THE HALL TRIAL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5803, 26 January 1887, Page 2

THE HALL TRIAL.

[united press association.]

Dunedin, January 24. There was a large crowd, outside the Court, both in the morning and evening, to obtain a glimpse of the convict Hall, charged with the murder of Captain Cain, and whose trial commenced to-day. r The', prisoner is muoh finer and thinner than when tried at Christchurch for attempted wife murder, but he appeard very cheer* ful and took great interest in the proceed-* ings, watching the cross-examination and its effects particularly close. After the prisoner was arraigned and pleaded not guilty in a distinct tone, a number of the special jury claimed exemption from serving, and after most of these ha* been* granted, the trial commenced. Messrs Haggitt (Ounedin), and White (Timaru), ; Crown prosecutors, appeared for the A Crown, and F. R. Chapman and J; E. ; Denniston, Instructed by Perry, Timaru, appeared for the accused. Mr Haggitt was interrupted several times in his opening address when he wished to refer to Mrs Hall's case, and once the Judge phinly told him not to question hia ruling but to go on with hts address. There wag nothing fresh in the evidenoe adduced today, in fact it was more brief than at the preliminary investigation. , The crossexamination was also brief. Mr Denniston, in examining LeCren, kept falling into the mistake of referring to Mrs Caih'i~ death as Mrs LeCren's death, and then amply apologising, and this with Mr Chapman's proving to Gardner that he could not remember the exact words In which Hall conveyed to him the intimation that he did not expect Cain to live very long, were principal points. The evidence of Mrs Newton and Mrs Wren as taken at preliminary hearing was raad from depositions, Drs Martin and Hogg testifying that neither could appear in court. The other evidence given was that of Steadman and Back, bank managers, C. A. Wilson, clerk, E. H. Cameron, station manager, Michael Hitton, John Fraser, William Davidson, . W. Woolcombe, Arthur Ormsbj, solicitor dealing with the m.onetary transactions, M. J. Knnbly and LeCren as to trust properties, &0., G. W, Gardner as to having a house to let and as to the conversation with Hall as to Cain'B probable early death, and Jackson Jowsey as to having been made sick by partaking of some champagne given to. him from a bottle taken from Cain's room.