Enclosure No.3.
Extract from S.C.M.Post dated 24/1/36.
SCHOOLMISTRESS' DEATH
VERDICT OF SUICIDE BUT NOT INSANE RETURNED AT INQUEST
OVER-DOSE OF SLEEPING DRAUGHT
A verdict of "suicide, but not insane,” was returned by a jury at an inquest conducted by Mr. E. I. Wynne-Jones at the Kowloon Magistracy, into the death of a 31-year-old ex-Queen's Army school mistress, Miss Mary MacGregor, who died of veronal poisoning at the Peninsula Hotel on January 9.
On hearing the verdict, which was returned after a retire- ment of seven minutes, the Coroner said, “I agree with you. On the evidence we have that is the only possible verdict."
The jury comprised Messrs. G. Milne (Foreman), C. Kew and A. C. Diercks.
Detective-Sub-Inspector L. Whant was present for the police
? Applied to Go Home
was
Dr. J. T. Smalley, medical officer in charge of the Kowloon Hospital
Capt G. W. Grant, deposed that deposed that about 8.30 p.m. on until last year he was Command January 8 a European female aged Education Officer, China Command. 31 years was brought to the Kowloon Amongst other duties witness Hospital by Miss Dickson from the responsible for the efficiency of the Peninsula Hotel. Her name was Army children's schools, one of which stated to be Miss Mary MacGregor, was in Tientsin. Miss MacGregor and she was accompanied by a letter was from Dr. Skinn, who had been called to see her at the Hotel.
On admission the patient
was unconscious and could not be waken- ed in any may.
There was no odour in her breath at all and her pupils did
not suggest opium poisoning. Everything was done to revive the deceased but without effect. She died the following day (January 9) at 3.20 p.m. without recovering consciousness.
Cause of Death
Witness conducted a post mortem
on January of the organs was
examination
Examination
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sent to the Government Analyst, and
veronal was isolated.
in witness's
The cause of death, opinion, was versonal poisoning.
Dr. A. J. Skinn, medical practi- tioner, deposed that on the evening of January 8 at 6.30 p.m. witness was called to room No.
247 at the Peninsula Hotel where he saw Miss MacGregor. She was in a state of deep coma. There was no external evidence of injury or violence. She
1933-34 season
a serving as Queen's Army schools mistress. She arrived in Tientsin during the for a turn of duty of three years.
In June 1935 she applied to go home before her turn ended because of the death of her father, and being anxious to be with her widowed mother who was in ill-health. The application was refused by the War Office.
In July 1935 witness visited North China on a tour of duty and for the first time met Miss MacGregor. She appeared to witness to be quite normal.
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Early in October 1935 a report was received from Tientsin by the China of Miss Command in Hongkong MacGregor's admission to hospital in Tientsin on September 11 suffering which she from poisoning, from recovered on the 16th but remained: in hospital and treated for hysteria. In December 1935 Miss MacGregor gave the necessary one month's notice and received per- of resignation mission from Headquarters, China Command, to proceed to the United 23. She December Kingdom on
was lying quietly in bed and her pulse g ceased to be a Queen's Army school
was normal. Her respiration was shallow.
A letter addressed to the manager of the Hotel was handed to witness and he read it. The letter asked for- giveness for any unpleasantness the deceased may have caused to the Hotel and requested that a letter addressed to the police and others be forwarded.
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The writer of the letter also stated that she had taken a drug, and as a result witness had arrangements made for her removal
the Kowloon Hospital.
Witness agreed that the symptoms coincided with poisoning by veronal. The maximum single dose of veronal was 15 grains, but if repeated it would most probably have accumulative action with fatal results. The normal dose was 71⁄2 grains.
During the period witness had deceased in his care he gave her three injections of strychnine which was the normal procedure, and reported it to the Kowloon Hospital.
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mistress as from January this year. On January 10 witness identified the body at the Kowloon Mortuary as that of ex-Army school mistress Miss Mary MacGregor.
