THE TIMARU POISONING CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 242, 14 October 1886, Page 4

THE TIMARU POISONING CASE.

[BY TKLEUttAm—OWN CORRESPONDENT ]

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS (Concluded.)

Christchurj6h, this day. The feature of yesterday* proceedings was the examination of Dr. Mclntyre, the professional gentleman who attended Mrs Hall all through her illness-who had gtogly fought against tho invisible agency which was slowly eating her life away—who had first suspected foul play-and who had taken the responsibility by setting the law in motion, and having the accused arrested. To quote the language of one of the local newspapers :— "Dr. Mclutyre is the gentleman who, standing forward in defence of his patient, has set all the machinery in motion. He stands therefore the central ligure in the cose for tho Crown. As he facea us in the witness box, we see in him a young man of a manner quick without ceasing to be deliberate ; of a face pleasant, yet with a latent possibility of inscrutability ; neatly dreßßed and trimmed as becomes a professional man in fashionable practice, one who does not altogether look like a man strong enough to do what he has done, yot we feel that he haa done it ; who has in a high degree the dißcriminativo habit of ob«orvatiou developod in tho medical calling ; who, being endowed with a seuno of proportion, values tho importance ol things. Everyone takes note of the man because of the tromendouH Usuo at stake."

His evidence was given with great clearnoes and deliberation. When his crossexamination commenced unusual interest was manifested in the proceedings, for inasmuch ac Dr. Mclntyre waa the main witness for tho prosecution it was clear that if his testimony could be shaken the case for the (Jrown must be materially weakened. He was closely questioned by Messrs .loynt and Hay, but he was very decisive in his replies, and nothing sonßational occurred, much to the disappointment of those who had been led to anticipate some startling development of ths case. The witness was extremely positive in his statement that the consulta tioug wera all made by his suggestion, and not on the expressed wish of the male prisoner in the first instance. Keplyiag to Mr Hay, he admitted that when he caused MUs Houston to be arrested it was merely because he suspected her of being associated with the affair from her cooking the meals for Mrs Hall. On this (lender thread, he took the responsibility of th« woman's arrest, and any evidence that has been created against her waa discovered subsequent to tbo warrant being executed. The main points elicited in the croenexamlnation are appended : ■ I was much struck with the similarity of Mrs Hall's symptom* with those caused by an irritant poison. All irritant poisons produce irritation of the digtuitiYO organs and generally eickae«e and vomiting. I supposed that if it wore poison, most probably it wa« arsenic or antimony That impreasioa ob my mind was spontaneous, and not caused by a communication from anybody. It was sntirely spontaneous. A few days before August 12, Dr. Drew met me In the etreot, and asking rao how Mrs Hall was progressing, I replied that ehs wax »ot hotter, but if anything waa worso From tho way he put the question I could not help asking him, " Wuy do you ask? Are you thinking ot antimony ?" He made no roply* to that, I had had no communication from a chen is.'s shop about anyone purchasing antimony. On August 12 I suggested tho third consultation to Hull. 1 did not tell him at any time that I had any suspicion. At the consultation I did not inlonn Dr. Lovegrovo as the senior consultant of my suspicious as to tbo cuuso of tho illness. I made no remark as to the symptoms having any similarity to those of irritant poisoning. We did not arrive at any conclusion as to the probable causo of Mrs Hall's illness. We simply proccribod ice by tho mouth, etc. Though Ur. Drow oud 1 had suspicions of antimony, we did not communicate them to Dr. Lovegrove at the consultation. Dr. Lovegrovc, I think, appearod to be quite at fault as to the causo of the illness. Tho making of the analysis extended over the whole of the afternoon of the 13th. I think for the purpose of analysing tho vomit wo iuod Koinch'a test, and w« found a violet metallic deposit on the copper. That indicated not decidedly antimony, but was quite enough to satisfy us that we would bo justified in sending tho other portion to Professor Black. To His Honor : We thought it desirable that it should be examined by an expert. The result indicated tho presence of a large quantity of antimony. By Mr Joynt: Mr Taylor, on page 4CG, says that violet red is an indication of a email quantity ; you took it n? an indication of a large quantity. Taylor says that iron grey iudicates a large quantity. Witness : It was a deep violet, but not grey. I did not withhold my suspicious from Dr. Loregrove. I did not communicate that the similarity to poisoning had strnck me. I don't know what Dr. Drow was thinking. He did not express any decided opinion, or I should havo remembered it. It is usual to crntido to consultants anything that may occur to you. It is not a fact that the prisoner Hall had from the first always shown a desire to have tho excreta of his wife examined ; not to my knowledge. I< is true that he always exhibited great solicitude about the state of his wife's health. It is true that he has on more than sne occasion complained of my being inattentive to his wife. I swear that I harp no recollection that he told me that if I were not more attentive he must call in another medical man. I had previously attended old Mr and Mrs Hall— his parents. They ceased to employ me, Mr Hall having an idea that I wae inattentive. Hall did not ask that my house should be connected at night by telephone with bis ; I suggested it. I have analysed for antimony before as a student, but not in the coarse of my practice. I examined the cooking utensils in the sick room—one little "pan. The prisoner Hall suffered a good deal from asthma and, sciatica He has had very severe attacks of sciatica. I believe he used morphia, hypodermically in very large quantities. Large quantities introduced in that way have a powerful soporific and narcotic effect. It relieves pain. The longcontinued übo of it might produce nerve change and deterioration. It might do so. It has a very powerful effect on the brain, stimulating and then depressing. I may have seen Mrs Hall more than once on tho Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14. I think not more than ones. I saw her first an Sunday. At balf-past lon the previous Friday I had reason to believe that antimony-poisoning wan going on. After t believed I had discovered indications of antimony in Mrs Hall's urine and vomit, and did not inform Dr. Lovegrove, I took no etepa before the Sunday to prevent the consequences of a continuance of antimonypoisoning. I never prescribed tartaric acid for Mrs Hall. I may have done it for effervescing mixtures. In the prescription of June 5 there would be citric or tartaric acid. I have known Mrs Hall 15 years. She was ill about two or three years ago. That was the first time I remember her being my patient. The illness was of several weeks' duration.' Very likely 1 have attended her several times since, but I do not recollect any other severe illnofs. She was in a state of collapse at 1.30 p.m. on August 15. She was, so far as I understand, unable to retain anything at all. She was just recovering from a severe attack of vomiting. She was still having injections. I allowed her a cup of tea that day at half-past one. I don't remember anything else. I don't recollect beef tea or beef lozenges. She had tried a lozenge before, but did not care for it. If she could have retained it it would probably have been useful to her. Tannin! is considered to be an antidote to antimony. The shock of her husband's arrest would naturally tend to prostrate Mrs Hall still more. J should say that her improvement was caused by having got rid of the contents of her stomach, and by her haying taken tea and some other liquid nourishment by the mouth that afternoon. The tea was not rejected by the stomach. She vomited, I believe, late on Saturday nigght and again on Sunday night—on the' latter occasion, probably owing to the shock of her husband's arrest.

