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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Medical Staff Corps. The drugs were in his charge.
for that amount. There was no suggestion whatever of any defalcation.
The inquiry was further adjourned until Tuesday at eleven o'clock to enable the Police to make enquiries at the Dispensary.
On Tuesday morning Commander W. C. H. Hastings resumed the inquiry.
William Denny Sutton, assistant at the Hong. kong Dispensary, said-I made up the mixture which was in the bottle produced. It was for the deceased. I cannot tell the exact date, but it was fire or six weeks ago last Sunday. The mixture contained ipecacuhana wine ten minims; compound tincture of camphor, twenty minime; syrup of squills, thirty minims; infusion of senega, oz. The mixture did not contain chloral. There is one grain of opium in 20 grains of tincture of camphor: that is not a fatal dose for an adult. I cannot in any way account for the presence of chloral in the bottle. The mixture was a simple every day medicine for a cough, I do not think, as one of the witnesses suggested, that he sent to the dispensary for some drops to steady his nerves. I have no knowledge of it. Two or three days after the deceased had the mixture he bought a box of pastilles for his cough. The pastilles do not contain chloral. I have never supplied him with anything else, and as far as I know no-one else has supplied him with medicine.
The Magistrate-1 find that the cause of death was an overdose of` chloral. I think it right to say that there is nothing at all to show I
that the deceased intended to take his life. have just received the following letter from the Dispensary-
The Hongkong Dispensary,
19th March, 1898. `Sir,-With reference to the enquiry which took place yesterday in connection with the death of Mr. H. Cook, we think it only right to inform you that no chloral whatever was supplied by us to the deceased.
We also think it necessary to at once bring this to your notice because Dr. Lowson's evidence might give rise to false impressions in the public mind.
No one in our firm would be allowed to give more than one dose of chloral to anyone with out a doctor's prescription. The British Phar- macopeia dose is from 5 to 30 grains. We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servants,
A. 8. Watson Co., Limited. John D. Humphreys and Son. Commander W. C. H. Hastings, R.N., Acting
Magistrate.
SUDDEN DEATH OF THE HOS-
PITAL WARDMASTER,
Mr. Alfred Feltham, Wardmaster at the Government Civil Hospital, was found dead in his quarters at the hospital on the 18th March. The deceased was quite a young man and was well liked by his friends.
On Monday afternoon Commander W. C. H. Hastings opened an inquiry concerning the
3
death.
Dr. Atkinson said-I am Principal Civil Medical Officer. At 3,35 p.m. on the 17th inst. I was in my house at the hospital when I received a telephone message to go down and see Mr. Feltham, the wardmaster. I went at once to his rooms at the hospital and found him lying dead on the sofa. I had seen him before that morning and he appeared to be in his usual health. Deceased had been employed three years in the hospital. He was formerly in the Army Medical Staff Corps. He always dis- charged his duties to my satisfaction. He was not in any monetary trouble so far as I know. I ordered the door of the room to be locked and telephoned to the Inspector of Police at No. 7 Police station. I was present at the post mortem examination on the 18th inst. As the cause of death was doubtful the contents of the stomach were handed over to the Analyst. If chloral was found in the stomach more must have been absorbed before death. Deceased had been dead quite an hour when I saw the body. Eighty grains of chlo al would be a poisonous dose for the average man. Thirty grains has been known to prove fatal. As far as 1 know deceased was of temperate habits. He had been acting as dispenser for eighteen months during the absence of Mr. Crowe on leave and had given every satisfaction in the discharge of his duties. He had been a dispenser in the Army
Cheung Shun said-I am an attendant at the Government Civil Hospital On the 17th inst., at 1 p.m., I saw deceased go into his dining room and I followed to attend on him at tiffiu. He told me I might go as he would go to sleep. At 3.35 p.m. I took some clothing into de- ceased's room and found him lying on his back | on the sofa. There was a tumbler on the dining room table. I had not heard the deceased complain that day. He breakfasted as usual at 8.45 in the morning.
Robert Chapman said-I am the steward at the Government Civil Hospital. On the 17th, at 6.30 p.m., I was called by the last witness to see Mr. Feltham. In deceased's right hand was a partly smoked cigarette; near his left hand was a mirror. I sent for the doctor at once, As far as I know he was of temperate habits. I never saw him under the influence of liquor. I always understood that he was not hard pushed for money. If he did do it I cannot assign any reason for his poisoning himself.
H. B. Clough said-I am the manager and secretary of the New Club. I have known the deceased about six months. He confided all his private affairs to me. We were bosom friends. He was 28 years of age. I telephoned in reply to deceased's telephone on the morning of the 17th inst. that I had got tickets for him for the theatre. He telephoned back in the morning to say that he would not be down till after tiffin. He did not come and I sent the tickets up to him. I last saw deceased alive at 8.30 p.m. on the 16th inst. He was then in bed and was in his usual spirits. The reason he gave for being so early in bed was that he had nothing else to do. He was not in monetary difficulties and I think he had money in the bank. Lately he has been rather dejected. He had a sweetheart in England and about three months ago the engagement was broken. It was since then that I noticed the dejection.
The inquiry was then adjourned until the following morning at 11.30.
