I. T. Morris, Coroner, an inquest was held on the body of George Mesling, formerly a sergeant of police attached to the Louza Police Station, whose death took place at the Great Eastern Hotel on Feb-
Mr, Baker, who was with Mr.|Tuary 3.
Barraclough on the night of the 7th The first witness called was Dr. said that he had been of, the French A.D. Wall who said he first saw Club with Mr. Barraclough. During the body about 8 p.m. on the evening, dinner the defendant had gone out of February 3. The deceased was to. see that the car was all right. lying face downwards on the bed, Afterwards about midnight when with hig face buried in the pillows. they. tried to start the car they There were no marks of violence to could not, Hot water was poured be found, The post mortem appear-into the radiator and over the ances suggested death by asphyxia engine but it was so use and in the the car was towed to the Taylor Garage where it was left, Mr. Barraclough ing instructions to 'a Chinese there, who seemed to be responsible, for the car to be looked after.
Mr, Barraclough said that all day he had had trouble starting the car ang at the French Club he thought the carburetter was not working properly. He had left the car at the garage for the night after midnight and was sure it had not frozen when he left it, he was not guilty of any neglect of carelessness in looking after the fear. The coolie at the garage had suid that he would see to the car. On the following morning defendant saw Mr, Taylor, who di not mention what had happened to the ear, and after trying, with the fitter to make it go, he had gone on into town, He did not know anything had burst until 1145 on the morning of December 8.
Regarding the upholstery Mr. Taylor had, given him verbal of Tls. 25 and had charged Tls. 37 which defendant thought was excessive, being an increase of neatly 50 per cent. on the estimate. Mr, Taylor had. refused to discuss the matter until the Wolseley had been paid for and defendant con-bat in view of the fact that Dr. Wall knew the deceased to have been a strong, healthy' man he said he suspected poison and he had, therefore, had the contents of the stomach sent to the S.M.C. pathologists.
The next witness was Mr. F.G.C. Walker, Chief Analyst of the S.MLC. Public "Health Department, who acknowledged that he had carried out the analysis and recognized a statement which he had made concerning the results.
The room boy from the Great Eastern Hotel was then called. At five o'clock on the evening in question witness said the bedroom door was shut, He made inquiries from another boy and found deceased had rot yet come out of his room. Ite did not attempt to go in as he had had trouble with deceased the previous day for not cleaning the room. He did not see him later.
Another boy from the hotel remembered knocking at the door and receiving no answer. Ife opened the door and, looking in, saw the deceas-fed lying on the bed but when he talled he could get no answer. He did not go further into the room but immediately went to the head boy, who in turn went to the accountant, and all'of them went unto the room: accountant tried to deceased but failed. boy: who Was the last to deceased slive-was then had seen him-taking a meal in his room gt 9 p.m. on Febrasry2 and then at 2 a.m, had supplied him with two bottles of soda water. Deceased was then sitting fon the bed reading a newspaper.
Det-Insp. J. A. Quayle then said he went to the hotel about 7.15 p.m. on receiving a report from the management, and-found Mesling on the bed apparently dead. There had been a slight hemorrhage from the nose and mouth. There were a number of sweepstake and football betting coupons on a desk and on February 17, Inspr. Quayle said, a quantity of raw opium had been found among the deceased's effects.
In returning the finding Mr. Morris caid:—I find that George Mesling died at the Great Eastern Hotel, Shanghai, on February 3, 1028," the cause' of death being narestie poisoning.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.