BATCH OF PASTRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18756, 12 July 1935, Page 12

BATCH OF PASTRY

ACCIDENTALLY POISONED SEVEN PERSONS ILL • NEWCASTLE, July 2. Seven person* were taken by Newcastle ambulance from a house w Mary street, Heaton, (near Wallsend; to district hospitals shortly before 4 a.ra. to-day. They had eaten pastry, which, the police believe, contained a pinch of arsenate of lead —mistaken for baking powder during the preparation of the pastry. Mrs. Margaret Handsaker, 52, Robert Handsaker, 53, Reginald Handsaker, 11, and Miss Hazel Austin, 19, were taken to Wallsend Hospital. Harry Handsaker, 25, Stanley Handsaker, 19, and Ronald Handsaker, 15, were taken to Newcastle Hospital. All made good recoveries during the day. Detective-sergeant Emmett and Detective Shumack found that arsenate of lead (used for spraying fruit trees) was kept in a baking-powder tin at tho house. When fhe pastry was being prepared, the recipe required baking powder, and, through an unfortunate accident, the tin containing the poison was picked up instead of that which held baking powder.. Mr. Handsaker, sen., felt the effects of the poison shortly after 10 o ’clock last night. As the hours passed, other members of the family and Miss Austin, who was a guest at the house, also became violently ill. Only two of the nine persons who had had tea together escaped illness, and they had not eaten any of .the pastry.