Cudgegong Valley History Project

DUNEDOO MYSTERY Camper's Death DUNEDOO, Friday. Mystery surrounds the death at Dunedoo of Thomas Egan (44), who, with his wife and six children, was camped near the town on Wednesday afternoon. The eldest son said they called at a house along the road and asked for food, of which they had some for dinner, and His father subsequently became ill and died yesterday morning. The son said that the treacle, of which they partook, had white stuff in the bottom of the tin, so they threw it away. Deceased's mother lives at Forbes (Inverell Times, Friday 31 October 1930, page 4).

MAN'S DEATH. Mystery at Dunedoo. DUNEDOO, Thursday. Mystery surrounds the death today of Thomas Egan, 44, who, with a family of six children, the eldest aged 17, camped near the traffic bridge yesterday afternoon. The eldest boy, Harold, interviewed, said: "We came in a van from Rylstone, and yesterday morning we asked for food at a house along the road. We had some for dinner, and all, except two of us, were very sick. Father did not take bad until after tea. The treacle had white stuff in the bottom of the tin, so we threw it away, and did not eat any more of it." Medical aid was sought this morning, But the father died about midday. The mother of the children is an inmate of Rylstone Hospital. Sergeant Warburton brought the children to the police station, where they are being cared for. Deceased was a coal miner from Bulli, and had worked a good deal on railway construction jobs. His mother lives at Forbes. An inquiry will be held to-morrow (Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 31 October 1930, page 12).

DUNEDOO TRAGEDY white stuff in treacle EVIDENCE OF CLERGYMAN. DUNEDOO, Friday, Mystery surrounds the death, at Dunedoo, of Thomas Egan, 44, who, with his family of six children, was camped near the town on Wednesday afternoon. The eldest son said that they called at a house along the road and asked, for food. They had, he said, had dinner, but the father subsequently became ill and died yesterday morning. The The son said the treacle, of which they partook, had white stuff in the bottom of the tin, so they threw it away. The mother of the deceased lives at Forbes. THOUGHT IT WAS CANDY. Alice Egan, 32, said she had been given the treacle tin and a milk bottle by a lady. Her father and bers ate the treacle from the tin with a spoon, and subsequently became ill. The girl said that at the bottom of the tin was some white substance, which they thought was candy. David Turbelle Smith, 85, retired clergyman, of Newport Beach, had to be assisted into the witness box. He said he had mixed up some arsenic and treacle to destroy white ants, and when he finished with it he put it on the back verandah at his daughter's residence. He had a faint idea that he put it away subsequently out of reach of the dogs. He might have put it on the kitchen mantelpiece. The hearing was adjourned (Daily Examiner, Saturday 1 November 1930, page 5).

DUNEDOO TRAGEDY CORONEH'S VERDICT "ACCIDENTAL DEATH" An inquiry was held on October 3 before Mr. W. Brown district cor-oner, at the Dunedoo Court House, into the circumstances surrounding the death of Thomas Egan, on the previous day in a camp near the Talbragar Bridge. The deceased who was travelling with his family of seven children had obtained some food, among which was some treacle along the road, and after eating some of the treacle Egan became ill and died. David Turbelle Smith, retired clergyman, of Newport Reach, said: I mixed up some arsenic and treacle to destroy white ants, and put it on the back verandah, later I have a dim recollection of putting it somewhere on a shelf. Out of reach of the dogs and may have put it on the kitchen mantle piece. I identify the tin (produced) as the one I used, there would be about two ozs. of arsenic in it. May Egan, 17, daughter of deceased, said: When we had dinner we stayed about half an hour and proceeded towards Dunedoo. Before leaving I poured the treacle from the tin into a bottle as the tin had no lid. As the white stuff would not run out, I threw it away, without scooping it out. When we were about a mile from Dunedoo my father and three bers were sick. They vomited a lot, and were still sick when we came into camp about five o'clock. Father thought it was the meat that was making them sick. I was up three times in the night attending to father and was with him until the arrival of the doctor. Alice Egan, 12, to whom the food was given, thought it was candied treacle, and she heard her sister say look at the candy sugar at the bottom. The lady who gave me the food did not pass any remark about it. Dr. A. S. Evans, Government Medical Officer, said he had submitted the white substance in the tin to a test, comparing it with commercial arsenic and the results were similar. There was no smell and practically no taste with arsenic, and it would not be apparent to anyone, if it were taken in treacle or other sweet food. Mrs. Wilkinson said she gave the little girl some bread, biscuits, jam, treacle, butter, scones, meat and vinegar. The treacle tin had no lid on and she looked in to see if it was quite clean. There was nothing in the appearance of the treacle to suggest that it was not quite good. Pearl Egan, deceased's wife said she had left her husband and children at Tallawang on the Tuesday night to go to her mother at Rylstone. She intended to rejoin the family again at Dunedoo at the week end. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death and remarked that stricter supervision could have been exercised. There was no blame attached to Mrs. Wilkinson, who performed what she thought was an act of charity (Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative, Monday 3 November 1930, page 4).