Heinrich Kegebein (1827-1862)


Heinrich Kegebein, a 35 year old ships chandler of 355 Bute Road, consulted the chemists Albert & Franz Reiecke in Bute Street to recommend tablets and mixture for purifying the blood as he felt unwell. After taking the concoction he felt stiffness in his limbs and vomited. Heinrich died that afternoon and the post mortem revealed that he had been poisoned with Aconite.

Albert Reinecke admitted accidentally adding aconite to the pills instead of Absinthe. In fact Aconite was found in the jar marked Absinthe in the shop. The coroner agreed that the poison was used in error but the Jury had to decide if it was a careless crime or not.

The jury returned a verdict od "accidental death" and asked the coroner to unofficially caution the Reinecke brothers to be more careful in the future.

Heinrich was buried in Cathays Cemetery on 7th November 1862 in plot A256.