FAMILY POISONED

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 1

FAMILY POISONED

Mother and Two Daughters Die After Eating Mid-Day Meal TRAGEDY ON KARAKA FARM A DREADFUL poisoning tragedy occurred on the farm of Yates and Company, Karaka, yesterday afternoon. A mother and her two daughters are dead, but a small son recovered from the effects of the poison and went for help. Those concerned in the tragedy were: ANNIE BLACKWELL, the mother, aged 35. MARJORIE BLACKWELL, daughter, aged 14. MURIEL BLACKWELL, daughter, aged 11. GORDON BLACKWELL, son, aged six, who has recovered.

IyTRS. Blackwell was the wife of x Herbert Blackwell, who is employed on Yates and Co.’s farm at Karaka as a ploughman. The only member of the family who can throw any light on the tragedy is the little boy Gordon, who is still suffering from the effects of the poison,though not very serious Ly. Mr. Blackwell had not slept at home the night before the tragedy. He had to go to Papakura the next day (Tuesday) to truck sheep, and had spent the night at Mr. Frederick Yates’s house in order to get an early start. After eating the mid-day meal yesterday the family became violently ill. The little boy Gordon said that his mother sent him with a note across to Mr. Yates’s house to ring up the doctor. Dr. J. B. Page, of Papakura, was called and arrived at the Blackwell home about 3 o’clock. By that time the mother and the daughter, Muriel,

were dead. The other daughter, Marjorie, died soon after his arrival. The little boy could not tell the doctor very much, except that he and his mother and sisters had all been very sick after they had eaten their mid-day meal. That was about 1 o’clock. He thought that his mother and sisters had had violent fits. There is every reason to believe that the family had been poisoned, but how it is difficult to say. It is thought that there was a poison in the food which was eaten for the meal. Sergeant Cowan, of the Papakura police, has charge of the case. Mr. Blackwell did not know of the tragedy until late in the day, when he was Informed by Dr. Page. Gordon Blackwell said that he ate blanc mange for lunch and that his mother and sisters ate apricots, as well as other food. When the doctor arrived at the house in the afternoon be found the whole place splc and span. There were no dirty dishes about. The mother was Jying dead on a couch in the living-room and the two daughters were lying side' by side on a bed. They were all fully clothed and there were no signs of a struggle. The note, which the mother is said to have written and given to her small son to take to Mr. Yates’s house, cannot be found to-day. It may throw some light on the tragedy. Death is said to be due to strychnine poisoning. A post-mortem examination of the bodies will be made to-day and the inquest will be opened to-morrow.