THE GISBORNE POISONING CASE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10478, 7 December 1896, Page 3

THE GISBORNE POISONING CASE.

(BY TELEGRAPH.) IfFBOM OTJB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) GISBORNE, Sunday. At sn Inquest on tbe man Charles Planer, who was killed on Friday by drinklDg poison from a bottle which he thought contained beer, ib was stated that with two other prohibited persona Fisher went to the house of a boatbullder named Frederick Steele, and according to one of hte companions he got the key of the boatahed, saying he wanted a drink and he woald have One, and went in by himself. After a mionte or so the witness. beard him call out " I'm poisoned," and on witness asking him what he had taken be said be had swallowed aome oarbollo 6old. Wltneaa seeing him dying went for Dr. Haghes, bat despite the dootor's treatment) the man died. When witness went into the abed he saw Fhher with a bottle In hit hand. The bottle was labelled " Pepperment." There was another bottle there (labelled Yin de Quiniw) like the bottle prodnoed, and he pointed ' out to Dr. Efaghea the bottle from which Fisher said be had drank. Flshor appeared 'to be nnder the inflaenoe of drink before he went into the ehed. Fleher's other companion tnrned np at the inqnestthe worse for drink and the Coroner refused to hear him. It then transpired from a Maori witnesß that, two beer bottles containing oarbollo sold for disinfecting purposes at Mr Hardlng's residence had been . left in the boatshed by him whilst he went another message. Strange to say no fr~-qaeation was asked as to what made 9 Fisher think he wonld get a drink In the boatahed, and that portion of the oaee remains nuiatiafaotory. After n brief deliberation the jury returned a verdlot of death from poisoning by misadventure, And added the following rider:— "The jary woald point out the great danger of people putting carbolic add Into bottles, •nd not labelling them poison."