PECULIAR POISONING CASE

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12093, 21 March 1925, Page 13

PECULIAR POISONING CASE

SIX PEOPLE AFFECTED. ONE MAN DIES. MELBOURNE. March 10. Mrs Pengelly, wife of a farmer of ’Quambatpok, with het three children and a maid named: Miss Smith, went tor a holiday -at Vinifera, near Nyah, where they stayed the orchard of her brotiler, Mr A. Williams, Employed at the orchard was a man named George. Chalmers. The whole of these persons were suddenly taken ill last Friday. They were brought, in to Swan Kill Hospital, suffering from the effects of poisoning. On Saturday the man Chalmers be-qa-me worse, and succumbed, while the others are in a serious condition. The local police are making inquiries into the probable cause of death of Chalmers. It is' suspected that the party drank water from a copper that had previously contained a solution for fruit spraying. Mr Williams, the owner of the orchard, a returned soldier, is a patient at Caulfield Hospital, suffering from poison in his system, and it is now thought ..that his illness can be traced to a similar cause. A post-mortem was held by Dr Legge, ahd the 4jontents of stomach forwarded to the Government Analyst. The inquiry was opened on Monday morning by the deputy coroner, Mr Gray, and adjourned It was later reported that the condition of Smith was very serious. Mrs Pengelly and children are not out of danger, but Dr Legge has hopes that they will recover. Chalmers rallied on Saturday night, and said that he felt well enough to leave the hospital. Three hours later he was dead.