DEATH FROM PHOSPHOROUS POISONING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11952, 29 April 1902, Page 5

DEATH FROM PHOSPHOROUS POISONING.

Mr. Gresham, coroner, held an inquest yesterday at the hospital into the death of the man Thomas McCoy, who died at that institution on Saturday, as reported in yesterday's HERALD, .Mrs. Gertrude Ninkey, a nurse, deposed that defeased was a married man, his family residing at Palmerstou North, to whom he stated he intended returning on Wednesday last. He never complained of any ailment. Witness never saw him the worse of liquor. He was of a cheerful disposition and never expressed any intention of doing away with himself. As he did not come home to lunch on Wednesday witness assumed he had gone to New Plymouth, hut was, on Thursday, informed by the police that lie had been out in the »l>urk all night. On Friday morning witness found in deceased's room two tin boxes which had contained wax vestas. The phosphorous heads of these vestas had been cut off with a pair of scissors and were missing. Francis Evert-on Severne, gaoler at Mount Eden gaol, deposed that deceased was received into the gaol on Friday afternoon last. He had been sentenced to 18 hours' imprisonment for drunkenness in default of a tine, by Mr. Hutchison, S.M. He had never been in prison before to witness' knowledge. His appearance was such us would lead one to suppose that he had been drinking. On Saturday forenoon deceased vomited, and it was officially reported to witness that, during the hitter's temporary absence from the gaol the deceased hid informed one of the warders that he had on Wednesday taken the contents of two boxes of matches. Deceased was sent to the hospital. Dr. W. J. Darby deposed to attending deceased at the gaol on Saturday morning, when he said that he had taken the match heads in water on Wednesday evening. Dr. W. X. Horsfall, resident physician at the hospital, gave evidence to the effect that after admission to that institution deceased told him the same story with regard to the match heads. He appeared to be dying on admission. Dr. Alice Woodward deposed to making a post-mortem, as a result of which she attributed the man's death to phosphorous poisoning. The jury ■returned-a verdict to the effect that deceased died from phosphorous poisoning, self-ad-ministered, there being no evidence as to the cause of his, taking the Maine.