THE DEATH OF VICTORIA HOWELL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1832, 17 April 1907, Page 22

THE DEATH OF VICTORIA HOWELL.

INQUIRY AT MASTERTON.

THE EXHUMATION OF THE BODY. EVIDENCE OF EXPERTS. (From Our Special Reporter.) MASTERTON, April 12. Considerable interest was created in BCa&terton to-day by ibe opening at - 9.30 a.m. of the inquest on the late ICus Victoria Howell. Mr W. P. James, S.M., presided. Mr H. D. Bell appeared on Dehalf of the Crown, Mr P. L. Hollings watched the case for Hall, Mr B. J. Dolan appeared for deceased’s brother and next of kin, and Inspector Ellison represented the polioe. Mr H. T. Wood was foremaii of the jury. , The Stipendiary Magistrate explainied that it was usual in such cases as these to view the body, but under the provision of the Public Health Act, 1902, power was given for a certificate of death to be granted if it was dangerone to heafrb to view the body. That liad been done in this case. MR BELL’S ADDRESS. Mr Bell occupied half an hour in outlining the circumstances of the case. He said the deceased, with Miss Hall, hod carried on a nursing home in Masterton. The two had lived together'in the home for some considerable time. On December 19th Dr Ross was called in to attend Miss Howell, and on the 23rd January she died. The symptoms when Dr Ross was first attending her were that she was vomiting freely. A serious matter for the lory’s consideration was whether the •ymptoms before Miss Howell’s departure for Castlepoint were or were not ■file symptoms which appeared afterwards. Dr Ross, who saw the patient at both places, was perfectly clear in his statement that the symptoms were entirely different on the 25th December; and much against Dr Ross’s advice, hut certainly in accordance with a strong desire expressed by the patient, Miss Howell was taken to Castlepoint, at which place it had been previously arranged Christmas should be spent. There she became violently ill, vomitl ing constantly, which might be caused hy the development of some previous complaint of the stomach, or by irritant poison. The symptoms included jaundice. Dr Ross saw her again on January 4th. In the meantime she was attended by Dr Dawson. Death was written on her face when Dr Ross saw her; in fact, she died on the 23rd. For some reason Miss Hall objected to the presence of a sister of the deceased, who came to Castlepoint to see. her, consequent on a telegram from Miss Hall stating that her sister was practically beyond all hope of recovery; and friction ensued between them. After the death of Miss Howell .it transpired that the deceased had i made a .will by which all her property was given to Miss Hall. Consideration of all the circumstances led to representations being made to the pro-; per authorities upon the question of what caused death. Dr Dawson had certified that death was caused by cancer. In that ho was entirely £% wrong, as proved by the post-mortsm. Dr Ross ought to have known of the existenoe of cancer and seen that there were symptoms of cancer if present, and therefore there were very grave reasons to doubt the accuracy of Dr Dawson’s certificate, though no one doubted for a moment that his certificate was anything more than a mistake. This . actuated the family of the deceased in supposing that ihe matter was one which required further investigation, and accordingly a warrant was issued by the Colonial Secretary for the exhumation of tlie body. It was ascertained as a result of this, investigation that there was present in the body zinc in such quantity as to account for death. However, it was found that certain of the capsules of the bottles containing the _ parts which liad been separated for analysis were zinc oapsules. Accordingly it was found necessary for a second time to exhume the body, so that - - there might not be the least shadow v • of jloubt, and so that it should not be possible to suggest that the zinc had -escaped into the specimens from the ' -capsules. ' The' second examination ■gave entirely the same results, the Ay body being impregnated with metallic poison. - At the house at Castlepoint in. which Miss Howell died there were r two new tanks. - It was possible, that zinc might have been present in s’.ifficient quantities in the water of these "-tanks to: account; for the quantity of zinc found in deceased’s body. The -JP'iiblic, Analyst, Dr Maolaurin, oomput- ■ £ »ng£the. quantity .of zinc: in the body, - jfouhd jth at an enormous quantity of prater, .would, have bad; to. be .drunk • by t'tbe.patient- to .account for the presence i'of.' zinc in: her body £ wouM see. ifeportant‘£waiJthe duty thaT fell upon them, as well

