POISON MYSTERY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22165, 19 July 1935, Page 10

POISON MYSTERY

THE BLACKBALL CASE YOUNG WOMAN'S DEATH MURDER CHARGE PENDING CHOCOLATES BY POST LONG SEARCH FOR SENDER [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] GREYMOUTH. Thureday Police investigations into one of the most baffling crimes in the history of New Zealand have been completed, and a man who will be brought frpm south of Dunedin will appear in the Police Court at Greymouth on Monday, July 29, to face a charge of murdering Margaret May Smith, aged 22, at Blackball on September 24 last. He will also be charged with attempting to murder Ethel Bragg and Jean Clark on the same date.

Inspector D. Cameron, of Greymouth, .will prosecute, and it is understood that witnesses will be called from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and south of Dunedin, as well as the West Coast. In all, 60 witnesses, including many experts, have been subr poenaed for the Lower Court hearing. Inquest to be Resumed The magistrate will be Mr. H. Morgan, who will sit also as coroner for the adjourned inquest, which will be taken simultaneously. The inquest was opened on September 25 last year, but after Robert Francis Smith, a brother of the victim, had given evidence of the nature of his sister's death in the bakehouse of Dumpleton's bakery, where she was employed, it was adjourned sine die. On the morning of September 24, Misses Clark and Bragg, both aged about 20 and popular residents of the mining township of Blackball, received through the mail a box of .chocolates addressed to them jointly and containing a cryptic note signed " Jim." Neither was aware of the identity of Jim, but, thinking that the box was an innocent or at the worst a practical joke, they opened the chocolates. Miss Smith, who was employed in an adjoining shop in the main street of Blackball, was present when the chocolates were opened. By the merest chance she was the only one to partake of any quantity. Task Before Police Almost immediately afterward Miss Smith became violently ill and, although attended by a local doctor, she died within an hour. The nature of her death pointed to poisoning and foul play was immediately suspected. The police were called in and the chocolates were forwarded to an analyst. It was later announced that the chocolates contained strychnine.

JL'he police were faced with a real enigma, lack of motive for the crime being the first and paramount difficulty. Detective-Sergeants T. D. Holm.es, of Christchurch, and H. E. Knight, of Greymouth, were immediately assigned to the case. These two officers have not relaxed their efforts in the intervening period. An idea of the enormous amount of work done by the investigating officers may be gained from the fact that close on 1000 statements have been obtained in all parts of New Zealand in connection with the case.