Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-25
ROUGH ON NICHOLSON.
WHILE INSANE HE TAXES A FATAL
DOSE OF RAT POISON.
He Inhames His Brain with Liquor and
Plays with Shotgun, but Finally Re
sorts to Poison.

Coroner Weldon held an inquest yes
terday afternoon upon the body OF
James. Nicholson, a native OF Yorkshire,
England, IS years Of age, who died at
his residence on Bellevue avenue earlier
in the day from the effect of dose OF
poison taken by himself on Tuesday last.
From the testimony of Mrs. Margaret
Burden Nicholson, the unfortunate
mans wife, it was learned that at about
10 O'Clock on Tuesday night last Nichol-
son, who had been drinking heavily for
two or three days, returned home intox-
icated, and acted 80 strangely as to at
tract the attention OF his wife and two OF
her neighbors, Mr.. and Mrs. Robson. He
fret commenced to abuse an inofensive
dog; when Robson expostulated with him
he turned upon the man and became very
violent and abusive. He was finally,
however, induced to accompany his
wife and friends into the house, and sit
ting down alkedirrationally with them
for about five minutes. Suddenly he
jumped to his feet, and going over to
the corner of the room picked up bis
shot gun and flourished it about. For
tunately it was not loaded, but in epite
Of this fact, Mrs. Robson evinced great
alarm: and Nicholson seemed deter
mined to scare her all the more, for
he went to drawer and taking out
loaded cartridge clipped it into the gun.
At this juncture Robson attempted to
take the weapon away from the crazy
man, and after wrestling with him for
several minutes he managed to extract
the cartridge. As soon as he became
aware of this Nicholson surrendered the
gun, and again sat down and talked in
a rambling manner about various things
for five minutes or longer. He again
sprang up, however, as before,
and went into the kitchen, reap
pearing almost Immediately with his
mouth full of a abrownish-coIored powder,
which he commenced to chew in fever
ish haste. Going over to where Mrs.
Robson sat, he stuck out his tongue and
said, "Look what I've got on my
tongue" His wife started up in alarm,
and noticing the peculiar odor of pow
der known as Rough on Rats" which
she had purchased for the purpose of
poisoning the vermin in the chicken
mouse, she ruShed to the Kitchen and
found her worst fears realized, for the
box which had contained the poison was
lying empty upon table. With the
assistance of her friends she admins
tered dose Of vinegar to her husband, !
and summoned DIR. T.. Dearth, who pre-
scribed the usual antidotes and worked
upon the patient for several hours,
with apparently successful re-
suit. Nicholson, however, never
rallied, and gradually sank until
an early hour yesterday morning, when
he died. Before his death he became, 1
rational and talked with his wife about !
his illness for which he was unable to.
account, as he had no recollection of the .
events Of Tuesday night.
DR.. Dearth testified to having been I
called in to see Nicholson shortly afterD
IL. o'clock ON Tuesday night, and adj
ministering the necessary antidotes for
arsenical poisoning, which in conjunc-
tion with heart failure had been the I
cause of his death. 4
On learning the facts as above stated, i
the jury returned a verdict OF suicide
while under theinfuence Of intoxicants
and temporarily insane.