COURT OF APPEAL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4860, 9 March 1887, Page 3

COURT OF APPEAL.

(Before Chief Justice Prendergast, and Justices Johnston, Richmond, Williams, and Ward). |_PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] Christchuech, This day. The above Court sat to-day to argue the point reserved at Dunedin on the trial of Thos. Hall, charged with the murder of Captain Cain. Mr Haggitt, with Mr J. W. White, appeared for tho Crown, and Messrs F. R. Chapman, H. D. Bell, and J. E. Dcnniston for Hall. Mr Chapman, after reading the case as reserved by Justice Williams, made a very lengthy address, in the course of which lie. submitted that the evidence under the circumstances had been inadmissible. He would not dispute the very : obvious contention that evidence for a scientific purpose coidd be admitted, though brought from any part of the world.! He further submitted that if admissible such evidence would be only admissable when the act itself, being admitted or proved, it was necessary to_ show tlie guilty knowledge with which it was done, the intention, as deducted from the knowledge of the act. Thirdly, he would submit that beyond this the direction of the learned Judge, went too far, the way he put it to the jury virtually amounting in direction that they might make the fullest use of the evidence, and iilone prove the administration of poison by tho prisoner.

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