SUPPOSED DEATH BY POISON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2167, 5 September 1895, Page 13

SUPPOSED DEATH BY POISON.

An inquiry into the ciroumitances attending Ihe death of John Freeland, who died under Somewhat peculiar circumstances ab his residence, Shingle Creek, aboub 28 miles from ■^almertton, on the 26th ult., waa commenced mt Falmersbon on Thursday morning before JtUejor Keddell (coroner) and six jurymen, of 'whom Robert Matheson Robertson was chosen foreman.

Mr Findlay watched tbe proceedings in bhe iintereeb of Mr R. S. Raymond, obemist, of Paltmereton; and Mr Herdmao was present on 'behalf of the deceased's family.

Matg&rat Freeland, daughter of the deceased, •vrho was a sheepfarmer at BhiDgle Creek, depossd bhat she remembered bhe 26th insb. &er father was at home that day, and appeared 5n his'usqtl health. He rose ab 5 o'clock that 'morning, and after Having a cup of tea went up to Pigroot (aboub three miles from their place), mod returned ab aboub 2 p.m. Two of witness's brothers were with him when he went away. "He tofck some lunch with him, bub he bold her on his return that he did nob cab ib. He nevertheless looked well. He had his dinner ab 2 o'clock, and ate a good dinner. He laid down on the couch in bhe kitchen and read during the afternoon. Ab 5 o'olock they all cab •down to snpper, and ab about 6 o'clock her father complained of a p»in in bis left tide. He often complained of a pain there. He got up and book a powder oab of a cardboard box that was standing on the kitchen shelf. He opened the box produced, which contained several powderi, and took the one on tap and put ib into a spoon just as ib was. The spoon was taken from a drawer in bhe kitchen table, and he took the powder as ib wa\ — dry in his mouth. After that he drank a little coffee, whioh was in a Cjffeepob f tauding on ;the dr«sser. He poured some of the coffee jfrom the pob into a cap that he took from among others that were standing clean on the dresser. He poured oub aboub half a cupful and drank ib, and then laid down again on bhe «ouch. No one was in the room but witness •nd her f«ther. About five minutes afterwards he said he felt giddy in the head, that bhe powder had a terrible bitter taste, and that he was pononed. He was lying on his eide with ins hand under his head, and his ftca became very flushed. Witness's brother William came id, and her father bold him bo bake bhe powders and to baste one. He brother tatted one, and witness alto tasted one. Witness had taited one of the powders before, when her father first gob them on Dr Neale's precription. The powders appeared bo taste the tame as usual, and she told her father that she did net notice any difference. Her brother alto told him the same thing. Her father, however, said they were different, aud not like the other powders. Witceis sent for tho powders produced. They arrived by pott in a piper ■wrapper, and she put them into the box produced. She sent to Mr Raymond, the ctieniwt at Palrocrston, for them. Her father got, off th« -couch and sat in a chair, bub did notspeik. Soon he had convulsive fits, and moved his arms and legs aboub violenbly. He did nob vomit ab all. He called oa her brother bo help him. Witness sent for her mother, and the came in about half an hour. Her father c&Uad on someone bo give him some relief, and witness #aye him some salb and w*ter, which sbe thought would make him sick. Ib, however, did no good, and she gay* him some mustard and water, but to no purpose. When her f *tber found that did him no t,ood, he called for some castor oil, and took some, but it did not help him a bit. The convulsive fits of pain lasted, with longer or shorter intervals, until he died at half-paab 8