as upon the officers of tlie Crown, when there were present such circumstances as he had indicated. EVIDENCE OF DECEASED’S BROTHER. Robert Howell, auctioneer, Masterton, stated that he was a brother of the deceased. His sister, Victoria Howell, had lived with Miss Hall for about four years, and during the last eighteen months they had a nursing home in Masterton. He first heard of his sister’s illness a few days before Christmas from Mrs Strang, a friend staying at the house. He first saw her ill at his house on Christmas Day, when lie accompanied her in a cab as far as Taueru, on her way to Castlepoint. She was very ill. Her eyes were prominent, and she had a ghastly look on her face. Twice on the road out she complained of thirst, and asked for a drink. She said she could not keep anything on her stomach. At Taueru he turned back, leaving his sister and Miss Hall to go on to Blairlogie. Next saw his sister on January 4tli, when lie took Dr Ross out to see her, in consequence of a telephone message from Miss Hall stating that liis sister was very ill, and that Dr Dawson had very little hope of recovery. On arrival at Castlepoint he found his sister very much worse than when lie had seen her previously. She said if she could only keep something on her stomach she would be all right—she could keep nothing down, not even water. .Witness returned to Masterton the following day. He next saw liis sister on January lltli, when lie went out in company with another sister, Mrs Butler, in consequence of a telegram received from Miss Hall, saying: “Come at once;' Vic dying.” He arrived at Castlepoint the same night about midnight. He attended to the horses, whilst Mrs Butler went to see his sister. When witness entered tlie room his sister .was asleep, so he did not stay in the room. Shortly afterwards Miss Hall came into the kitchen in a very excited state, and asked Dr Dawson to have Mrs Butler removed, as she was doing the patient no good, and the patient did not want to see her. Dr Dawson came out a little later and told him to put the horses i.i the trap and take Mrs Butler away. Witness replied: “No. She came all that way to see her sister, who is dying, and it is very hard that she can’t be with her a little while.” Witness said lie would go in and see her himself. He talked with her, and asked: “Is it true that you don’t want to see Loo (Mrs Butler)? Did you tell Florrie (Miss Hall) that you didn’t wish to see her?” She said: “No; I did not say so at all. I told Florrie I didn’t want any fuss.” Then he brought Mrs Butler in, and the deceased seemed very much pleased. A.t intervals lie was rung up at Masterton by Miss Hall from Castlepoint to let him know how his sister was getting on. AFTER THE FUNERAL. The witness went on to say that after the funeral he went to the nursing home in Masterton, and asked Miss Hall if there was a will. Miss Hall was not very certain whether there was one or not, but a will was found in Mr Beard’s office. On one occasion his sister had said to him that if she made a will witness would be her executor. . To Mr Hollings: Witness knew that deceased was fond of Miss Hall. Counsel: And that the liking was mutual ? Witness: I won’t say that. They had lived together for some years. Counsel: Have you any reason why they joined in business some years ago ? Witness: No. Counsel: Might I suggest this to you—that it was really for your sister’s good that they joined together. Witness: I don’t know. Counsel: However, your sister had no experience in nursing before-" she joined Miss Hall. Witness: Not to my knowledge. Counsel: Do you want to suggest that Miss Hall forbade you to go into your sister’s room. Witness: No; I was never forbidden to go into the room at all. DR ROSS IN THE WITNESS-BOX. Dr W. Ross, M.D., Trinity College, Dublin, said he had employed the two nurses, Miss Hall and Miss Howell, from time to time. The first occasion on which he was called in to see Miss Howell was on December 19th, when she presented all the characteristics of influenza. He was told that she had vomited twice, but was not told that the patient had difficulty in keeping food on her stomach. She had been ill about ten days before he was called in. He saw her about three times at the nursing home before she left for Castlepoint on tlie 25th December. During the time he saw her then her condition improved somewhat, but not • .mffioient for him to allow her to get up. He was quite clear that she was not. then suffering from inflammation of the stomach, and attributed the "vomiting to influenza. When asked by Miss Hall as to whether he thought Miss Howell could go. to Castlepoint on the 25th, he said he thought not.. Subsequently Miss Howell and Miss Hall both . asked him if he thought the pafcient; couH^'go'

