POISONED MEAT

Southland Times, Issue 21771, 28 July 1932, Page 7

POISONED MEAT

STRYCHNINE IN BEEF. BROTHER AND SISTER ILL. (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, July 27. Strychnine rubbed into meat from which the family were to make a meal nearly caused the death of a brother and sister, Charles Topp and Mary Topp, residing on a small isolated farm at Hawarden. They were violently ill after eating some of the meat but, fortunately, the bitter taste revealed that something was amiss, and they ate very little and soon recovered. The meat was cut from a forequarter of beef kept in the dairy. The family had had meals from the beef four days previously and the meat was all right. After they had eaten the beef on the last occasion the remainder of the meat was thrown out. Four dogs ate it and all died. The unused portion of the beef in the dairy was analysed, and was found to be impregnated with strychnine. Since this occurred 10 policemen have been investigating, but apparently were unable to discover the perpetrator of the act. From the available evidence it seems that some person must have gone to the farm on the night of July 9 and entered and unlocked the dairy, which is some distance from the house, and rubbed powdered strychnine into the meat hanging there. There was no strychnine on the farm, so that accidental contamination seems impossible. Charles Topp, when interviewed today, said there seemed little doubt that some person, who had a grudge against them, had rubbed poison into the meat, but he had no idea who his enemy was.