Room Boys' Evidence
at the Choi Ping, night boy Peninsula Hotel, deposed that on the evening of January 6 he saw deceased in her bedroom, and the following night about 9 p.m. he saw her again. a She was writing in her bedroom and she asked witness to hang out a card on her door. The notice was "Please do not disturb." Witness did not see her again.
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Li Wing, bed-room boy of the Peninsula Hotel, stated that when he went on duty at 6 a.m. on January 8, he noticed the card on the door. About 3 p.m. that day a European lady looked at the notice and walked away.
When witness was going off duty he tried the door with a key but it would not open, so he reported to the housekeeper. They both went and knocked at the door but received no answer. Witness was instructed to go on the verandah and look through the window, and finally he entered
the room by the window and unbolted the door.
M. Prata, reception clerk, stated that shortly after 7 p.m. on January 7 the deceased went to his office and enquired about the delivery of letters. She appeared to be quite normal.
Miss J. Dickson, nursing sister at the Peninsula Hotel, said that she was called to the deceased's room and found her lying in bed with her hands clasped. In her hands deceased held her father's memorial card.
Witness searched the room but found no bottles or packages. The The deceased was in night attire. room was neat and the clothes were very tidy.
Witness found five letters on the writing desk, one was addressed to the manager, one to the police and three others.
After taking the deceased to the Kowloon Hospital witness made report at the Water Police Station.
Money and Letters
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A. K. Dimond, manager of the Peninsula Hotel, deposed to receiving The the letters from last witness. letter addressed to the manager con- This letter tained a $50 banknote. and the other four were handed by witness to Sub-Inspector Whant. Witness saw Sub-Inspector Whant open the letter addressed to the police and it contained £200 in English banknotes and $116 in Hongkong notes.
Formal evidence was then given by Detective-Sub-Inspector L. Whant who stated that he made a search of the room, verandah, baggage and backyard but found nothing. There were five letters, one addressed to the Superintendent of Police, one to Mrs. Badger, one to Mr. A. R. Wilcox and one to Mrs. Bird.
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witness found a In the baggage British passport and a copy of a birth certificate of Mary MacGregor, and also a letter from the Area school at Tientsin accepting Miss MacGregor's resignation. Witness also found bundle of letters in an attache case and in a drawer found a receipt from the Hotel Cecil for January 6.
Detective-Sergeant J. S. Riddell, testified that he took the contents from a waste paper basket pasted together several letters. There was a letter dated January 6 signed by Mr. J. Ralston for the Education Department advising Miss MacGregor that there were no vacancies to which' she could be appointed.
Met on Ship
Mrs. Marry Grey, of Palm Court Hotel, Nathan Road, stated that she met the deceased on the s.s. Chekiang on the trip from Tientsin to Hong- kong. Witness saw a lot of Miss MacGregor and they became very good friends. She told witness that she was on her way home to see her mother, and appeared to look forward to that.
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Deceased told witness that she thought she would be leaving Hong- January 15 by the S.S. kong on
she Sarpedon, and also said that would be staying at the Hotel Cecil. ; Witness telephoned to her at tiffin time on January 5 and she said that Witness she did not like the hotel. went to see Miss MacGregor and took her to Palm Court. She (deceased) did not like Palm Court and went to the Peninsula Hotel.
Later Miss MacGregor went back to and telephoned to Hotel Cecil
to have her the Peninsula Hotel baggage fetched.
When leaving the boat Miss Mac- Gregor told witness that she had a Bird. chit from
named man a Witness never saw this man at any time.
On January 7 witness saw deceased at the Hotel
her and she told
her that she had seen (witness) friend on the Monday afternoon (January 6), and was meeting him again that afternoon. She seemed to be quite keen about it.
The next day witness telephoned to Witness deceased but got no reply. went to the Hotel at 2.30 p.m. and saw a card on deceased's door so she went away without knocking.
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