Henry Smith

SUDDEN DEATH. An elderly man named Henry Smith died suddenly at his residence, Sydenham, about eight o'clock on Wednesday night. Smith was a newspaper runner, and was in the employment of the Press Company. He was a strong, healthy looking man. That day he took some medicine, after which he died. An inquest took place at five o'clock yesterday, at the Sandridge Hotel before Mr R. Beetham, coroner, and a jury of whom Mr Thomas Yarr was foreman, touching the death of the above. Dr Robinson stated that on the previous day the deceased came to him about 2.30 p.m. and said he had taken poison. In reply to witness he said he had taken balsam of copaiba. Witness told him that would not poison him. He gave the deceased an emetic and a mixture, and called round at his place at 8.30 o'clock the same evening. He found a quantity of vomit in a vessel, and the man was dead. Had made a post mortem examination of the body, and found all the organs very much congested. The heart was fairly healthy. There was not much in the stomach. The cause of death was paralysis of the heart. Aconite would cause that. He should say the bottles produced contained tincture of aconite. The deceased was under the influence of liquor when he came to see witness. He said that he had had a row with his wife, and had taken poison. John Morgan gave evidence, and Eliza Turner deposed to living next to the deceased, and hearing him calling out on Wednesday afternoon. She told her husband when he came home, and he went in and found the deceased dead. Thos. Turner gave corroborative evidence. Harriet Smith, wife of the deceased, stated she last saw him alive about noon on Wednesday. He had had a little drink. He had been drinking very heavily lately. Had seen the bottle produced before, it was used for the horse. Her husband said it was balsam. He struck her that day, but he never mentioned - about having taken poison. Witness drank somewhat herself, but was sober on Wednesday. She went out to see some friends that day, and slept away from home that night, as she knew her husband's temper. J. Steel deposed to taking the, deceased home on Wednesday afternoon. He said he was bad, and had taken some horse medicine. Sergeant Stagpoole gave formal evidence, and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony. Source: Press (12 April 1889, p. 6).