left the matter to themselves. The 24th December was the last day "witness saw Miss Howell in Masterton. Mr Bell: Are you prepared to say that there was no quantity of irritant poison in the body sufficient to cause the symptoms you observed before you went to Castlepoint? Witness: There were no symptoms of irritant poison whatever before she left Masterton. Counsel: Might not a small dose of irritant poison have caused just such a condition as you observed before Christmas ? Witness: I don’t think there could. Counsel: You adhere to your diagnosis of influenza, accompanied by gastric catarrh? Witness: I do. Counsel: How did you find the patient on January 4tli? Witness: She was in an exceedingly prostrate condition, and in a state of collapse, vomiting continuously, and having all the appearance of a person about to die. Counsel: To what do you attribute this constant vomiting? Witness: To gastritis. I don’t connect this with her previous condition before leaving for Castlepoint, although I thought it might be one of the manifestations of influenza in a very severe form. Counsel: Were the symptoms consistent with the presence in the body of a mineral poison? Witness: Yes, although some of such symptoms were absent —for instance, the burning sensation—and the patient complained of no pain whatever. Counsel: The presence of zinc in the body would have accounted for practically all the symptoms you - observed at Castlepoint ? Witness: Yes. Counsel: Was your attention called to the condition of the water in tho tanks ? Witness: No. Counsel: If your attention had been called to it by anyone in the house, would you have taken steps accordingly? Witness: Yes, undoubtedly, if anyone had noticed it. Counsel: With your present knowledge of the result of the analysis, what do you say was the cause of death ? Witness: Zinc poisoning. Counsel: About this question of cancer? It is quite clear a mistake was made in the medical certificate? Witness: No cancer existed. Mr Hollings: Have you noticed on houses near the sea that the zinc becomes rusted ? Witness. Yes. Counsel: You know that a proportion of zinc was found in water recently taken from these tanks by analysts ? Witness: Yes. Counsel: Well, then, assuming that that proportion was obtained from a quantity of water taken from a full tank running over, would you expect in a- new tank only containing threa or four rings of water to find a still greater proportion of zinc? Witness: Yes, in hot weather especially. Mr Dolan: Have you ever had a case of zinc poisoning by the imbibing of tank water? Witness: No. Counsel: Might not other people have been poisoned by taking this same water? Witness: Yes. MISS HALL’S EVIDENCE. On Miss Hall being called, the Stipendiary Magistrate cautioned tlie witness, remarking that the evidence pointed in a manner affecting the witness, and that it was right to tell her that any evidence she gave might be used against her. Mr Hollings: The witness is anxious to give every information in her power. There is no reason to withhold anything, and she is prepared to answer every question put to her. Florence Isabella Hall said 6he had known Victoria Howell for twenty years, and first entered into busiiiess with her five years ago, when they purchased “Grassmere” as a nursing home, living there for three and a half years. They then sold it, and purchased another house in Masterton. Miss Howell put £3OO into the purchase of “Grassmere.” Witness put no money into this purchase, nor into the second purchase, but witness put into it three years’ work, so she considered, she had put as much into it as Miss Howell. The second purchase was sold for £BOO, and they bought a third business for £ISOO, of which £950 was on mortgage. Witness got £4OO clear out of the second property, £oOU of wliich she put into tlie third business. Miss Howell put into the business more money than witness did. They did not make any money out of the latter business, and just paid then way. Since Miss Howell’s death she had not been able to do anything owing to the present trouble, srnd she did not teel justified in taking patients until ; the matter was cleared up. . Mr Boll: I understand you had made a will in her favour. When was that ? Witness: About three and a half years ago. It was made seven or : feiglAifibnths* h©for^Mis^%Howell'iihade

hers. That will is still in < istence.

