The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-23 00:00:00

POUR CHILDREN POISONED BY ARSENICAL
PAPER HANGINGS.

Last evening Mr. Humphreys opened an inquiry
at the Freemasons' Anna, Salmon's-lane, Limshouee,
re-
spectiog the death of Ann Amelia. Turner, aged 3 yawn,
who, it is suspected, died from the effects of ammo through
imbibing the composition front the surface of paper-
hanging.
Richard Turner, of No. 1 Tomlin's-terrace, Saimaa's-
laes, said that he was • bricklayer. His wife with four
children occupied the boom in question, and upp to Christ-
mas last they were all in good health. The deceased was
his daughter, and died on Saturday last. She had bees
ailing since the 10th of February bat, and bed bean at-
tended by a medical man for an affection of the
with pains in the limbs, nausea, cramps, sad 4=15
sight. On the 2nd of the present month he Gael is Dr.
Orton, the medical officer of the Board of Health, who
prescribed for the deceased, but she ask under the effects
of some irritant. Witness had last three other children
during the hat seven weeks, who had all suffered is the
same way as the deceased. He could not account for their
deaths.
By the Coroner—The whole of the children bad bees
seised with weakness of the limbs and drooping of the
bead ; their eyes were diary and watering. They freqmo4
vomited. The whole of the family were in good health
until the bedroom was repapered. The children rubbed
their eyes, and the nostrils were inflamed and swollen.
Dr. Orton had visited the children's bedroom, and, after.
taking down small portions of the paper, he ordered the
whole to be removed, as he was of 'opinion that the chil-
dren had been poisoned by picking off the gmen paper from
the wall. The drainage of the house wasin good condition.
and he believed ',that the whole of the children had died
from the same cause.
Ann Moore, the grandmother, who resided in the same
house, was then called, and said that she had pureed the
four children who had died. They frequently rubbed their
eyes, and cried with pain in the stomach. Their lips and
mouths were parched. They were at times quite pros.
trated, and she could not account for their deaths, unless it
was from licking the composition of the paper. She bed
never seen them picking the paper, which they could easily
reach when sta • upon • chair. They might have wet-
ted their fingers and rubbed off the composition, which was
of • bright emerald green colour.
Ann Turner, the mother of the deceased children, was
examined, but ohs was in • weak state. She said, the
children were all in good health until the Sod January last,
when two of them had the measles, end sataisquently were
seised with diphtheria, from which they recovered. About
a fortnight Noce the deceased was suddenly seised with
severe pain in the stomach, and fell down from weakness.
Witness and her husband had experienced unusual seem-
Cons in the throat, with burning pains, since the paper had
been torn down. The dust from the paper seemed to make
them sick, and Foduced loss of appetite. They had pains
in the arms and legs. They had not been in good health
since the paper bad been put up.
Coroner—Have you ever seen the children pick the
gaper oft thew all, or wet it with their fingers?
Witnee—Yes, I have, and have scolded them for doing
as They used to take the paper off the wall by getting
as the biki, or upon a chair, when they would reach over
the bee of it.
Dr. Orton then exhibited a portion of the paper ; and, in
I=o the coroner, said that he had no hesitation in
that the deceased children bad all died from the
effects of arsenic, but he had not bees able to make the
necenary examination of the body of the deceased Ann
Amelia. He had reads an experimeut on a piece of the
paper, and had timed arsenic, which was commonly used in
the manufacture of paper.hangtags.
The Coroner said he should adjourn the inquiry for • few
days to allow Dr. Letheby, of the London Hospital, to make
• somplete analysis of the contents of the stomach of the
child relative to whose death they had met to 'again. The
inquiry was one of great public importance, and the portions
of paper which were in the possession of Dr. Orton would
also be sent to the same gentleman to trace the amount of
arsenic it cootsined.
The inquiry was accordingly adjourned until the 30th
instant.