mickel in cross-examination, “I would have advised her to inquire very minutely into the circumstances of that will.” Mr Alex. Buchan Anderson, of the North of Scotland Bank, Ballater, to whom Mrs Ferguson handed the chocolates, said on examining them he found they had been tampered with. Part of the base had been cut away and a number of dark crystals inserted in the cavities. A chemist stated that the crystals were potash permanganate. Professor Sydney Smith, of Edinburgh, said, assuming that six chocolates were filled with permanganate, that would give a total amount of 120 to 130 grains, sufficient to cause serious illness and perhaps death. Fatal consequences would be more probable in the case of an old person, HANDWRITING SIMILARITY. Two handwriting experts who compared the letter signed “ E. Wingate Tredegar ” and one written by Millar, were of opinion that they were both written by the same person. Millar, who is short in stature, and was almost dwarfed by two police officers who stood beside him in the dock, was the only witness called for the defence. He denied sending the chocolates or writing the letter. Mr Thomson, addressing the jury for the Crown, pointed to Millar’s position in respect to Mr estate, and remarked: “It was to his interest that no other members of the family should take any steps to attack the will made in his favour.” The war-time jury of seven returned its verdict of guilty by a majority of six to one after an absence of 45 minutes, . Lord Keitb, passing sentence, told; Millar he bad been found guilty of a very serious crime. “ I am not sure,” he added, “ that I

should take into account the. fact the crime you attempted was one ua-' likely to succeed, but I am prepared to take into account the fact that, in you* position a short sentence must entail very considerable punishment.” • Millar took his sentence, calmly, an<| walked with a firm step from the court*