Man Who Could Not Sleep

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22582, 21 November 1936, Page 14 (Supplement)

Man Who Could Not Sleep

JQESCIIIBED by a woman friend as a man of " rushing, rostless, and nervous temperament," Herbert Musa, a Turk, aged 45, employed as a dress dosigner in the West End of London, was the subject of a coroner's inquiry recently at Paddington. l!e was found unconscious in his service flat in St. John's Wood, and died in hospital from an overdose of a barbituric drug. Mrs. Helen Gellinek, the friend referred to, stated that Mr. Musa, manager for a firm in Margaret Street, W., was a bachelor, and she had known him for about four years. Deputy-coroner, Dr. Philip Barlow: Did you know that for sorno time ho bad been taking something to make him sleep?—' Yes, ho told me so. Ho always had aspirin in his pocket. One night they went to a club together, but Mr. Musa said lie was very tired and wont home about ono o'clock in the morning. Mr. Walter Eric Woolf, solicitor, told the coroner that on September 2 Mr. Musa, accompanied by some directors of the firm that employed him, came to the solicitor's office, and there was an interview about an alleged shortage in the books. Cf-roncr: There was no suggestion that Musa had anything to do with it.?.

I had no evidence at the time against him. Mr. AN 00If spoke to Musa alone, and suggested that ii lie gave an explanation to the directors it would perhaps assist him in future relations with them. Coroner: Anyone would be worried when he knew something had happened in the firm ? —Yes. He went very white. Dr. Robert Frevmann gave evidence that Musa was of a nervous type. Ho had a motor accident in January, suffered from sleeplessness for years, and was addicted to barbituric drugs.Mrs. Gellinek, recalled, explained that, as Mr. Musa did not turn up at business as usual, she went to his flat, called a porter, and found him unconscious. A police constable related that in a medicine cupboard at the flat bo found a white crystal sediment, and in the kitchen was a note. "Don't make tea." Sir Bernard Spilsbury testified that death was duo to barbituric poisoning, and explained that as Musa had been used to the drug it was possible he took a. little extra to induce sleep, and the little extra made a difference. Summing up, the coroner said he was not satisfied the man took his life intentionally. It may havo been ho was worried and tired, and took a little more than the dose to which he had been accustomed. In the circumstances tho verdict would bo an open one., I