Mr Hoy: From thp beginning of ypur evidence to the end you have net mentioned Mies Houston's name, How was it you gave information to the police which caused her arreet ?

Witness : I suspected that the was involved from her being associated with the cooking of food for Mrs Hall. Mr Hay : Was not Mi»s Mary Hasten more associated ?

Witness : I was led to understand that Mies Houston had more to do with the cookery than Mary Haesen. In the preliminary Investigation before the R.M. I was represented by counsel in addition to

counsel retained by the Crown. Mr Hamersley was my counsel. Mr Hay : Can you tell ub why you were represented by counsel ? { IWitnsss : On account of my personally having laid the information. The circumstance of my being specially represented by counsel had nothing to do with my having laid the information against Mies Houston. The symptoms displayed by Mrs Hall in November last were such ns those attendant on irritant poison, so far as sickneFS, vomiting, &c, are concerned. The vomiting and retching at the time when Mrs Hall had inflammation of the breast would not be reliable evidence of poisoning. On Juno 5, I prescribed bismuth for Mrs Hall, in effervescing mixtures. Bismuth is an irritant poison, and reeemblos antimony ■in its effect. I am aware that Mies Houston used to try, by Dr. Stack pole* request, to write daily of Mrs Hall's health. If Mrs Hall took too much food, or of a kind not suited to her, she might vomit, though no poisonous matter were udmini-iteied. Dr. Batchelor was written to by Mr Hall—witness describing his wife's symptoms. The Dr. never came to Woodlands; he merely communicated by telegraph. On the .Sunday afternoon I parted good friends with Miss Houston. It was only after the analysis of the iced water was made later that afternoon that I decided to give information to the police.

Dr. Drew's Evidence. L>r. Drew, a perky little gentleman, who Ik House Surgeon at tho Timaru Hospital, was called to give evidence as to the two consultations in which he assisted, and the condition of Mrs Hall on the occasion of those visits. In cross-examination, however, he got himself into a mess, ob tho following extract from the evidence will show .-—

Mr Joynt: If antimoninl poisoning had been persisted iv after the ico had been given, would it act as an antidote ? Witness: The ice would alleviate the sufferings of the patient. Mr Joynt: Tnat ie no anßwer to the question. Witness : Well, if you ask me if ice is an antidote to antimony, I say at once "Ho."