o'olock. Soma neighbours — among them Mr Matheson— came to see him, and spoke to him before he died. Witness was present all the time. Bhe believed the remainder of the coffee v? as in the ooffes pot yet. She wished to send forDr Neale when her father took unwell. Hor fa»htrwnß then lying on the fl.oc He said it was no use sending for the doctor, ai he was dyiog. He kept saj iog he waß poisoned by the powder the whole time. The box in which the powders were kept was always on the kitchen mantelpiece. The family residing at home consisted of her .father, her mother, four brothers, three sisters, and herself. Her father had no pecuniary troubles. He had meb with losses daring the ptsb winter season by the sheep dying, but it did not seem to affect him in the least. He had no morbid ideas about his health, and never said th*t he would not be here next year or anything like that. He kept no strychnine or anything like that. He had no fits of despondency, and his hopes wore always very bright. Witnass got the powders about a fortnight ago. After her father died Df Neale was seat for. He came to the house early on Tuesday morning, and witness told him all that he had jast stated. He a«ked to see the powders, and they were handed to him. One of witness's sitttr*, Annie, brought her father a little sugar just after he had taken the powder to take the taste out of his mouth. He asked for the sugar, which was brought to him in a teaspoon, and the sugar was taken out; of the bowl on the table. When witness got tha powders from the chemist's she put as many as would, go into the box produced, and there wera soma left over in the wrapper. The deceased took the sagar a f ter taking the coffee, but he said he wanted to take tha tatte of the powder out of his mouth. Ha generally took something after the powdera— usually milk or tea— but this tima there happaned to be coffee prepared for the supper.

To Mr Fiudlay : The box produced appeared to be fall when her father took it from the kitchen mautelpieoe. The paper from which her father took the pawder had not been kept. She did not know wh%t became of it. She thought he put it in the fice Ho generally put the papers in the Ore or lighted his pipa with them. The pjwdei* was the same as the o'hers and foldod in the same way. She thought «nolher coald have been pressed into the box after she had pat those in which she had gat from Raymond's in the wrapper. She kepfc the balance in (he wrapper and the box containing the powders in another box on the manteljaeoe. Hot father never took any of the powdeis from the time Bhe gob them until that night. She had never looked at the box out of which the box of powder* was fcakou siuee Monday last. Her father sometimes took powdera without her knowing it. He knew the box was on the mantelpiece. No one else would take the powders in the house. The box was not locked. She saw everything her father did with the powder, but not what he did with the piper. There was one powder of the old lot whan she sent for the lasb supply. Sbe put that one into the box. It wss the second oue in tha box. It was narrower in the paper than tha othora. No stranger was preteut at the euppsr. She never went out of the kitchen. She was writing bmiuess letters for her father. He never went oat, but dictated the Ittfcers to her, He was on good terms with everybody.

To Mr Hordtnan: Witness's fathec never eeemed to he- i babe, when he took the box up, rucl not sjeni to make any choice. It vr&s the top powder he took.

Dr Do Lautour, of Oamßru, who had made a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased, aaid the body was that of a wellnourished man. There wcim no external mirks

of violence except an incision, made on a previous post mortem examination, through the skin covering the chest and abdomen, and which had been sjwn up. Ho examined the head first, and fouud the veins iv ths scalp congetted and the blood fluid. On removing the skull ho found the veins in the brain generally congested. He then examined the abdomen. It was well nourished and had plenty of internal fat. He removed tha stomach and _ tied it up and placed it in a jar, which he sealed. Tha stomach, he judged— for he did not open it —contained rather more than a pint of fluid. Before opaning the body at all he noticed a quantity of flaid coming out of the mouth, apparently forced out from the stomach by the pressure of gas. This he secured and placed in an ounce bottle, which he had sealed up. From his examination of the other organs he was unable to find the causa of death. The heart he found empty and bhe walls thin and weak. Ib was flabby and empty of blood, bat otherwise healthy. The-gJunga were contracted and the left, one tightly congested. The liver was normal, "a*^ also was the spleen. The right kidney was healthy, bud the left had a small ab3cess in it. Tne intestines generally seemed healthy. He then examiaed the spinal cord, and found it intensely congested. The congestion of the spinal cord and brain was generally found in cases of poisoning by strychnine, bat not alwa> 8.

To Mr H».rdm\n : The congestion of the brain and spinal cord is indicative of strychnine poisoning, and would lead me to suspect it.

