A Lady's Terrible Death.

Hastings Standard, Issue 425, 14 September 1897, Page 4

A Lady's Terrible Death.

A DEADLY HAIR-WASH

An inquest was held on July 21 at the Westminster Coroner's Court on the body of Mrs Francis Sam nelson, the daughter-in-law of Sir Bernhard Samuelson, ex-M.P., and it was then disclosed for the first time that the ghastly accident which caused her death occurred in a W 7 est End shop, in the premises of Emile et Cie., the fashionable hair-dressers, of Conduitstreet. Rarely has a more sensational story been heard in such a court. Although the lady only died the previous Saturday, the accident happened as long ago as June 26, so that the secret had been well kept. At the inquest Mr W. H. Jackson, instructed by Messrs Leesmith and Munby, represented the deceased lady, while Mr A. H. Forman watched the case on behalf of Emile et Cie. Mr Spencer appeared for the London County Council. In front of counsel there stood on the table an eight-ounce bottle, bearing a label with the incription PETROLEUM HAIR-WASH. Must not be used in rooms which have a five or light. Emile et Cie, Perfumers, 24, Conduit - street, Bond - street, London, W. This bottle, the evidence showed, had been found in the late Mrs Francis Samuelson's room. Thomas Edward Bridge, pharmaceutical chemist, of 30, Conduit street, related how, three weeks ago, he had been called into the hairdresser's shop to attend to a lady who had been burnt. He ran to the place, and found a lady, who was sitting in a chair. Her body was very much burnt. He did not see anything about her either alight or smouldering. The burns were far too serious for him to deal with, so he at once sent for a surgeon. She was crying out that she was in such pain, and begged that someone would put her out of her misery. He did not see anything about that he could possibly connect with the accident. Smoke was still hanging about the room.

Emiie Fuchs explained that he and Emile Kopf constituted the firm of " Emile-et Cie." On June 26th he heard a noise in the back room, a noise like " boum ! " the swarthy little Frenchman exclaimed with dramatic gesture. On rushing into the room he saw "everything on fire;" he put towels on the lady, and got his arm singed a little. The .lady was in flames from her waist up. His partner, Emile Kopf, was on fire too. The bottle produced was like those sold to customers at 7s 6d. It was called petroleum hairwash, or " antiseptic." He was ignorant of its component parts. "It is stuff to clean the hair. That is all I know." The label was put on it because it "inflamed by light." He got it from M. Mason, 1, Great Queen street, in tins of about ten or twenty pints, and bottled it in the shop. (The invoice produced was for twenty litres, or forty pints, a large quantity to store in a shop or dwelling-place, surely, considering the dangerous properties of the liquid.) There were three gas stoves in the back room, which were , used for heating curling fcongs. These stoves were always put out before any customer's head was washed with petroleum. The back room was divided into three compartments by means of two screens. Two of the gas stoves had been alight that morning, but he felt sure they had been duly put out. He never knew the wash to explode " without light." He had heard of the somewhat similiar accident to Mrs Fitzwilliam at Monte Carlo; But then she had a night-light behind her basin. He had never heard of a French actress being burnt to death through the stuff exploding. He had warned customers that the liquid was dangerous. He had made inquries about it in Paris, and had been told it was dangerous "by light.". The wash had been used in Paris for the past six or seven years. He had used it for two years only. Counsel for " Emile et Cie," here interposed, and remarked that " other hairdressers in London used the wash." Witness resumed. They had a special " saloon " upstairs, which was sometimes used when applying the petroleum hair-wash. It did not have any gas stove in it.

Emile Kopf, the other member of the firm, said he had attended deceased for several years. At an appointed time she came into the back room. Nobody was there. She asked to have her hair washed with petroleum. He always saw if the gas stoves were out before he used petroleum. He described how he operated. While he had her hair in a bunch, and was wringing the liquid out of it, " a noise came like boom!" and both she and he were on lire. He wore rings. It was a very hot day. The wash was ice cold to the touch and to the head when first applied. Gradually both head and hand grew very burning. Such was the invariable rule. When the explosion took place Mrs Samuelson asked him what had happened. He replied, " I don't know." He had always considered the wash dangerous " with light." He could not tell whether the heat of the sun, whose rays shone through a skylight above his clients' heads, or the wringing of the hair, had caused the explosion. Every day ladies asked for that particular wash. If he did not supply it, other hairdressers would, and he would lose customers'. Since the accident he had refused it. He told all his customers it was dangerous stuff. There was no air at all in the room ; the heat was excessive. He told Mrs Samuelson it was dangerous. She replied that she had used it before. The Coroner : Why did you use it if you considered it dangerous "? Because I have never had an accident before. I sell it to customers to please them, If I refuse it to them they threaten to get it fro 11 Paris. I never heard cf an atjident before. I never* wanted

the stuff in my place. I took more care than usual on that day, because it was a very hot clay. Why did you warn _ her on this particular day ? Because a very hot day is move dangerous than a cold one. At this juncture the inquiry was adjourned for expert evidence. After the accident Mrs Saimielson, says the World, lingered for three weeks in the most terrible agony ; but her confinement was imminent, and she gave birth to a stillborn child the day before her death.