THE CONWAY CASE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4316, 27 March 1901, Page 5

THE CONWAY CASE.

CONTINUATION OF THE IN. QUEST. FURTHER EVIDENCE TAKEN. WITNESSES FROM NEW ZEALAND. (Received March 26, ,4.30 p.m4 SYDNEY, March 26. The inquest on the man Conway, who died under suspicious circumstances on board the Talune, in connection with which a woman named Jane Smith is held in custody, was resumed to-day. Mrs Smith was present in Court. Passey, second cook of the Talune, who was the first witness to-day, said that during, the passage to Sydney he saw Mrs Smith go forward on several occasions, and sit on the forward hatch talking with the man, who subsequently died. On the 19th, while Conway and Smith were talking, he saw a glass in Conway’s hand. About 7.30 Mrs Smith went aft. An hour later, from something he heard, witness went forward, and saw Conway lying in agony. He heard someone ask what was the matter. Conway replied, “This is ter. rible. I have never felt like this before.”

Constable Treahey, of, the New Zealand police, stationed at Sumner, said lie knew Conway. He saw kim on February 10th with reference to a lost hand-bag containing a ten-pound note and other money, a gold watch with brass chain and gold pendant cross with the initials P.C. on one side and M.C. on the other, a gold-handled pen, a promissory note for two hundred pounds—(counsel for Mrs Smith here objected to admission of the details of the promissory note, but the Court refused to allow the Objection, although it refused the Crown officer permission to ask the names on the note) —another promissory note for fifty pounds, two gold rings with stones missing, and l a number of private letters ana papers. Witness had a long conversation witu .vir.s Smith outsat© the Supreme Court at Christchurch. She told him she had met Conway on the 7th at Christchurch, and went by the 4 p.m. tram to Sumner. On arrival there they went to a refreshment room and had tea, and afterwards both wont down to the sea beach, and satfthere for some time. Mrs Smith complained of feel, ing cold, and Conway got some brandy and port wine. She remained on the beach while Conway got the liquor. Both had several drinks out of the bottle. She saw Conway was getting drunk, and she asked him to put his watch and purse in her hand-bag, so that she could look after, them, for him. She left the beach in company with Conway, and went to a hotel at Sumner, afterwards sitting on a seat outside. ' She remembered: sitting there till about eight o’clock in, the evening, and then lost her memory. She found herself lying on a vacant section of ground at Sumner about 5 in the morning. She did not see anyone, but walked to Woolstou, and, bought a veil there. She would not give the names of her friends at Christchurch or Dun. edin, nor did she care to say where she stopped. If her friends knew the police were making inquiries about her they would think there was "sorn'etliing wrong. If her husband in, Dunedin found out she had slept out all night at Sumner she would poison herself. A boy brought her a coat containing a gold ring which belonged to Conway. The boy knew her address through its being written in the purse. She told Conway on the 11th that his coat had been returned. Mrs Smith told witness she might go to Sydney, and would give Conway another promissory note for fifty pounds that she owed him, the other note having been lost at Sumner. She had known Conway for a number of years in Dunedin. She left Dunedin two or three days before Conway did. Conway stayed at a hotel. She stayed with friends. She saw Conway on tl# afternoon of the Bth. She told him she had lost the bag containing his property, and that she had slept out all night. She told witness she would go clown to Scunner with Conway, and try to find the property. Witness had searched, but found! no trace of the property, but on March 9th had received from J. W. Butters, • of Sumner, the missing pocket-book. I

EVIDENCE OF A CHEMIST.

PURCHASE OF POISON. ) ——' . ' i (Received March; 26, 7.1 p.m.) ■> 1 SYDNEY, March 26. 1 C. M. Brooke, chemist. of Christ- ‘ church, recognised Mrs 'Smith as the ] woman who visited his shop on Fcbru- < ary Ist. She purchased a few articles', • but the apprentice refused to supply ] her with the poison which she said she i required for her people at Ellesmere to 1 poison oats and rabbits. Witness sup. j plied her with thirty grains of strych- - nine. He had not seen her before 1 February Ist,but saw her frequently af- ; terwards. On several occasions she j used his telephone. On one occasion : she rang up the Oxford Hotel, and ask. j ed whether Conway was ini. She -bought j a second quantity of poison. This time , he rubbed the strychnine up with drag- i on’s blood. She made some remark as i to whether it would! be as strong as the 1 other. Tie replied that he put the colouring in to prevent it being mistaken for salt or sugar. Sulphate of strychnine was the form of poison ho supplied. It was soluble in acid, but not in water. He was not prepared to deny tho authority quoted by the Coroner that the sulphate -was easily soluble in water. Smith did not si£n the poi-son-book because he had not a book, just having opened business. Winstone, Brooke’s assistant, corroborated bis employer’s evidence, adding that lie made an entry of the sale in the cash sales-book because there was no poisous-book. Dennis Fogarty, licensee of the Oxford Hotel, Christchurch, said he knew Conway for seven years. He was a steady man, and enjoyed good health. He remembered Conway and Smith coming to his hotel. They bad two whiskies each. Conway had plenty of money. He poured about thirty sovereigns out of a canvas bag when paying witness. Conway told him, when asked where he had been all night, that he had a drink of port-wine and brandy, and remembered nothing after, but felt very ill. Conway was shaking and trembling when be returned to the hotel. He complained that he had lost some money and documents. He look, ed as if he had had a fit. Detective McLean detailed a conversation he had with Smith aboard the I Talune. She told! witness she had 1 known Conway for two years. She did not think he left any money, as he

was a poor man. She was quite surprised to find Conway aboard the ves. sel at Wellington- She only spoke to him once. She saw him several times from the upper deck, and nodded. Sh* said to witness that she supposed Conway was buried in a pauper’s grave. ■She was glad to hear him say Conway had been given a respectable funeral. Subsequently he called on Smith in company with the Superintendent of Police, and obtained further information. He told her there was likely to be an inquiry. She replied that shoj could not see what good that would do. She said she saw Conway when she left Dunedin a month before. She remained at Christchurch three weeks, aud thence went, to Wellington, where she had intended to stay, but continued' the voyage to Sydney. When asked whether Conway held two hundred and fifty pounds’ worth of promissory notes from herself or her husband, she said, “I don’t. know what that has got to do with the matter.” The inquest was adjourned till tomorrow.