William Freeland, son of the deceased, deposed that ho svw his father at abput fivo minutes p»st 6 o'clock on Monday evening la*t in the kitchen, lyii>gonfche sofa. D^ ceased s*id he wai very dizzy. Ho was very ivd in the f«e, and in about five minutes afti-I'.vards he seemed quite paralysed, and siid ho was poisoned. Wituess a«kcd him how it hAppeaed, and ho Biid it was the powder he took. Deceased had what witness touk to be convulsions, and in about an hour and a-half he diod. At his father's request witness tasted one of the powders. It was a little bitter. He me»nt it wns not sweet. He had never tasted rhubarb before. Ho was with his father eirly in the morning after the sheep. Deceased was in good spirits all the time. Witness did not know that his father had any Btrychnine in the house. He believed he had not. To Mr Findlay : I just tested a ltfctle of the powder on my fioger end. I think it was o£ a yellow colour. To Mr Herdman : It was aboub five nvnutea after I came in that my father hud these fits. My father did not complain about the loss of sheep during the day. John Herd, labourer, who resided at Green Valley, remembered having a conversation with the deceased at Pigtoot about five months ago. Ho (witness) told him that he wantnl to destroy some dogs, and the deceased said if ho liked to go d jwn to his house he would give him some strychnine. No one else was present. Deceased did not say whether he was is the habit of keeping strychuiue or not. Witness never got any from him, as he gob another man to shoot the dogs. Robert Matheson, who had known the deceased for years, gave evidence as to going to his house on Monday evening last, when deceased was ill. Deceassd asked him if he had ever seen po : son at work. Witness replied "No," and deceased said " You'll see it now." Witness kept his hand until he died. Decoased was alw*y» conscious botween the spasms. Witness asfced deceased's wife if auy emetic had been given, and FreeUnd replied for her, and said, "Yes; two cups ,ot mustard and water and two of salt and water,

and a large quantity of castor oil, but ifc was no use ; they coald never make me vomit." He did no 1 ! say what p lison he was sirfforiug from, or whether he took it or not. He teamed bo be perfectly conscious that his end wss near.

To Mr Findlay : Deceased never expressed any regret, or said ho was sorry for taking anything. The family were all on good terms. Witness saw dtc ajtd on Sunday and be then seemed in his usual fpirit*. lie did not know if diseased had auy strychnine in the house. He never heard of his poisoning any dogs. Deceased was a temperate man. Witness did nob ask him how he got the poison. He thooghb there had been an accident somehow or other. Deceased never expressed any regret at leaving his family. He said once he wished it was over. He was the last mm witness would have expected to attempt anything like suicide. William Pollock also gave evidence, after which the inqueit was adjourned until the following morning.

On the inquiry being resumed on Friday morning,

Robert Smith Raymond, chemist and druggest, of Palmei-jtoQ, deposed that he had bnsiuess relations with the deceased for years. He received the prescription produced from the deceased on the date noted on it. It was one given by Dr Neale of Palmerston, and was for a compound rhubarb powder, commonly known as Gregory's powder. Witness supplied him with a dozen of the powders in accordance with the prescription. They were pa* din a powdor bix similar to the one produced, and the deceased took them away. Witness had received two letters purporting to come from tho d'jrea*od, and in response to these he sent | each time a similar quantity of po«vders. He remembered thela«t supply s'mt. - His assistant made them up, and ho was present at the tiwo. The formuU the wi'neßs always kept made in stock, as it was alm^sb in every-day u c e. He saw his assistant, George Lockh«rt, Uke the bottle containing the powder from its position on his shelves and weigh out the powders and fill them. Witness had a supply of /itryohiiine in stotk. The poison was kopt in his poison cupboard in a room at t : ie hack of the shop iv ounce bottles, whioh were fully labelled The powders after being toade up were packpd in a paper and posted to John Freeland, Shingle Creek, the following morning. The powdar was of r yellowish brown colour. Strychnine was in white crystals. To Mr Findlay: Witness had bsen practi ing as a chemist for 25 years, and he had had no trouble whatever from mistakes. The last powders were takun from the same b»Ule Numerous porflom had also been supplied from the same bottle since tho last supply sent to Froeland, and the bottle had not been replenished since. He had no compUint from anyone as to the powders ; and he bad etill Boaae of tbe powder left in the bottle. They had not been using any strychnine in the shop for the lasb six weeks. He hid no record of having supplied any s'rychnine to the decease! at any time. Th'-re was a certain preparation called " Battle's Vermin-killer " which contained strychnine, and it was frequently sold by chemists. He hid no recollection ot having sold any of this to Freeland. 1(5 wai not mentioned in the schedule of poisons. Hawkers were in the hftbit of reading medicines about tha country. No neighbour of the decoased's had bought strychnine from witness lately that he could remembor, but he had nob looked through his register to ascertain. It was a common thiug for Bheepfarmws to keep it, and he frequently sold it to them for dog poisoning. Dr Neale deposed that he gave the deceased the prescription produced on July 3. D«- . ceased wished to know tbe condi i m of his

