MUSHROOM DEATH MYSTERY INQUEST
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POISONED MAN’S LONE AGONY
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WELL-KNOWN ARTIST GIVES EVIDENCE
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The little schoolroom in the remote village of Manaton in Devon was
crowded to-day, when Dr. Pringle, the coroner for the district, opened
the inquest on the body of George Harrison, aged 56, Head of the
Accounts Department of Messrs. Frobisher, Wiley & Teddington, Electrical
Engineers, who was found dead under extraordinary circumstances in his
little cottage, “The Shack,” on Saturday night.
Evidence of the deceased’s curious hobbies was given by his friend, Mr.
Harwood Lathom, the brilliant young artist, who had been staying with
him in “The Shack,” and who discovered the body.
The deceased, who is the author of _Neglected Edible Treasures_, an
interesting and highly original volume, dealing with the foodstuffs to
be obtained from our native woods and hedgerows, was stated to have been
fond of experiments in unconventional cookery, and it was suggested that
he had fallen a victim to accidental poisoning, by consuming a dish of
venomous toadstools, a portion of which, it is alleged, was discovered
on the table in “The Shack” at the time of his death.
The inquest was adjourned for a fortnight, to enable a chemical analysis
to be made of certain organs.
After formal evidence of identification, the first witness called was
Mr. Harwood Lathom. Dressed in a suit of heathermixture plus-four tweeds
and with an expression of anxiety and distress on his face, Mr. Lathom
gave his evidence in a subdued tone.