THE WOMAN'S DEATH A MYSTERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2662, 22 March 1905, Page 30

THE WOMAN'S DEATH A MYSTERY.

WELLINGTON, March 20. The adjourned inquest on Mrs Hughes, one of the victims of the NtAvtown tragedy, was resumed this aftc-rnoon. The Coroner read the report of Professor Maclaunn, to whom the police had handed over tho stomach of the dead woman, together witii

two medicine bottles (one of which was

labelled " Poison ") which wero found on j Roussell's premises. The report was to the effect that there were a few drops of liquid } in the bottle marked "Poison," and these contained antimony. There was no indication of any poison in the other bottle. He had made very careful examination of tho stomach, but failed to find any traca of poison. Professor Maclaurm also gave evidence confirming his report. The bottle containing antimony might have been used by Roussell in his business. If antimony had been used to cause death it would have to be a large dose, and he would have been certain to find evidence of it in the stomach. The Coroner mentioned that at Thursday's inquiry Dr Perkins had said there was a strong escape of gas in the house, and on putting the question to Professor Maclaurin he obtained the reply that the inhalation of a large quantity of coal gas might cause the froth and blood on the woman's mouth which had been noticed and testified to by former witnesses. Detective Kemp stated that from inquiries made he had learned from Messrs Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co. that a woman answering the description of deceased had called at their establishment about a week ago to purchase prussic acid for the purpose, so she said, of poisoning a dog. Messrs Kempthorne and Prosser had told her to apply at a retail chemist's, but "the woman had replied that she had applied at several chemists' and they would not 6upply her, and ha 3 told her to bring the dog. To this, so she said, she had replied that she could not do so, as the dog was half-dead. The woman had appeared to be recently crying. Witness had also made inquiries from a chemist with whom Mrs Hughes had been dealing, and also at a chemist's in "Vivian street, with negative results. The Coroner .=aid that there was no use calling more evidence. The point that had struck him -was that de-cea-s-ed might have died from the inhalation of coalgas, but in a conversational discussion the jury dismissed the idea. The Coroner continued that there had been no connection established between the two deaths beyond the fact that the doctor had decided that the woman had died first. There was not the slightest evidence to show that Roussell had done deceased any harm. W. Hughes, husband of the deceased, asked whether there was anything to show if deceased had died through suffocation by means of a pillow, but the Goron-er said that Dr Perkins's evidence showed that thorp was no assijrnable cause for death. Without discussion the iury returned a verdict that deceased had been found dead, and that there was no evidence to show how deceased had come by her death.