ASPECTS OF VERONAL POISONING.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 June 1936, Page 3

ASPECTS OF VERONAL POISONING.

EVIDENCE CALLED IN DEFENCE OF MAREO. LAST WITNESS TO BE HEARD ON MONDAY, (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Last Night. • Evidence for the defence in the fMareO re-trial was continued this aftermoon, when the Court was again crowded. Mrs. Eiano said she remembered Thelma saying that if the Ernest Rolls Company did not take her to New Zealand she -would kill herself, and they decided to take her. While in Auckland, Thelma came to witness in the dressing-room and asked if witness could give her some powders or something.. Marco wag standing in the doorway and said; "I wish you could try to convince Thelma to be a homeopath, because something will happen if she doesn’t stop taking so many sleeping draughts. ’ ’ Witness remembered Thelma drinking at the Crows Nest Cabaret, Wellington, and being under the influence. To Mr. Henry, witness said she was very fond of Miss Trott., There had been a difference between her daughter and Mareo over the latter playing the music too fast, but no difference •with Miss Trott. Didn’t Tell Policeman.

Cross-examined by Mr. Meredith, witness said that when she interviewed the police at Melbourne she may not. have mentioned Thelma showing Her a bottle of veronal, A policeman just came to the door and asxed some questions and took notes in a book. “He took us by surprise, and 1 didu’t think it important to tell him everything 1 know. ’ ’

Air. Meredith: 1 put it to you that, he asked straight out whether Thelma Trott took veronal. Witness: I do not remember that. He was not asking me questions, Mr. Meredith: Ho 1 understand that he stood there mute while you told him about Thelma? Witness: He asked some questions, a lot particularly about dates. Air. Aleredith: Then you purely and voluntarily brought out these things about her drinking? Witness: I did it out of my love of justice. I thought it was my duty. Air. Aleredith: Did not your love of justice and duty impel you to tell the police about that bottle of veronal? Witness: I am not sure that I did not tell them. Alareo had said to her before he was married that Thelma was taking too many drugs, asking witness to break her of it. Air. Aleredith: If what you say is correct it follows that Alareo knew his wife took two drugs. Witness: Yes, I suppose so. Mr. Aleredith: Would you be surprised to know that when his wife was unconscious and the doctor asked him whether his wife ever took drugs ho said “no?” Witness: Perhaps dope and drugs are two different things. Air. Meredith: Would you be surprised if he said in answer to the police that his wife did not take drugs to make her sleep, but took alcohol? Witness: 1 don’t know whether I would be surprised. Teacher’s Evidence.

John William Beattie, school teacher, of Huuterville, said that in November, 1931, while at Dunedin, ho suffered a nervous breakdown and consulted two doctors, who prescribed veronal to i'nduce sleep. He took veronal for about a year. For a time one tablet was enough, but later he had to take two. He used to take them about half-an-hour before he went to bed. Occasionally they did not have any elfect and after tossing for some time he got up and took two more. At the time he was suffering from a duodenal ulcer. He escorted some visitors to the tram and retired at about 11.15. The veronal had not had any elfect and at about midnight he took two more tablets. He remembered distinctly that eight were left in the box. He went to sleep and did not remember anything until morning. He then remembered his wife trying to awaken him, but he just sagged and went into a deep sleep. At dinner time his wife again tried to rouse him, but he sagged again and went to sleep.

“At about 7.30 that night my wife was able to rouse me with difficulty, just like a drunken man. We went for a walk. My speech was very thick. When I retired at about 10 o’clock I decided to risk one tablet. They were kept in the bathroom. I found the box with the lid on, but there were no tablets and I concluded that I had taken them myself on the Saturday night. My wife has never taken veronal in her life,” said witness.

Mr. Justice Callan: You conclude, then, that between 10 oclock on Saturday night and the Sunday morning you took 60 grains—twelve tablets?

Witness: Yes. The effect wore off on the Monday.

On another occasion, witness said, he found himself in the bathroom. A bottle fell into the washhand basin and roused him. Ho was satisfied that he was after more veronal, but he had enough will power to force himself away from the bathroom where it was kept. On the way back to bed he entered the wrong bedroom.

Witness said he had never seen Mareo until to-day, but he thought this experience of veronal might be valu-

able and had, therefore, written to the Court.

Moira Esrne Messissner, a married woman, of Havelock North, said that, in September, 1930, she had collapsed. She had been sleeping badly for six months before. Barbitonc was prescribed for her by a doctor and pills were obtained. Witness described taking the pills during the night. She remembered waking up as though in a dream and feeling for -the pills, which she thought were on a pedestal by the bed. She remembered getting up and searching the room. The next she remembered was bumping into the telephone and then she found herself in the bathroom. She remembered getting on a high stool to search the medicine chest. She opened the cupboard and searched for the pills, which she eventually found. She did not know that the pills had been shifted to the bathroom. Witness could remember taking them, but could not remember how many. Franz Messissner, husband of the previous witness, described putting the pills in the bathroom and later finding the box empty. He had given his wife only two pills. Witness said his wife had been asleep for about four days. The Court adjourned until Monday after having heard the evidence of the wardrobe mistress in “The Duchess of Dantzig” operatic production, Alice Frances Smith, who said that, on the final night, Mrs, Mareo smelt of liquor.

The last witness for the defence, a medical man from Wellington, will be

heard on Monday,