Alice Barnaby
Died after drinking ‘Rough on Rats’
Alice arrived in New Zealand in 1883 as an Assisted Immigrant from Kingsthorpe, England on the ‘Westland’. She was about 20 years old. Her father Daniel, who worked as a carpenter, had died when she was 9 and she appears to have been an only child.
In 1885 Alice was out of work as a domestic servant and as she had no friends in Wellington, she accepted an offer to stay with Thomas Igoe and his wife Sarah. Thomas had recently opened a restaurant on Lambton Quay opposite the Exhibition buildings and Alice had done some waitressing there where she was a great favourite with the customers.
Detail of Lambton Quay 1885. The Igoe’s restaurant and home is just around the bend beyond Edinburgh House on the left hand side.
Lambton Quay, Wellington. Beere, Daniel Manders, 1833-1909 :Negatives of New Zealand and Australia. Ref: 1/2-096215-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23251350
The inquest into Alice’s death provides further details of her connection with the Thomas and Sarah Igoe. Thomas had known Alice for about 13 months. He said that Alice knew he was married and he also denied saying that he would give his wife £50 to go away and then marry Alice. Both husband and wife declined to confirm they were legally married.
Thomas called on Alice when she was boarding at Mrs Halcrowe’s house at Pipitea Point several times. In fact he had called so frequently that Mrs Halcrowe said he should marry her. She thought he was a single man and that Thomas represented himself as Mr Thomson. She thought that Alice ‘had her whole mind set on him’ and that Alice might do herself some injury if she did not get him. When she Mrs Halcrowe said this to Thomas, he merely laughed. Alice had told Mrs Halcrowe that she and Thomas would soon marry.
While Alice was later working as a domestic servant at Mrs Swainson’s in Fitzherbert Terrace, Mrs Igoe called on Alice with her two children and requested that she give up her husband’s company.
On Thursday 9th July 1885, Alice visited the shop of George Mee (see https://www.wellingtonboots.co.nz/blog/george-mee) , druggist of Lambton Quay and purchased a package of ‘Rough on Rats’. She returned to the Igoe’s at about 4pm and made a cup of tea in which she dissolved some of the poison and then drank it. Thomas returned to the house and she declared what she had done.
Dr Cahill was sent for and later Dr Kemp. Alice did not at first complain of pain or appear to be suffering the effects of poisoning. The doctors applied the standard treatment in cases of arsenical poisoning and by about 9pm Alice appeared to be recovering. The doctors asked her why she tried to take her life and she said she had been deceived by some man that morning. She expressed regret at having taken the poison and asked the matter not to be made public.
The doctors departed but called in several times during the evening where Alice would show symptoms and then feel better again. Sarah Igoe sat up with Alice through the night. At about 3am Alice got worse again, complaining of an intense pain in the stomach. When Dr Cahill arrived, she was breathing her last and died within in a few minutes.
Dr Cahill conducted an autopsy and concluded the cause of death was arsenical poisoning. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased had ended her life by taking poison under temporary insanity. They also added the rider:
‘The jury are of the opinion that the deceased had been deceived by Thomas Igo, and that his conduct to her was a great cause of the state of her mind when she committed the rash act’.
Alice Barnaby was buried at Bolton Street cemetery on 11th July 1885.
Sarah Igoe was buried at Bolton Street on 7th October 1885. There was no death or funeral notice to confirm that this was the wife of Thomas Igoe.
Thomas died in 1905 and is buried at Karori Cemetery. In 1919, Mrs Ann Cairns was buried with him. Karori Cemetery Plot: *ROM CATH/A/50 .
In light of Alice’s story, a letter to the editor of the Evening Post dated 22 July 1885 was intended to remind the community of the existence of the Girls’ Friendly Society. The Society had a ’lodge’ in Willis Street as a home for girls out of employment. Membership was 1s a year and for that girls could lodge for 4s per week and also obtain meals. A group of ‘Lady Associates’ contributed the greater share of the costs and met to help and advise the girls and also attended monthly meetings at Government House. Lady Jervois was the president. The lodge costed 17s per week to run and they paid 10s for the matron’s salary. IN 1886 they were fundraising to build permanent premises.
Page 3 Advertisements Column 2 Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 68, 17 September 1885, Page 3