MURDER CHARGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 10

MURDER CHARGE

MAREO TRIAL CONTINUED ANALYST’S EVIDENCE VERONAL IN THE ORGANS. [ Par Pr«is Aaaociatio*. J AUCKLAND, Feb. 21. The fifth day of the Mareo trial saw the public portion of the Supreme Court again crowded after queues of men and women had awaited the opening of the doors. Mr. Hubble, for the Crown, informed Mr. Justice Fair that counsel for the defence had decided that instead of calling five witnesses concerning the production of a matress as an exhibit. the deposition of those witnesses would be read in Court. The mattress was in an anteroom and would be produced if required. Mr. O’Leary concurring, this course was followed. I The next witness, Kenneth Massey Griffin, Government analyst, gave details of his tests. “I examined the organs for poison and found veronal to be present.” Witness added that he recovered in the brain 2.35 grains, in the liver, kidneys and spleen 2.50 grains, and the stomach content was 0.4 grain. From a stained sheet .he recovered 4.33 grains. The total amount recovered was 14.78 grains. Cross-examined by Mr. O’Leary, Griffin said that he could find no milk in the stomach. He experimented and found that veronal would dissolve in half a cup of milk, either warm or cold. Six tablets dissolved in warm milk in about five minutes. Witness knew that one well known authority stated that veronal should never be given in solid form or milk. He knew that veronal would be readily soluble in sal volatile. A normal person might take veronal without tasting it. but he thought that they would taste it. Mr. O’Leary: “I am informed that the average lethal does is 50 grains.” Witness: “That’s so.” Mr. O’Leary: “Can you say if an average lethal does was taken? “Yes, but I would prefer to leave that tn the medical witnesses.” “What quantity of milk would be required to dissolve 100 grains?” ‘ I experimented and found that eight tablets could be dissolved in a cupful of milk. To dissolve more would make the milk half porridgey.” The Foreman of the Jury: “Whit colour would the milk be if it. was heavily impregnated with veronal?”— “There would be no colour. A change of thickness would be noticeable and not the colour. This would be caused by starch in the tablets.” At His Honour’s request witness agreed to carry out further experiments in the dissolution of veronal in milk. Pathologist’s Evidence. Dr. Walter Gilmour, pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, detailed the post mortem. All appearance indicated an overdose of an hypnotic drug. There was no evidence of any disease. The appendix was healthy. His con 1 elusion was that death was due to veronal poisoning. A person taking veronal would fall asleep about half an hour later, remaining asleep for about six or eight hours. If a heavier dose was taken a deep sleep would probably be followed by coma. Referring to the happenings on the Saturday night before death, witness said that these indicated quite clearly that Mrs. Mareo was recovering from a dose. She was able to awake on her own account and ask for a drink of water. There could be no doubt that treatment at rhat stage would have brought about her complete recovery. Her falling asleep could only be accounted for by another dose of veronal. From the description of her condition that night it would have been impossible for her to take veronal herself. The amount of veronal extracted by the analyst indicated that Mrs. Marco had had a fatal dose. Dr. Gilmour estimated that she had probably had at least 100 grains. The luncheon adjournment was taken at this stage. “Tolerance to veronal is not developed in those who take it regularly,” IDr. Gilmour said. “Tolerance means that one becomes gradually able to take larger doses without suffering undue effects. A notable example is morphia. Such tolerance is never acquired in the case of veronal. The habitual taker is no more immune from a fatal dose than one who takes it for the first time.” No evidence of alcoholism was disclosed in his post-mortem examination of Mrs. Mareo, said witness. This did not exclude the possibility of it, but if she had been drinking two bottles of sherry daily the conditions found at the post mortem were not consistent with this. The symptoms described by Graham Mareo and Freda Stark weie not consistent with alcoholism. Dr. Gilmour said that death from veronal poisoning was generally due !to misadventure. Suicide would be a good second but murder by veronal poisoning was rare. He did not know of a normal adult having been murdered. There was no recorded case, but then were one or two suspected cases. Dr. Gilmour Cross-examined Mr. O’Leary: There is a recorded rase of 10 grains having killed a person. Dr. Gilmour: That would not be due to veronal alone. There is a recorded case of recovery from a dose of 360 grains?—That is so ! It would be possible to administer 3GU grains without fatal effects in some cases, yet a dose of 50 grains might prove fatal? —Yes. So then, it is a very uncertain murderer’s weapon ?—Yes. It is what might be a fatal dose for one person might not be fatal to another? —That is true. It is dangerous and deaths occur from misadventure when the takers of veronal do not realise their susceptibility to the drug?—Yes. There are people who do not know ’hey are susceptible. Mr. O’Leary then questioned witness about veronal being soluble in milk. It was not well known that it was more soluble in milk than water, he said. Dr. Gilmour knew of no reason why veronal should not be given in milk, as it was suggested by one authority that the milk would curdle and if that happened the veronal would take longer to pass into the blood stream. His opinion was that Mrs. Mareo had a dose early on Saturday and that she had another dose half an hour before going into the final s»leep. He thought that she must have had between 20 and 30 grains in the