QUEENSLAND MYSTERY

Grey River Argus, 2 April 1932, Page 6

QUEENSLAND MYSTERY

BROTHERS POISONED. SYDNEY, April 1. The Queensland police seem to have been set a difficult . problem in unravelling the deaths at Foster Camp, 13 miles from Maryborough, of three brothers, Will iam, James, and Henry Bayley. With two other men, George Gioves and Emil Wegner, they were attending a picnic and a dog stole their broad. Scones were baked by one of tho men, James Bayley, and it was after eating those that all the men became violently ill. Two of them died within an hour, the third two days later in the hospital, while, the remaining two are now well on the road to recovery.

The men had placed their food in a hut and the police feel sure that it was tampered with by somebody with criminal intent. They suggest that the poison might have been added to the flour while the men were absent for four or five hours. Wegner and Graves say that they saw nobody in the vicinity. It is strange, however, that tho owner of the htg;, a man named Dong, used the flour which was an ingredient of the fatal batch of scones cooked by James Bayley. Dong ate his scones without ill effect. The only other ingredient used by Beylcy was water, obtained from a tank at the back of the hut. This water had been drunk by all members of the party and by Dong. The utensils and the fat in which the scones were fried had both been used for the preceding meal. So certain we e the poß.e that the Hour had been tampered with that they secured the services of a black trackers to examine the whole of the country near the scene of the tragedy. This did not assist them in any way. and after a week’s inquiry, the police were compelled to admit that they were completely baffled. Neither oi the two men in the hospital can suggest any one who would be likely | iay a trap for them. It would have been passible, they say. for anyone to have entered the hut without thei • knowledge, but they know of nothing that would strengthen their suspicions in that direction. The police close!ques'ioned a horseowner who lives in the vicinity, but he was able to satis fy them that he was in no, way concerned- Many strangers to the district were closely examined, but they did not. throw any light on the poison ing. It has been suggested that an attempt was made to poison the previous occupant of the hut and that ♦he Bayleys were the victims of ai act of that nature