Inquest.

Otago Witness, Issue 1752, 20 June 1885, Page 22

Inquest.

An inquest was held at Milfcon last woek on the body of Jamos Barr, a swagger, who diod in .-Hi unoccupied building tit Lovell's Fl&t on thft Bhh insl. Deceased was 50 years of agu, single, a rMtivo of Govan (Scotland), and a bolt and nut-maker by trade. — William Scott, an onginodrivsr, stated in the course of his evidoaco that at 3 p.m. of the Bfch, whan, ho first, saw deceased, ho wa3 vomiting blood. Ho went into tho house because he heard docoa«aei retching. Deceased , r v?kcd for adriuk of water, which no obtained. In a few minutos decoa^ed wont, outdide, and shortly afterwards returned, f.aying that ha was pettiug all right. Ho lay down in the Fame position as before. Witness then lighted a firta and went for another drink. While gone he mot a man on tha voad carrying a swag, who roturned to the hub with him. J) jceassd complained of beis3g cold, and came and safe on the form before tho five between tham. He put up his hands as if to warm thorn, and immediately acvp.mbled back on his Lands and knout; to where ho had been lying. Ho then put up his hands and cried, "Go for n, doctor ; I'm puisoned." He died in nbout throa minutes afterwards. Thought when he wont in first thai; decfased wa<* in tho horrora. Hia ayes shi'wed symptoms of vocunt drinkiug — thoy vre'O very 'glaring, fixed, and staring. JIo sp»ke very iltUe, and wii3 vomiting nearly the v/holo time. Witness did not get up to him, ua ho thoughL the misn wa3 siuaply goif.g to lie down, — Sergeant Ficnogan stated thr-.t, on searching tho decea serf's swag he found w pacer labelki-i ** Battle's vermiukil!ar. — Dr Roid, who made tho post mortem, said that en the k.rjido of tho loft; r*!3si ho found fivs transverse cuti?, the Jowec of which was tho deepest, over the region of tho blood- vessel;) ; but. all tho cuts msi'sed the v«saMu. Therow.°s no dikQi.se present ?wh as would cau^o death. From the ligM state of the body ajii biusc'bs, tbo oongcsied condition of tha face and neck, at wall as tho discovery of n. sorond paper lftbeUod " Battle's Vermin Kiilwr," ho was led to snaspoct death by strychnine poisoning. Ho removed thn f^toraach, n,nd upon examination found it to contain a In/go quantity of blood and tnnouo, tingsd with a light bluish grey colour, swh fta lrsight be imparted by "Battlo's Vovaji<3 Killer," He found strychnino present, but jui Btrychnine would not account for tin Btato in which tho stowiuch wap, and for f,ha tilood in ifc, he tostad for a jiowijiful irritant poison, and found arsenic presrn 1 ". iv Jar^o quantity Tbero might li'sv^ been Builiciont etrychnino to oauso dnath, but tho uctivp causa w;vj ar-vuic. The rigidity of tho muscln-1 wm brnvighfc ou by atryebuiafl p-ivirniupr, Th.H ina-rks on dF.cj.ieod's loffc arm •,vp.o maw Hfcoly to lia\e bcon produced by hJn.-ieU thart liy auofhor nexaon, «v tho shirt bK-'-.vo wsvrt d(Arn and buttcnad. There was a 'jttiaU broken tni'V, closed, Ij'iug on the straw nnrxv wimro ti<« daceaeod bad been stvug«liDg. Th; 1 jury roi.urat'd nn nnaoirnous verdict — c "Tnat d<-.roused mot with his death by poisoning, but th r ro wp« no evidence to show how it was aijiuirjjstored. l ' — Bruce Herald.