POISON RUBBED INTO MEAT

Taranaki Daily News, 28 July 1932, Page 4

POISON RUBBED INTO MEAT

MYSTERY ON ISOLATED FARM brother and sister become ill BITTER TASTE GIVES WARNING. POLICE INVESTIGATION FRUITLESS, By Telegraph.—Bros Association, Christchurch, Last Night. Strychnine rubbed into meat from which the family was to make a mOal nearly caused the death of a man and his sister, Charles Topp and Maiy Topp, residing on a sriall 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 sdon recovered. The meat was cut from a forequarter of beef kept in the dairy. The family had had meals from the beef foiir days previously and the meat was all right. After they had eaten the beef on the last occasion the remainder of ths meal 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 etrychnine. Since this occurrence on July 10 the police have been investigating but apparently have been unable to discover the perpetrator of the crime. From available evidence it seems some person must have gone to the farm on the night of July 9, entered the unlocked dairy, which is,some distance from the house, and nibbed powdered strychnine into the meat hanging there. There was no strychnine on the farm so accidental contamination seems impossible. , . Charles Topp, when interviewed to-day, said there seemed little doubt some person who had a grudge against them had rubbed the poison into the meat, but he had no idea who his enemy was.