heart. Witness told him it was healthy, but he thought it was weak. He »lso explained to him that in the condition of his heart thai he was not oamble of sustained hard work, bub that if he took care of himself he miaht live to an advanced old age. He then gave him the prescription. Early on Tuesday morning Usb a message c»me to him to go up to the dsir oeased's. Witness got to the hoa«e at aboub 4 A.m. , bub deceased was then dead and laid out. At this stage of the inquiry a portion of Margaret FreelanrVs evidence was re*d over to witness, who said that from th : s .evidence and that of others that be had heard he believed the symptoms mentioned were due to poisoning by s'n canine. He mentioned hfe belief to Mrs Freeland at the house, and said that an inqueit would be ncoessary, but that if it was poaiible to find any other cause of death it nvght be avoided* aud that if she wished he would open tho body and ascertain. She thought there might have been a tumour, bccs.u'e deceased hid always complained of a pain in his side. This pain witness had a'tribu'ed to wind. He opened the thorax and abdomen, but only looked at them. He did nob displace any of the viscera. Ho found no disease bo aocount for death. Tha heart was very tightly contracted and empty. The stomach was small and contracted, and the smaller intestine was nob thicker in diameter than his little finger. All that pointed bo a powerful stimulanb acbing on bhe muscular fibres of the body. Ther<T was nothing else noticeable, and he stitched bo opening up. He sabsequently tasted two of the powders which were given him. They tasted likd ordinary Gregory's powdem. Freeland struok witness as being rather an exoitabfl man. George Moir Lockharb, assistant to Mr Raymond, remembered making up some Gregory's powders in accordance with the prescription produced. He made them up oub of the ordinary stock bottle, and on two subsequoub occasions he had made up bhe same quantity of bhe same mixture for the decensed. Tho last occasion he balieved was on the 6th of August lasb. The powders were then taken from the same bottle which had not been ropleuiebed since. Other customers had b.eu supplied from bhe simo bottle. He had heard ot* no complaint from anyone aa to the bitter flavour of the powders, or any other complaint. Ha oould swear bhat bhe papers in which bhe deceased's powders were wrapped contained nothing but Gregory's mixture as taken from the stock bottle. Ther» were no poitoos ta the front shop that day. The inquest was adjourned a* thte ft»go until Friday next at 10 am in order bo admit; of an analysis of bhe content* of bhe deceased's stomach being made by Dr Black, and also seme fluid whioh had oame from his mouth.

Th« body of a Chinaman, supposed to have bten murdered, hits been found in the bush at Mareeba, Queensland. The Rev. W. Gray Dixon, M.A., in his lecture on '• Japan and the Japanese " referring ta the proverbs in use among the Japanese, rtvtcd that one was that a woman with a tongne 3in long could kill a man 6ft high. Janes Anderson, foroatrly sergeant-major in the police force, died at Wanganui on tho 30th ult., aged 63. He earned note by carrying oub the "one-policeman" policy of the lace John B&Uance in tho Native difficulty, being fcho man who arrested Titokowaru <>t Taraufcki in 1886

Tho Wellington Evening Po3b says that tho - object of the visit of the steamer Sherard Osborne to New Zealand waters is to replace about 300 miles of the Wakapuaka-L* Reroute cable, laid in 1876, with cable around which brass tops i« wound ta aob as a protection againsb the ravages of the sea Kings.