POISONING TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21168, 28 April 1932, Page 6

POISONING TRAGEDY.

FATAL MEAL OF SCONES. " % . DEATH OF THREE BROTHERS EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. The poisoning tragedy which occurred on March 4 afc Foster's Camp, near Maryborough, Queensland, as a result o! which William, Henry George and James Bayley died, was recalled last week in Maryborough, when an inquest, was held. Alfred Dong, farmer and shopkeeper, said that he used a building known as Foster's Camp on his property at weekends, and on January 22 he and four others visited the camp. From then till March 4 witness stayed in Maryborough afc week-ends and there was no one at the cump. On March 4 he baked scones afc the camp twice during the day, replacing the flour in a cupboard. No illeffects were felt from these scones. He and his party left the camp in the afternoon and on the way back met a party, including the three deceased, going to the camp. Constable Cullen gave evidence of the finding of the bodies of William Bayley and James Bayley. Henry George Bayley was lying againsb a tree and when he was moved he cried, "Do not touch me. Leave me alone. I cannot move my legs." Later, in hospital, he said that they first felt ill-effects after they had eaten some scones which they had made. Witness submitted a report from the Government analyst testifying that the thres Bayleys had died from poisoning and that a bag of two pounds of flour contained pink-coloured crystals. Erail Godfrey Wegner said that he and the Bayleys when at the camp discovered that dogs had taken the food and they decided to make scones with the flour in the' hut. After eating the scones they all began to feel ill. Detective Keefe, who interviewed Henry Bayley, the third brother to die, in hospital, produced a statement in evidence which described the ride to hospital. "When we felt the first awful pains," said Henry Bayley, "we knew that somethin# was wrong and harnessed the horse in the sulky and made a dash for hospital.. I was so bad that I fell out of the sulky soon after we started. My brothers helped me back. We drove on half a mile and Jim got the cramps. Ha stood up, stiffened and nearly fell out, but we pulled him back on the seat. A few miles further on Will took cramp, stiffened and died in his seat. "Jim and I drove on until we came to a creek. Then I took another turn. I said to Jim, 'lt's no good; I can't go any further. I will only fall out, and break my neck. If I am going to die, I'm going to die here.' I got out and lay down. Jim got out, staggered and fell dead beside me. I remember nothing after that until I woks up in hospital." Henry Bayley died shortly afterwards. He had not been able to give any information to show how the strychnine had got into the flour. The coroner closed the inquest, saying that only the person who put the poison in the flour knew who did it. He directed the police to make full inquiries and report to him in a fortnight.