The Chronicle

GWELO, Friday, May 5, 1967 — A man died after taking muti containing “violently poisonous” cantharidin, Gwelo magistrate’s Court was told today.

Saladi Malangu, charged with culpable homicide for the death of Moses, said in a statement he had given the muti to many people in the past and they had suffered no ill effects.

The muti it was alleged, had been given to Moses on January 31 this year.

He died in Gwelo Hospital nine days later from respiratory paralysis.

The deputy Government analysist, Mr Neville Shirley, told the court he examined a brown powder handed to the police by the accused and described by him as the same having been given the deceased.

This powder, said Mr Shirley, was a mixture of crushed root substance and crushed beetle matter. He extracted from it cantharidin, of which the smallest recorded lethal dose for a human being was six milligrammes.

If 12 milligrammes were taken it would certainly kill an adult person unless a large portion was lost by vomiting, he added.

Mr Shirley said he had found a level teaspoon of the powder— there was evidence the deceased had taken such an amount with tea — contained 12,3 milligrammes of cantharidin.

In his statement, the accused said he had been reluctant to give Moses the muti but was pressed to do so.

He himself had taken a pinch of the muti when he handed it over.

The arrangement made with the deceased for payment was that he would give the accused 30s when he got better. Malangu was remanded on bail until May 25.

Mr Richard Gargan appeared for the Crown and Dereck Burns for Malangu. The case is being heard by Mr Gerald Rose.