HALL CHARGED WITH MURDER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 7947, 2 December 1886, Page 3

HALL CHARGED WITH MURDER.

Tim abu, November 25.

Thomas Hall, now undergoing a life sen. tenoe for the attempted murder of hia wife, will be charged at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, at Timarn, on Monday next, at 11 : a.oi., with the wilful murder of Captain Cain. In addition to the evidence brought forward at the inquest, the police have secured additional important evidence which they are how prepared to produce; hence the charge of wilful murder preferred against Hall. The accused will be brought down to Timaru on Saturday. ; TxitAßTi, November 29. The Magisterial inquiry into the charge preferred against Thomas £[all for the } murder of Captain Cain was commenced in , the Timaru Courthouse this morning. Mr , White appeared to prosecute, and Mr 0. T. ; H. Perry defended. At the request - of Mr , Perry all the witnesses were ordered to leave the Court. ’ After Mr White gave a sketon ot the ease, ’ he called Arthur Steadman, manager of the : Bank of New South Wales, who deposed as followsl knew the firm of Hall and Meeson. In' January, 1885, the account was overdrawn by £Booo,' including discounts, and kept up the same average to August, 1880. In June, 1885, Hall pro- ; duoed a promissory note from “E. H, Cameron ” for discount, and I discounted it; also about September 23rd, 1885, he pro- , duced a note from 1 Mr Fraser for J£l4o for | discount; ind ' on December sth Hall pro- ; duced a promissory note from Michael Mit. ; ton for discount; and I discounted it, and j Hall gave me a transfer ot a mdrtgage (pro- | duced) as security. ’ I believe the signature in \ the book produced (Gunn's poison-book) is in prisoner’s handwriting 1 . . * Mr Black, manager of the National Bank, said: In January, 1885, the qccoqnt was generally overdrawn something over £IOO, and remained in much the same state up to September f4th, tyhen it was over £lB3, This overdraft increased, qud o.n November 19th it stood at £263, From that date till April Idthi ISSfi. the agoaupt was in credit. Up to M(ay 23th there was a small fluotuating overdraft, and on that day the account was overdrawn £6OO. Mr Davidson, insurance agent, then proved to Hall’s insuring his wife’s life in two policies for £3OOO each, M. J. Knubbley said : X was Captarp Cam’s solicitor. The prisoner married Captain Cain’s stepdaughter on Mqy 26, 1835. Captain Qain told me about the time of the wedding that he and Hall were not ofl goqd terms. I believe they were on good terms in September and October of the same year. Captain Cain complained to me oonoerning Hall’s treatment of him in regard to certain accounts. He told me this was the cause of the differ, ence. On December sth I prepared a deed of covenant to which the parties weie Captain Cain, Mr F. LeCren, Mrs Hall, apd Mrs Newtown. The covenant w,a,s, a mutual one, and the effect wps thpt Captain Cain was to receive, all the income from the trust estate from December 31, 1885, and to pay all outgoings from the estate up to that time. He was to receive an annuity of £BQO a-year from January 1, 1886. a h d to have the free .occupation and psa of Woodlands and about pine pores attached daring his lifetime The gross income of the estate was '■ about £IOOO a-year, and the outgoings about £3OO. That income would be divided between Mrs Hall and Mrs Newton subject to the trust of several deeds. The furniture at Woodlands at the time of Captain Cain’s death was worth about £370, and belonged to Captain Cain. That was the amount at which it was valued after his death. Captain Cain also left a section of Iknd valued after hia death at £l4O, . P. Le Cren then gave evidence similar to that at the inquest respecting Hall’s' desire , to get 1 bold of hia wife’s money. 1 Arthur Oimsby, "solicitor, proved to making Hall’s will,' leaving everything to the prisoner. ‘Wm. Montagus Sims, accountant in Timaru, deposed 1 I am one of the liquidator appointed by the creditors in the estate of Hall and Meaaon. After allowing fop all available assats 1 find a deficiency ol £5765 3s 9d np to the 4th September. The slate, ment now-produced is taken from the book. The books of Hall and Meason show that the firm held trust moneys, and that they Pave baen misappropriated. X find that Wigley’s trust account In the ledger shows £755 188 due to the trust j in E. H, Cameron’s account I find the sum of £962 Ils lOd dne to the trust j and In Michael Mitten’s account I find £325 16s to his

credit, but this includes his promissory notes for £225. . . ,

The Court then adjourned till 11 o’clock to-morrow morning. Timaru, November 30. The murder case was resumed to-day. The evidence was mostly a repetition of that adduced at the inquest. Mifctoa, Belfield, and Cameron proved the promissory notes forgeries. The evidence of the domestics was taken. Bridget Wren’s and Denis Wren’s examinatiou.in-chjef was the same as at the inquest.. Bridget Wren, who was examined by Mr Perry, said : Daring Captain Cain’s first illness he vomited one day. Ho was only in bed a few days during that illness. He was a good while bad with his foot. The whiskey was kept in a liquor stand with three bottles in the sick-room. I do not remember the stand being taken, out of that room, but if anybody came to the house and wanted whiskey they obtained it from the stand in the sick-room, During Captain Cain’s illness I noticed that his hands were very much swollen. 1 cannot say if Hall saw Captain Cain every time he called. He oould have seen him unknown to me. I have seen champagne in the sick room, and ifc was drawn by means of a ebampagae tap which was bored through the cork.

Denis Wren’s cross-examination was unimportant. After Miss Houston had repeated the evidence given at Captain Cain’s inquest, Mrs Ostler was examined. Her evidence, which was most important, was as follows: I remember dining at Woodlands before Christmas. Mrs Newton, Captain Cain, Hall and myself were present. At dinner Hall was going to help Captain Cain to some liquor from the spirit stand on the table when Captain Cain said that it made him siek. Hall then went to the cupboard, and poured out something into a glass, which he took from the table. Hall stooped down to the cupboard. I did not see what he poured the liquor from, as the door of the cupboard hid his hands. I could see his body. Hall then put the tumbler by the aide of Captain Cain, and aome water poured in from a green jug on , the table. I did not take notice whether Captain Cain drank from the glass or not. Soon affcer the captain became very sick, and vomited iu the room and left the table. This was before the dinner was over, and Mrs Newton and I helped him from the room. I did nob hear him complain, but he was too ill to say anything at the time, and the ; docfcor was sent for. Shortly before Captain Cain’s death I heard Hall asking Mrs Newton whether it would not be right of the doctor to give him something to make him die easier. Two or three times I heard Hall say that the Captain could not recover. Ou one occasion when Hall said that Captain Cain should have something to make him.die tbe more easily he said he could not recover. Cross-examined by Mr Perry : Hall seat me a letter oa June 30 asking me not to go again to see Mrs Hall, but he never quarrelled with me. The letter told me not to go to the house again. I was not annoyed, as 1 knew the reason why the letter had been sent. Re-examined by Mr White : The letter produced is the one sent to me. The unpleasant thing mentioned iu the letter referred to my having told some ladies that 1 thought Hall was poisoning his wife. I told Mrs Newton my suspicions that Mrs Hall was being poisoned. I thought at the time I received the letter that Hall had left off poisoning his wife, and was as frightened as I was.

The examination was interrupted by the adjournment of the Court till to-morrow, at II o’clock. (Continuation will be fount elsewhere.)