Mr Joynt: I want you to tell me now whether tho administration of ice by the month was as a preventive of further poieoniug or us an antidote ? Witness : It wag, wtien it prevented tho administration of further poison.

Mr Joynt : Now tell ua how it could act aa a preventive to tha administration of poUon. Witness : Well, I don't think you can poison anyone with ice. Mr Joynt: That is a very sensible anawer, Now I ask you bow could ice act as a preventive of poisoning? Witness: We gave orders that nothing should h» given Dy tho mouth except iced water.

Mr Joynt: If nothing but icewater was given by the mouth she could not be poisoned 1 Witness : If only icewater was given by tha mouth it was not probable that poison could be given in tke other food, but supposing poison were giveu iv the ioewater through aonte other vsssel wa ordered that nothing but icawatar was to be given, aud if tke orders wars implicitly obeyed ehe could not possibly b« poisoned through tha mouth.

Mr joynt; Now tell ua the reason, if you can, why do one mentioned the poison at the consultation on tho 12th,

Witness: Becaute Dr. Liovegrove, from the qaeitione he put, had t clear idea that pouon wot being u<imini*tared. His Honor: Was uoytliing said that would load Dr. Loregrove t« bolieve that yon shared the mime Idea. Witness : From the examinations I made Dr. Lovßgrove mast have known »i the suspicion. Mr .lojnt: Now. giro a reason for poison ■ot having been mentioned. Wltne!«B : Mr FI»ll's position. Mr Joynt: It matters not if it were a king. Tell ue what you mean ? Witt e-n : Am I obliged to answer this question ? His Honor : Yes. Witness : I jhal have to t;ii-o a reason ? HU Honor : Well, givo if your reason. Witness : I have no reason. His Honor : Now Dr. D ow, i« this the reason why you didn't discus Mm que»tion amongst yourselvos—that Mr Halt's position was Buch as to make a discussion of this kind, amongst three doctors, a fearful subject ? Witness : I am unable to say. Mr Joynt : Did you take any steps to prevent the administration of other poiaon '! Witness: We did what I tnld you. I didn't know what Dr. Mclntyre did. He went out of tho room to tea the nurse. AJr Joynt: Were you on friendly terms with th«i prisoners ? Witne'B : No; I was neither on friendly nor unfriendly terras. I used to Bay "good-day." I refused tbe consultation fee, as I often go to aeeist the Drs. in consultations, and when I hove an operation at the]Hos't>ifcal, f s I have not sfcafl I expect them to help me. Mr Joynt: Was Mr Hall desirous cf having these consultations ': Witness : I do not know. Mr Joynt: Was he solicitous about his wife'a health ? Witness : Yes. Mr Joynt: And desirous of having theso analyses made from time to time, so far as you know ? Witnees : Yes. Mr Joynt: When Mr Hall said that Dr. Mclntyre should not enter his bou?e again after this case was over, did you think he meant that Dr. Mclntyre hadn't been attentive enough 1 Witness: That was the inference from what he said. Mr Hny's cross-examination was brief, but he succeeded in establishing that during the time Miss Houston was at service at the Timaru Hospital, and occupying the somewhat responsible position of head nurse in the male ward, she acquitted herself as a lady, and that her disposition was not deceitful nor underhand. As the evidence is sure to play an important part in the defence for the female prisoner, I give it in exteneo. Mr Hay : I believe Miss Houston occupied the position of nurse in your hospital ? —Yes; from tho let August, 1884, to the 30th April, 1885. What was her position ? - She was head nurce in the male ward. As such, she weald have to attend to patients and perform all the ordinary duties of a nurse. Would a person, occupying tbe position of a nuTvoin a male ward, think It a dreadful thing to take a cup of tea into a sick man's room ?— No, I should think not. What was Miss Houston's character in the Hospital ?—I and the others considered her a very good-natured girl. She was also a great favourite with the patients. Do you know if she had been in any other hospitals ?—She had been in Wellington. And Bhe conducted herself in every way an a lady should, and so far as you know in the Timaru Hospital ? Yes, I think her disposition was frank, not deceitful nor underhand. I never saw her dcci itful during the "ime she was with us, and she was very frank. Tbe witness further stated that he was not aware that Miss Houston was acquainted with Miss Cain nor Mrs Hall, or that tho latter used to take Miss Houston for a drive when she was at the Timaru Hospital. The witness had been to Mr Hall's house at ICingcdown and had seen a photograph there which Hall said he had taken, His Honor then wanted to know whether antimony was used in photography, but the Crown promised to call expert photographers on that point. The Attorney • General having get Dr. Drew to explain that in answer to Mr Joynt he meant to Eay that none but an adept would attempt to give poison by injection and that ice-water could not be poisoned, the witness was done with, and the third day's sittjng brought to a close.