Continuing her general evidence* Miss Hall said the deceased was decidedly better when they left for Castlepoint. The first night they stayed at Blairlogie, the second night at Mr Groves’s House at Tenui, and when they arrived at Castlepoint they stayed at the house of Mr Beiliss. There were three tanks, two new ones and an old one, on the premises. Counsel: Why was No. 1 tank reserved for Miss Howell? Witness: I don’t know that it was reserved. It was nearest her room. No. 3 tank was emptied out when the rain caone, and we all took water from Nc 1 tank afterwards. Counsel: Did you hear of others in the household being ill at the same time ? Witness: Yes. Two children were ill, and I did hear that one of the men working there had been ill. Counsel: Was it suggested to you that the children suffered from zinc poisoning ? cWitness: Zinc was not mentioned. Counsel: Didn’t it occur to you that the water which was supposed to have caused the illness of the children might have caused the illness of Miss Howell? Witness-: No. In further examination, witness stated that when Mr Howell and his sister, Mrs Butler, arrived at Castlepoint the latter went in to see her sister. Afterwards Miss Howell said to her: “Take Lou to have a rest. I don’t want her to stay here all the time.” Dr Dawson came out of the room, and said it was only a matter of a few hours with the patient. Mrs Butler subsequently got up and went towards the patient’s room. Witness asked her not to go into the room whilst Miss Howell was sleeping. Mrs Butler uas evidently annoyed, and said she v as not going to be bossed by witness. She asked Dr Dawson to speak to Mrs Butler, and not to allow her to stay in tlie room all the time. Dr Dawson said if there was going to be trouble, Mr Howell must take Mrs Butler away. Mrs Butler grew calmer, and later on witness begged her to stay until they could remove Miss Howell on the Monday, but she refused. Dr Dawson said he would give up the case if Mrs Butler remained. Afterwards Mrs Butler wont in and out of the room that day, and left at four o’clock. Witness did not tell her that she could not stay because there was no room for her. Witness took with her to Castlepoint two bottles of Dr Ross’s prescriptions and a bottle of castor oil. She took nothing with her containing any compound of zinc. The deceased was fed on Neaves’ food, arrowroot, and milk jelly. To Mr Hollings: When Miss Howell joined witness she liad no experience whatever in nursing. Witness's will bequeathing everything to the deceased was made in October, 1903. Witness was ill at the time,* and just about to undergo an operation. She considered it only right to leave her share of the business to her partner. Whilst at Castlepoint Miss Howell drank a tremendous amount of water. A whisky bottle holding a pint and a half of water was filled about every two hours. This ivent on from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., and in addition there was a large jug for the night. Deceased drank about two quarts at night. Counsel: You and Mrs Butler are not very friendly ? Witness: We are practioally strangers. Counsel: Why? Witness: Because we never bad ary occasion to meet. It was Mrs Butler’s suggestion that Miss Howell and I should live together. Counsel: Why ? Witness hesitated, but counsel urged her not to mince matters. Miss Hall replied: “Miss Howell was at the time given to drink, and Mrs Butler came to me in Wellington and wanted to know wliat was to be done. I said I would do what I could for her, and take her into partnership. So far as I know, the whole time she was with me she was only once under the influence of drink, and that was while I was away.” Counsel: And during all her illness you stood by and nursed her? Witness: Yes. Counsel: And her death is a sincere loss to you? Witness: Yes, after living together for twenty years. - To Mr Dolan: I have a brother, a chemist, in Invercargill, but I have had ho communication with him for three years until after this trouble. MORE MEDICAL EVIDENCE. Dr C. M. Dawson, M. 8., Aberdeen University, said he was acting temporarily at Tenui as locum tenens. He was first called in to see Miss Howell on December 31st. When he saw deceased on January 2nd she was vomiting every now and then, , the vomit consisting of mucus find a small amount of coffee-brown materiaL ’He noticed . that . deceased grew darker while he was attending her. She had many, of the symptoms of Addison’s disease, hut lie did not hold that death was due to that .cause. From the first witness had no hope . of deceased’s 'recovery;:- In - certifying that death was r:j duV?to ' Lis reason

