This Day's Evidence.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 243, 15 October 1886, Page 2

This Day's Evidence.

On reaumi.ig this morning, Profo,. Black was again placed in tho witness bo* and detailed the results of other an&l mado by him. In tho urine, on Sc-nt<J?u c ' 13th, ho found what ho took tog a trace of, antimony, but ho was not nr pan d to swear that antimony waß sent. 'i'ho tost was made for 80 j,!?' tific purposes to t-eo how long „„' timony takes to eliminate from th" aye-tern. Since coming to Chtutchn^J ho had examined for antimony i n 80 ™ cigarettes given him by Inspector Broham and taken from Hall's bedrooir on tT night of the arrest He applied fc usual test. Could not .-wear that thera ' might, not bo a truce of antimony bnf no did find any. 'Seme amusement nil occasioned by the witness stating thm-JT,! AtaßUst 10th a b;x wa- font to him b y ! ' carrier who demanded a shilling f O , carriage. The Prpfes-or a=k ed whether he would take his chance of paynw or tuko the box away, and thb canicr elected uotloleaveit ThiscobreiT the wiiueeß explained, was taken in cone? quence ot the habit oi people fending ni J parcels from all parts of the Colony toi analysis, nud detecting him with tha carriage. Luter in the day owing to thb receipt of a letter from Dr. Molntyre ha looked up tho carrier and got this b'oit which contained a bottlo of vomit and a bottle of urine, and on analysis antihaon* was found in both. Dr. Og'ston examined tho cigarettes separately and by a different process to witness. L The Attorney General : Did you take any precautions as to to the purity of jout chemicals ? * a

Professor Black : Certainly. It ;, y^ tl most elementary part of an analyaia. Tha question is an absurd one. This completed the oxamination-in.fchiei Mr Joint's cross-examination oi Profoßaot Black commenced at 10.35. In the first instance he was asked to explain the steps taken in applying the varioua tests, and this the Profesßor did with great minuteness showing that the anulyees bad been moat complete and exhaubting. This only tended to strengthen his evidence -in - chief, and showed that some of the eubßtance found could only have been produced by tho presence of antimony. "In one test,' : observed the witness, "I found oxichlo--* ride of antimony, and which 'Taylor bh poisons' erroneously described as oxide of antimony."

Mr Jojnt: You call it oxicbloride of an» many. Witness : I am speaking to facts, ft J was really oxichloride of antiiiony. If Dr. Taylor wore now quoted in an assembly of chemists tho man who quoted him on chemical matterß, would probably hjY laugfced at.

His Honor was about to take down thi|V last anf-wcr when the Professor gravely re-1 marked : "Your Honor that waa merely' an aside. I won't swear to it," The reply provoked much laughter. Hacontinued : Antimony is an elementary substance and contains nothing bat antimony. Poison is a stupid name, and is not a scientific term. It is a vulgar^ex- ■■■ preßsion. I; ■: Mr Joynt: You know what we vulgar people class poison. Witness : 1 object to that, I do,not' call you vulgar people at all. Subject'too'' your Honor's permission, I won't allowany*,'. one to misinterpret my language. luw tha term "vulgar" not in a vulgar mum $ (laughter), but as being noa-scientifie,! Scientific men never speak of "poison,";" *'

Mr Joynt: The legislature has need the word in respect to this very charge, and we must stick to the language of the legislature as close aa possible.

Witness : You can't draw a line between poisons and non-poisons. Whiskey is poison. What do you do with whiskey? Mr Joynt: I did not do anything with it Perhapß you will tell us what you do with it. (Laughter.) What do you understand, by "poison," in the common explanation of terms?

-Witness : By poison I understand Bonething which is destructive of life, or'in-, jurious to health, if taken into the system. If that is not adequate, I cannot help it,, Antimony by itself I don't think is poliODj; except in a state of vapour. Mr Joynt's cross-examination occupied an hour and a-half.

In answer to Mr Hay witnefE said that in Miss Houston's pocket, which he aoalyMd,^ he found no trace of antimony or other'j poison. } The Judge: Nor did tha AttorneyGeneral affirm it to the jury.

§ir Kobert Stout: None of the eeienffifo, men UEcd tho expression, " Poieon anfr; mony By that he ehouJd understand-^ taiated antimony, or some other ootnpouii. of antimony. For "poison antimony" hB would never droam of looking for metal, I The Attorney General said that if neM\ sary he should ask that the chargeta amended so as to read " poisoned by tarter antimoDy.'1

Dr. Ogatoue, lecturer on medical Jurisprudence in Otago University, saidbe had studied at Aberdeen, Prague,' and Vienna. He had a special conrte at Prague for G months in the study of poisons, and was appointed lecturer on poisons at tho University of Aberdeen, The book " Ogston's Medical Jurißpru-' dence," was edited bj him. Antimony ww, a disoluble poison, and would produce symptoms like those of Mrs Hall's. Tha symptoms of antirconial poisoning were vomiting purging, great depression, sicknesß, some-; times slight convulsions, itching in the throat, irritations about thenostrilsandoyeß(: andporhap3 weaknessof pulse. There woald ; also bo lower bodjly temperature generally. Almost invariably consciousness was retained, and very seldom delirium took place. The fits of vomiting are generally preceded by great nausea. Colobicom giveß extremely similar symptoms—indeed," all irritan' poisons have several Byjnptomß in common. On September Ist I inspected Hall's houpo, specially as to drainage. There was nothing in the surrounding 01 tho house likely to lead to sickness Witness detailed the result of the: analysis of the articles forwarded to Professor Black. In vomit and wine.? August 15th was an abundance of antimony^1 The ico water of the same date Eeowed; a: great abundanca of antimony inducing him to submit it to a very severe test in a dry tube used in the test. He found a tery^ dense and very heavy prange precipitate^ showing the presence of immense quantities of antimony. He examined the cigarettes, and found no antimony. Sir Robert Stout : Looking at the symptoms and assuring the doctor_ that tin vomit and urine were from a patient whose symptoms you have heard described-^ Can you state whether in your opinion antimony had been takon first ? ■ .i.

Witness : I think so. jfm Sir Robert Stout: Can you say whether administered in hurtful quantities? _ j Witness : Certainly. , ".'=, Sir R. Stout: The icewater contained antimony in large quantities? --, Witness : 'Ses ; in such large quantltl* that probably saved the patient's we. m Sir R. Stout : Do I understand that Htt largeness of the doee made the p»«*e very aick. , 'ij~ Witness : Largeness of the dose tnijfw' the great part of it from her sometimes. _ Sir R. Stout: If it had been detain^ what would have been the effect? : '! Witness : Fatal. It would have canned death. .. In answer to further questions tbe vianesa said it is the actual aB well as P 0!I**1 ** idoa to call antimony poison. Had tDO colchicutn in the brandy been injected, m Mrs Hall on the night of the arreat, eeeing her then low state, tho result wonM havo been fatal. Antimony was _ too d^preißing to ■be used for medicines. He never heard of it being used u> cigarettes for aeUima, and had tried tie experiment without finding it give Beneficial results. Ho had practised foart*'!; years as a doctor, and never heard of ■""' mony in ciearettoa being ufed for asthma If Hall had been in tho habit of takiDg"»« phia, and if, fiince the arrest, no morpntt was given him, and he Buffered no injurious effects from the want of it, witnose did "»? think he could havo been suffering «ry much h'om morphia poisoning. The Court here adjourned for lunch.