YOUNG MAN’S DEATH

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 June 1921, Page 2

YOUNG MAN’S DEATH

REMARKABLE EVIDENCE.

PARKES (N.S.W.), May 17.

inquest concerning the death of William Edward Flannery, which was opened on April 25, was concluded. The deceased was a young man, a returned soldier, and he had been married ten months.

The medical evidence showed that death was due to poisoning by strych nine. «

Vera Flannery, wife of the deceased, stated that on the Sunday morning he went down town drinking, returning shortly aftey noon. She took his dinner out of the stove, ready carved, which she placed before him. She placed a like plateful before his brother, and they both ate what ha 1 been put before them. Deceased g< i. up from his dinner, and went to the lavatory, and then finished what was on rhe plate. She had not said that she would poison her husband. He had not asked her if she had poisoned him. Shortly after having his dinner he grew very ill, and she went for a doctor. He died hot long after being treated. At the same time, a dog in the yard was found to be in fits, and died. Another dog was found dead under the house. She had not lived happily with her husband, he had threatened to take her life and to commie suicide. A source ot contention was a trip s J ie J made to Forbes in company with a young worn an and three men.

The brother of deceased, in his evidence, said that when eating his dinner deceased complained of its bittertaste, and asked his wife if she had poisoned him. He found the dog in fits. Deceased did not get up from his dinner and go to the lavatory.

Mildred Mason, a young woman, who had been staying with the pair for a. month, stated Khat she formed one of the carload who went to Forbes, but she declined to say’with whom she travelled. Very Flannery had told her that she was in love with a man who loved her, and that she intended to go to her mother's place and obtain Home strychnine, and practice on a dog, and then poison her husband. AVitness had told her not to act so foolishly, and she (witness) had repeated, by way of warning, the conversation of Vera Flannery to the brother of the deceased, and also to the deceased himself. The mother and father of Vera Ilan nery stated that they had no strychnine in the house at Alolong for years. They had had a quantity to poison rabbits nine years ago. and had sole the sulpfus to a chemist in. Alolor.g, whose name they could not remember. The coroner found that deceased ’ died from strychnine poisoning, but whether self-administered or accidentally or otherwise taken, the evidence did not enable hint to say.