SINGULAR ATTEMPT at POISONING AT HALCOMBE.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 6, 5 July 1882, Page 2

SINGULAR ATTEMPT at POISONING AT HALCOMBE.

Mv Loudon, of Haleombe, has reported iO the Cou.ituble in charge of the district of a dastardly attempt to poison his stock by some evil-disposed or revengeful person or persons. Having recently lost four cows, which in each case died suddenly, while giving full milk., his supicions of foul play were excited, although he did not think he had any reason to suspect that the cattle had died from other than natural causes. No post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death was made. However, his mind being intent on his loss, he gave considerable attention to the food of the remaining cows, and ifc was when examining the ground near his orchard that he found clear and distinct evidence that poison was laid on his land caoable of destroying any living thing that partook of it. The miscreants have displayed an amount of devilish ingenuity in the preparation of it, and in the mode of concealment, that shows they are evidently adepis at the art. According to the specimens we have examined, the favorite mode has been to sele t some small potatoes, about one inch and a half in diameter, nud from each neatly cut out a square section; then remove the interior part, leivmg a chamber, into which the poison was then placed. The square section, acting as a lid, was fitted iuio the aperture, and secured by a piece of thread passed two or three times round the whole, the thread being pressed into the skin of the partially cooked potatoe, and so oucealed. The potatoes thus loaded with death were carried to the property of the person on whom revenge was to be taken, and distributed on such. parts as were certain to be visited by grazing cattle or pigs. Doubtless the rutfianly perpetrators, when they are at the bar of justice answering for their brutal and cowardly crime, will plead they meant only to kill cattle ; but let them be thankful that they have escaped the commission of the sti 1 greater crime of manslaughter, inasmuch that their potions were made up in such a way that nine children out of ten would open and taste the contents, only to discover the error when lying convulsed in death. We trust that every assistance will be given to Constable Price in his efforts to discover the criminals by the settlers in Haleombe. We believe the poison to consist of pbospherous, of a description that can easily be traced to the vendor, by which means tbs* guilty ones will, we hope, soon be brought to justice, and an example of made them that will deter others from following their example in the future.

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