the symptoms of the illness, as deduced from the attendant circumstances, were both consistent with muscarine poisoning. Sir James Lubbock stated on oath that the cause of death was muscarine poisoning. Questions : Could any other poison have produced similar effects or a similar chemical analysis? The analyst’s attention having been specially directed to muscarine by the inquiries on the opening day of the inquest, did he, in fact, search for any poison other than muscarine? Note : To write to Sir James Lubbock and put these points before him. In any case, how did the muscarine get into the body, if we exclude the hypotheses of accident and suicide? Supposing that Lathom had himself gathered the poisonous fungi and surreptitiously added them to the dish while it was in course of preparation, the murder might have been very simply accomplished. If he had merely put them into the basket with the genuine edible fungi gathered by my father, the latter would certainly have discovered and thrown them away when preparing the dish. It would, therefore, be necessary to wait, and add them when the process of cooking was already so far advanced that the fungi had lost their characteristic colour and shape. On any ordinary occasion it would have been easy for Lathom to do this. It will be seen from the evidence at the inquest that Lathom was often left at home in The Shack while Harrison went sketching or botanising. In the actual case there are difficulties, some of which have to be considered under the heading “Opportunity.” Questions : Did Lathom know Amanita muscaria sufficiently well to be able to find it and know it for what it was? ( Answer : Quite possibly my father might have shown it to him and warned him against it. Or he
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