THE TIMARU POISONING CASE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 771, 10 December 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE TIMARU POISONING CASE.

(united press association.)

Timaku, December 2: The hearing of the charge agaiust Thomas Hall for the wilful murder of Captain Cain was resumed this morning, before Mr J. S. Beswick, R.M. . Richard Bowls Hogg, cross-examined by Mr Perry, said : Reinisch’s test was used m respect to all the bottles. The time of the appearance of antimony on the copper varied from fifteen minutes to an hour. There was a constant repetition of the tests. The earliest time in my notes is fifteen minutes, and my impression is that we the copper to remain in the liquid we were analysing for that period before looking at it. The deposit was of a violet purple, distinctly marked in the first test (Lieinisoh s), and the color varied more or less in the other analysis by the same tests. There was no distinctly-marked redness in the stomach in the body when exhumed. 8o far as I remember, colchicum is a remedy for ibeumatism and atropia is used an external application in certain eye aflections. Dr Drew, Drake (the sexton), and Webb (the undertaker) then repeated the evidence given at the inquest; also Mr Hutton, bookseller. William Gunn, chemist, deposed: the book produced (B 11) is my Sales of Poisons Book, from February, 1.582, to the end of August, 1886. On May 5, 1885, I find an entry of a sale of poison to T. Hall—namely, two drachms of tartar emetic. The whole of the entry is in my handwriting, excepting the signature “T. Hall.” I believe it to be the prisoner’s signature. On the 23rd of May, 1885, I lent the prisoner a set of scales, a mortar and pestle, and a two -ounce measure. The weights ran down from two drachms to one grain. He never returned them. On the 18th June, 1886, I sold him two drachms of antimony. I also sold him two drachms on June 26 of this year. On July sth I sold him two ounces of colchicum wine, and a similar quantity on July 17th and 31st, and August 11th. In the poison-book the entry was fully made. Hall signed when he purchased the antimony this year. He said he used it.for making cigarettes for asthma. After Inspector Broham and Mr Willway repeated the evidence given at the inquest, the hearing of the case was adjourned till 11 o’clock on the 10th instant, and the prisoner was remanded till that date.