GIRL TAKES POISON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23175, 22 October 1938, Page 16

GIRL TAKES POISON

!■ SUICIDE AFTER DANCE I | STORY TOLD AT INQUEST # ff ' • I COMMENT BY OAMA&J CORONER 1 f/ c £by TELEGRAPH —OWN correspondent] OAMARTJ, Friday | "The evidence shows that this girl Shad got mixed up with certain people !whd were not any help to her in leading jthe best kind of life," said the coroner, ►Mr. A. W. Woodward, at an inquest •into the death of Olga Clare Fraser. In returning a verdict that Miss Fraser, |who was aged 23, died on September 20 •from the effects of poison, self'administered, the coroner said the evidence was very plain,that there were *bo extenuating circumstances for her action. » Medical evidence given by Dr. R. G. |S. Orbell dealt with an examination Imade of the body, on which no sign any external injury was found. He *said he was told that Miss Fraser had "taken poison, and in the Bink in the intchenette he found a number of crystafar with a strong acid taste. The poison was known to cause death within half -an hotir to an hour, but that depended on the amount taken. Evidence of Miss Fraser's death was given by her fiance, Jack Llewellyn Poyner, a farm labourer. Together they had attended a ball at the Scottish Hall, and later in the evening, with a party of friends, had gone to an hotel where they all had drinks and had bought some liquor. After the dance the party had gone to a pie-cart at Coquet Street, and then to Miss Fraser's home j in Thames Street. He saw her at the sink in the kitchenette, but she had told him to keep outside. They returned to the pie-cart, where she was sick, and she then told him that she had taken poison. She had previously said that she wail going to take this poison. She was gravely ill, in great pain, and was very weak. He had immediately taken her to her home and he had called the doctor, but she had died before he arrived.. About six weeks before her death Miss Fraser told him that she had taken about'two packets of tablets with the intention of taking her life, but had not given any reason for doing so. Stating that she had no reason to 'believe that her daughter wished to take her own life, Emma Fraser, a widow, said that Miss Fraser had been twice previously attended by a doctor after taking aspirin tablets. She had' stated that the reason why she took too many tablets was that there was no warning on the outside of the packet as to how many to take. "During the night before her death Miss Fraser informed me that she was going to take something to end her life," said Dulcie Symon, a member of the party at the dance. I