POISONING  BY  CYANIDE  OF  POTASSIUM. 
463 
low,  weak  state,  and  suffered  especially  from  a  weak  action  of 
the  heart. 
Mr.  Edward  Long,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hamilton,  Old- 
ham, Long  and  Co.,  explained  Jhe  circumstances  under  w^hich 
the  mistake  had  occurred.    It  appeared  from  the  evidence  of 
this  witness,  and  that  of  the  porter,  George  Hudson,  that  it  was 
the  practice  of  the  firm,  in  replenishing  bottles  from  the  stores, 
to  have  a  double  check  against  mistakes,  by  requiring  that  the 
empty  bottles  should  be  filled  in  the  presence  of  two  persons. 
In  this  instance,  however,  the  rule  had  been  departed  from. 
The  assistant,  Mr.  Swayne,  finding  the  carbonate-of-ammonia- 
bottle  empty,  gave  it  to  George  Hudson,  the  porter,  to  be  filled, 
but  did  not  see  it  filled.    The  porter  found  a  stone-jar  at  the 
top  of  the  stairs,  containing  a  white  salt,  which  he  thought  was 
carbonate  of  ammonia,  and  with  this  the  bottle  was  filled.  The 
jar  had  no  label  to  it,  and  proved  to  contain,  not  carbonate  of 
ammonia,  but  cyanide  of  potassium.    This  was  used  by  the  as- 
sistant in  preparing  Mr.  Guinness's  medicine,  which  should  have 
consisted  of  infusion  and  tincture  of  bark,  cinnamon-water,  and 
carbonate  of  ammonia,  to  be  taken  with  lemon-juice.    The  dose 
taken  by  the  deceased  contained  twenty  grains  of  cyanide  of 
potassium.    It  was  stated  that  Mr.  Swayne,  the  assistant,  was 
busily  engaged  in  dispensing,  and  was  therefore  unable  to  accom- 
pany the  porter  in  filling  the  empty  bottle ;  also  that  the  bottle  into 
which  the  cyanide  of  potassium  was  put,  retained  sufficient  am- 
moniacal  smell  to  disarm  suspicion  which  would  have  arisen  from 
the  absence  of  this  character.    On  the  explanation  of  these  cir- 
cumstance, Mr.  Swayne,  who  was  previously  in  custody,  was  set 
at  liberty  before  the  conclusion  of  the  inquiry. 
^'  The  jury  after  a  lengthened  investigation,  returned  the  fol- 
lowing verdict  : — 
"  We  find  that  Frederick  Darley  Grattan  Guinness  accident- 
ally came  by  his  death,  on  Saturday,  the  5th  day  of  June,  1869, 
from  a  dose  of  poisonous  medicine,  compounded  by  mistake  at 
the  establishment  of  Messrs.  Hamilton,  Oldham,  Long  and  Com- 
pany, No.  107  Grafton  Street,  and  we  consider  that  there  was 
not  sufficient  circumspection  taken  there  for  the  public  security, 
on  which  account  we  strongly  urge  the  necessity  of  strict  pre- 