was the history of the case and a Hump he could feel in the abdomen. '.This mass was in the right half of the extending downward to itho right into the hypergastrium. no ‘Considered -that ibis diagnosiswas right mnder the circumstances.

Mr Bell: Ho you 'adhere or not to •<vour certificate of death? Witness: “The mass I felt was not in the post-mortem.” Witness did not Think now -that cancer was -the -cause •of death, but would not believe that -cancer was not present in tlie body :«till a certain portion had been examined microscopically. Witness '-treated children at Castlopoint, who, showed symptoms of irritant poison. ■Witness >did not treat Miss Howell’s ; : illness<as duo (to (the same cause as that of the children. It did not. oc-: cur to -him that Mks Howeil’s illness ■was ulue to -zinc .poisoning. When witness first saw deceased she might -have been suffering from, nothing worse than gastric influenza. It was from the history of the case Miss Hall {gave him that lie diagnosed it-as canicer. Mr Hollings: Do you find people at 'the sea coast suffering from ’That may bo attributed to tank water r Witness: Yes. After heavy rain at .ithn seaside the zinc particles are more easily extracted from the iron than in ( i-jotber places. It was becoming • rcccg:aiised as a dangerous thing to keep fluids in zinc vewco’s. Counsel: Did you examine uii'& . gill uniting at Castlopoint? Witness: Yes. It was the poorest soldering I ever saw anywhere. Mr. iDolan: Notwithstanding the fact of the two Johnson children getting rsiek from drinking 'this -tank water, -Miss Hall didn’t point -out any susrpicion or suggestion of the tank water . At all? Witness: I don’t suppose she was i-awaro of it. THE AITTCPbT. Dr Fyffe, of .Wellington, who he’d a examination, said The ibody was much decomposed. There■were no signs of external violence. '.There was no growth in the stomach and no ulcer. In eleven sections cut. ronly three micro-organisms were ■found. This, after a month’s internment, indicated that- a strong aiiti:septic had been used. Zinc would account for the absence of bacteria. There was mo cancer in the body what■ever. As zinc capsules had been on •bottles used for specimens of itho body after tlie first exhumation, (another disinterment was considered '.necessary. As there were no signs of 'inflammation witness would have had rto guess at the cause of disease if an irritant poison had not been found. The -zinc that was found was sufficient to cause death.

To Mr Hollings: Gastritis could bo caused by any irritant poison. Water sufficiently impregnated with zinc from the tank could cause such symptoms as lie had found in the body. THE GOVERNMENT ANALYST.

Dr Maclaurin, Government Analyst, .said he had made .an exhaustive search for mineral poisons, and found zinc, which it was possible might have been derived from tlie tank in question. He estimated that the water drunk by Miss Howell must diave contained ’four times as-much zinc as the . sample he. tested : in-Order to account for all the. zinc in ithe body. It was not impossible .that deceased could have”imbibed ..all the zinc during twenty-six days, ■but it (would(have been (practically imsposaible .unless Jake water contained more:zinc than the. sample he; analysed. In the - water he received (the zinc was as (bicarbonate, not as chloride.'. • Chloride of zinc in a dilute (form would not /be corrosive. In another case about which he had’read in the f‘British Medical Journal,'” water with less : zinc-had been responsible for a death ■in a {period of. about six weeks. ■To ;3lr. Hollings: It was quite possible that ;the tank .accounted for the 'whole thing. “STRONG” WATER.

