The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-31 00:00:00

POISONING AND STRANGULATION.

Last evening Dr. Lankester resumed an important
inquiry, at the Durham Castle, Upper Holloway, relative
to the death of John Pratt, aged 53 years, who was
found, after being poisoned, suspended by the neck to a
beam in a stable. adjoining his residence at No. 27,
Durham-road.

The Coroner read over the evidence taken at the last sitting,
the following being a summary : —The deceased, according
to the evidence of Lavinia Job, the person with whom he
lived, was an excessive drinker. On Wednesday evening
(the 11th instant) he came home intoxicated, having been
so for eleven days. The next morning, as usual, he had a
cup of tea with some gin in it, and then she went out. On
her return she missed him from the bedroom, and on
searching for him she found him in the stable, lying on the
ground, with a rope round his neck. She called in her
neighbours, and, as he was not dead, a dector was imme-
diately called in. Dr. Edward Cottell, of Hernsey-road,
attended about eleven o'clock on the Thursday morning,
and saw the deceased lying on his back in the stable,
breathing hard, with livid countenance and pupils con-
tracted. Strangulation by hanging had been attempted, but
previously poison had been taken. The stomach pump and
bleeding were tried, but after a few convulsive fits he
died. An empty bottle was found, which Lavinia Job
said had contained some stuff which the deceased used
for his eyes, and the day before it was three parts full.
Mr. Burden, chemist, of Store-street, Bedford-square, sup-
plied the bottle and its contents, and on being communi-
cated with sent a reply that it contained two grains of
atropia, the active principle of deadly nightshade. Dr.
Cottell was of opinion that if deceased had taken that
quantity of the poison he would have been past hope
He had no doubt died from the effects of the poison
accelerated by the hanging. From the latter he
might have recovered. After a variety of opinions
and suggestions relative to the cause of death, the
jury expressed their dissatisfaction at the medical gentle.
man not having made a post-modem examination, and
requested that the same should be performed, as Dr. Cot-
tell had stated that other poisons would produce similar
appearances of the body. They were also of opinion that
au analysis should be made. The coroner, therefore, post-
poned the inquiry, and wrote to Professor Rodgers, of the
London Hospital Medical College, asking him to male
post-mortem, examination, but the learned professor v..roto
back to say that such was the state of the body through
decomposition, that it would be at the peril of his life if
he attempted to examine the corpse, and he therefore
declined to do so.

Dr. Cotten, who was called in to attend the deceasea,
said the body rapidly decomposed. It was speedily in a
gangrenous condition. He was a man of over IGst
weight, in full habit, and of drinking propensities. The
few warm days assisted the rapid decomposition.
The jury were dissatisfied at the want of knowledge
as to what poison had been taken. It was said to be
atropia, but other poisons would produce similar ap-
pearances.

The Coroner remarked that_it would be absurd to sup-
pose that any one had given the man poison, and then
dragged him to the stable and hanged him ; or that, having
had the poison administered to him, while labouring under
its painful effects, from another person's hand, he would
attempt to complete the destruction of his life by
hanging.
Further evidence was taken, shewing that the deceasea,
after over-indulging, was depressed in mind, and that he
had wished some one would blow out his brains. His
partner in business had heard him say he was uncom-
fortable at home, and once saw him perform an act
which he considered so suspicious that he would not leave
him.

The jury, regretting that the post-mortcm examination
had not been made, returned a verdict that death arose
from atropia and strangulation, but how the deceased got
the atropia there was not sufficient evidence to shew.