Mr. Frank Browne, Government Analyst, said-On March 18th I received from Dr. Low- son the contents of the stomach of the deceased. It measured six ounces. I found that it con- tained nineteen grains of choral and one third of a grain of morphine. On the same day I re- ceived from Inspector Macdonald a number of | exhibits. Powder marked No. 5 cousisted of particles of powder which were morphine and hydro-chlorine. The powder was found in a paper in the deceased's bedroom. The tumbler marked No. 9 contained a few drops of liquid in which chloral was present. I found nothing in the other exhibits. Deceased was my assis- tant. On the morning of the 17 inst. I received the following note: "I have had a bad night and have overslept myself. I will be in soon. Yours, A. F." I tore the note up and threw the pieces into the waste paper basket, but when I heard of his death I tried to recover the pieces. I found only two and I added the missing He came in to words myself in red ink. me shortly after I received the note and said he was suffering very badly from neuralgia and had a very great pain in the left side of his head. He had, he said, obtained no sleep until 5.30 that morning. I told him he need not trouble to do any work unless he wished. I last saw him alive at 12 o'clock that morning. when he appeared to be in very great pain. He could help himself to chloral if he liked. He was well acquainted with the properties of drugs. For five weeks before his death he appeared
be greatly depressed. He said that he had received bad news by the mail, the nature of which was such that it could not be mentioned. He gained his usual spirits in a few days. Within a week of his decease he seemed to me to be quieter than usual.
[March 26, 1898.
been caused by morphia. If he took the chloral just before he was last seen alive I do not think he could have taken more than 30 grains of chloral. I do not think he absorbed more than was found in the stomach, as the absorbing power of the stomach must have been seriously impaired by the inflammation, which must have been going on for at least 24 hours. The cause of death was syncope in acute gastritis and acute pancreatitis, possibly accelerated by a large medicinal dose of chloral. He would certainly feel depressed; his condition was quite sufficient to account for depression. The chloral itself would not be sufficient to cause death, nor could it have produced the appearances I have described.
The Magistrato The finding is in accordance with the medical evidence, that the canse of death was syncope in acute gastritis and scute pancreatitis.
CHINA SUGAR REFINING COM-
PANY, LIMITED.
The twentieth annual general meeting of the shareholders in the China Sugar Refining Com- pany, Limited, was held on Wednesday in the Offices of the General Agents, Messra Jardine, Matheson and Co. Hon. J. J. Bell-Irving pro- sided, and there were also present-Hon. E. R. Belilios, Messrs F. A. Gomes, C. S. Sharp, D. Gubbay and A. Haupt (Consulting Committee), G. Murray Bain, F. Henderson, R. C. Wilcox, J. MoGregor Forbes, K. McK. Ross, D. Lan- dale, W. G. Winterbarn, G. C. C. Master, A. Ross, B. Layton, J. R. Michael, Dr. Brown, J. Barton (Secretary), Ho Fook, Ho Tung, L. Wang, etc.
The SECRETARY read the notice convening the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN-Gentlemen, in proposing the adoption of the report and accounts of this Company, which have been in your hands for some days, and which you will doubtless be con- tent to consider as read, I take the opportunity of congratulating shareholders on the highly satisfactory nature of the result of the year's working as indicated therein. We have been fortunate throughout the greater part of the period under review in our purchases of Raw- Sugar, not only in acquiring supplies at favour. able opportunities, but also in financing for a large proportion of the shipments from Jaya prior to the decline in sterling exchange rates that; set in and continued during the latter months of 1897. Exchange fluctuations have further favoured us in the benefits we derive from the advance in local rates between this and Japan (one of our chief ontlets), by reason of the latter country adopting a Gold Standard. Although the introduction of this altered standard did not become an accomplished fact until October, its effect bad been antici- pated, and we benefited from it several months previously. The Refinery was kept fully occu- pied during the year, and the outturn exceeds any preceeding record, a result which in itself is a satisfactory indication of the establishment being efficiently maintained and organised by a capable and energetic staff. In China, statistics show that the demand for refined sugars con- tinue to slowly but steadily increase, and with the expected early opening up of internal water- ways in that vast Empire, this growing con- sumption may confidently be expected to spread. The departure proposed by the General Agents and Consulting Committee of transferring to equalization of dividends fund the substantial sim of $140,000 should recommend itself to investors, inasmuch as this policy will assist in maintaining steady returns in the future, and tend to do away with the irregularity which has hitherto attached to the dividends derived from this industry. In connection with Property Account, which of course includes Buildings and Machinery, we feel confident that the policy we continue of writing down the book value and strengthening the position of the Company will recommend itself to share. holders. The water supply is now ample even during the dry season, and the purchase of the Bookumpoo site, and other arrangements entered into some two years ago at small cost, in order to ensure that supply, have proved serviceable acquisitions. With regard to the current year, The condi- the margin on refining has so far continued tion I have described could not have been satisfactory, and at present future prospects caused by chloral; it likewise could not have | appear favourable, That, gentlemen, is all
to
Dr. J. A. Lowson said--I examined the body of the deceased on the 18th inst. His stomach was considerably inflamed. The pancreas was also acutely inflamed and there was a hemorrha- gio extravasation at the head of it, which reached down to the left kidney. There was no valvular disease of the heart. There were remains of pleurisy in the left lung. The other organs were normal.
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