/Percy /Beiliss, owner of the house at ; CCastlepoint where; - Miss Howell died,; ;Sai‘d carpenters who did .their own ’plumbing were working at the buildling 'just 'before 'Miss ‘Howell arrived. ".Two new tanks, "Nos. .1 and 2, had on their stands just before 'the arrived. Witness, after %shower, ttasted water from Nos. 1 a»u'd /2 ttaaaks. ?It ‘was '“'sferongi” but;. Ilte cotild notispecify the taste. WKEELS rPBOIXIIOED. i : W. r G. ? Beard, barrister and solici-, tor, Mastertod, produced two wills—, sane ffrom Victoria IHowell 'leaving -all mx property -to Florence Hall, - and igte .6mm from "Florence Hall -bevtoeathing te Wioteria Howell tall her; •HfflEUw. To Mr tHdllings: ‘He was aware Of ; ; the financial position of the two parts' filers. After Miss "Howell's death !Mns would be hardly {anything to ; Oomo oat Of the restate for .either -at iin vfaot, ho was consulted by *|firr t*^ 11 '-&* >to .whither she should 4oa tar mot. The. mortgages on; cther»prOoflity ware • more vthan /they ♦would iESi m s&h* market. /Finan-; no my i the death albnc iMrfinME*

MRS -BUTLER’S EVIDENCE. ( Louise Butler, wife of George Herbert Butler, clerk in the Railway Department, referring to the incident at Castlepoint, -when Miss -Hall Told her not to remain <n the sick room, said Mis® Hall told her that witness’s presence would only upset the patient. She gave no reason for'excluding witness from the room, and witness was quite calm. Dr Dawson told her that if she did not listen to Nurse Hall she would be put out. Her going in to see her sister did not upset the deceased, because she was nearly all the time unconscious. Knowing that her sister was dying, witness would not leave the premises ’for anybody. To -Mr Hollings: Miss Hall apologised to me afterwards, and said she -was in the wrong. OTHER PERSONS ILL. John A. M. Groves, esheopf armor,: Tenui, who visited Castlopoint last Christmas, said one of his family suffered from sickness about the time the heavy rain was there. One of the little Johnsons w.*f ill at the same dime, lie did not think anyone, was Taking water oi t of No. 1 tank tor drinking purposes. The carpenter was ill, and told witness be blessed the place, and that lie did not know whether it was the food or the water. INQUIRIES BY THE POLICE. Police-Inspector Ellison said inquiries made by the -police showed no r.olo by any chemist of zinc to Miss ‘Hall, who was perfectly frank in answering every question. THE STIPENDIAR.Y MAGISTRATE /■ SUMS UP. The Magistrate, in- summing up, said from the evidence it appeared to be Pretty clear tlia* in all probability the"cause of Miss'Howell’s deitch was zinc-poisoning, but by what means there did not appear to bo very much evidence to guide them. If, however, ■ rom tlie evidence they were able to connect any particular nerson -with the administratio. of zinc, then, of course, it was the duty of the.jury to. return a verdict of wilful murder • against the person woo administered it On the other in ed. if the evidence satisfied them that, no . person administer© 1 it, and that death , was caused in the ordinary course of taking water or food, it would be their duty t-o return a verdict that the deceased died from taking zinc, but that no blame could bo attached to anybody. He did not think the jury would have very much difficulty in arriving at a verdict. THE VERDICT. The jury, after ? short absence, returned the following verdict: That the deceased met her death from zinc-poisoning, caused by drinking v ater from a tank at Castlopoint; and that no blame is attachable to anyone. The inquiry closed shortly before 0 p.m.