CAUSED BY POISON.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 493, 30 June 1932, Page 7

CAUSED BY POISON.

Chemical Traveller’s Death Investigated. EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. Death from heart failure brought on by poisoning was the vtydict returned by Mr H. A. Young, Coroner, at an inquest held this morning on Harold Roy Johnson, aged thirty-eight years, of 67. Keppel Street, New Brighton, who died in the Christchurch Hospital on June 7. The poison, the Coroner added, was self-administered, but whether accidentally or not the evidence' did not show. Dr A. B. Pearson, pathologist at the Christchurch Hospital, gave evidence regarding a post mortem examination of the body. In his opinion death was caused by heart failure resulting from an overdose of a drug. The drug was one used to induce sleep. The Government analyst’s report stated that there was a small quantity of the drug present. It was a Hard poison to detect. Had Not Been Well. Margaret Alice Johnson, widow of Johnson, said that her husband was the representative of a British chemical manufacturing firm. He was a discharged soldier, and had had two abdominal operations since the wan During the week prior to his death he had not been well and had stayed in bed. At 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, witness went to her husband’s room and found him out of bed. He said he had got up to “ watch the snow falling.” ,She thought he was joking as it was quite fine. At 2.30 p.m. witness found that he was unconscious. Dr Anderson and Dr Stevens were called in and her husband was sent to hospital. Witness was not aware that he was taking any drug. He had not been worried and had passed no remark. For some time he had been complaining of sleeplessness. He carried no samples in his business, selling from the manufacturers 1 lists. The police and Dr Anderson had searched the house and found no trace of any drug. Hospital Treatment. Dr P. H. Wood, house surgeon, said that Johnson was unconscious when admitted to the Christchurch Public Hospital on June 7, and died without recovering consciousness. He appeared to be suffering from poisoning. He was given the treatment as indicated for morphine. The treatment would have been much the same if the real nature of the poison had been known. It was a common sleep-producing drug, often prescribed by doctors.