TIMARDU MURDER CASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7783, 29 January 1887, Page 3

TIMARDU MURDER CASE.

SUPREME COURT

CRIMINA U SESSIONS. Friday, January 28. (Before his Honor Mr Justice 'Williams and [a Special Jury.) FIFTH DAT OF THE TRIAL. Thomas Hall was again placed iv the dock upon the charge that he, on the 9th January 1886, did feloniously, wilfully, and with malice aforethought, kill and murder one Henry Cain. Mr B. C. Haggitt (Crown prosecutor at Dunedin), assisted by Mr White (Crown prosecutor at Timaru), appeared for the Crown; Mr F. R. Chapman, with him Mr J. E. Denniston (instructed by Mr Perry, of Timaru) for the defence.

The case was resumed at 10 a.m. Richard Bowen Hogg, deposed : I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing and practising at Tiraaru. I knew the late Captain Cain, aud had attended him professionally. Between May and July 1885 I was watching the progress of an affection of one of his eyes. Dr Ferguson was treating him, and I was watching the case for Dr Ferguson. Captain Cain died on the 29th of January 1886. I attended the funeral aud saw him buried. I afterwards saw his body exhumed on the night of 27th of September. The coffin was fairly well preserved. The body was taken to the post mortem room of the Titnaru hospital. Dr Ogston held the post mortem and I assisted him. I saw the lid removed from the coffin. Considering the length oftime the body had been in the ground it was fairly well preserved. I knew Captain Cain very well, and thought I could discern his features. The face was swolleu and the hair loose and could be removed by gently pulling. The skin of the face presented a brownish appearance, and the rest of the body had a clayish colour. The backs of the hands and feet were wrinkled and j of_a blackish colour. The right little toe was missing and the left little toe was hanging by a piece of skin. On cutting the chest and belly the skin and underlying tissues had undergone a change. The heartbag had no fluid in it and the heart itself appeared to be enlarged. The ventricle of the heart seemed dilated and the wall was rather thin. Tub valve between the ventricle and the auricle was thickened and rigid at its attachment to the wall, but the margins of the valve seemed to be free. The valves of the aorta were also rigid, and had lost their elasticity; they did not close perfectly. The aorta was converted into a bony canal. In young people it is pliable, but in all men of advanced age there is degenerative change of various degrees, but not to that extent. The heart itself was rather foxy. In the left ventricle there was a little fluid blood. The lungs were of a dark red colour of congested appear- | ance, but elastic and fairly bulky. In the lateral cavities of the chest there was a bloody fluid equal to about from three to four pints. The stomach and intestines looked well preserved; externally they presented a sort of greyish pink j appearance. There was a little fluid in the abdominal cavity—from an ounce to an ounce and a-half. The bowels appeared to be empty. On opening the stomach there wat a greyish mucous covering the surface, which I was also present to some extent in the intestines adjoining the stomach. The wall of the stomach seemed rather thin. In the bladder there was about 4oz of urine. The liver was smooth on the surface, presenting a greyish brown colour, and one section appeared to be fairly healthy. The kidneys, so far as one could tell after that lapse of time, appeared to be healthy, as well as the spleen. I consider the internal parts of the body were well preserved, and remarked that at the time. Captain Cain had been buried about eight months. After so long a lapse of time it is difficult to give an opinion as to whether or not the liver and kidneys had been diseased. Portions of the viscera were removed. The bladder was emptied, and its contents and the bladder, and fluid from the cavity of the abdomen, and fluid from the cavities of the chest were removed. A portion of the liver, the whole of the spleen and the kidneys were also taken. These were placed in four clean wide»inoutbed bottles, which were corked, covered with parchment, and sealed with Dr Ogston's private seal. They remained in his possession until we arrived in Dunedin, and they were then handed over to Professor Black at^the University. The seals were then broken and the contents of the bottles analysed. The contents of each bottle were analysed separately. We tested for antimony. We did not test for colchicum, considering that all trace of vegetable poison would be destroyed by tLat time. Atropia is also a vegetable poison. The tests were confirmatory: autimony was found in each case. Reinsch's test and sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and a test by hydrochloric acid and cloride of potash were also used. These tests were variously applied over and over again, except in one or two instances, in which an error was made iv the process, which was corrected afterwards. Professor Black and Dr Ogston made the tests and I performed one analysis myself. (The process of analysis was then described.) Antimony is a metal, and besides being a metal is an irritant poison. lam not aware that metallic antimony is a poison. Tartar emetic is the salbof antimony—antimony in combination with cream of tartar. Tartar emetic is a poison. It might be a poison fromtwo grains upwards. Mr Haggitt: Is it more likely to be fatal in small doses frequently repeated or in a large dose ? Witness: It is more likely to be poisonous in small doses frequently repeated. A large dose would give rise to vomiting, and it would be all or nearly all thrown off, while in small doses ifc would be retained aad absorbed into the system. Tartarised^ antimony, especially if in solution, is quickly absorbed into the system. If a person took antimony and was not sick immediately afterwards it would commence to be absorbed into his blood in a few minutes. If absorbed into the blood its action depends on the dose. In a medicinal dose it may act as a sedative upon the brain and heart. It might be administered medicinally to children for croup, bronchitis, and inflammation of the lungs, but in very small doses. Those are the only cases in which it would be used. Years ago it was used in typhus fever, but is it not so used now. A medicinal dose is from l-16th of a grain to an eighth of a grain to promote perspiration. A slightly larger dose, from £toJ of a grain, would act as a sedative, and a larger dose still as an emetio. In the case of a larger dose still being given, signs of irritation of the intestinal canal would occur,producing vomiting and purging with pain, and great depression of the heart, and if continued, exhaustion and death. I have been speaking of the effect of it on an ordinarily healthy person. Supposing it to be administered to a person in a generally enfeebled state of health, suffering from general debility, with kidney disease, constipation, and dropsy, what would be the effect ? Very injurious. How would it act in such a case as that ? —By increasing the debility and hastening the result of the disease. When a person is in a condition such as that I have mentioned, does he require stimulants and nourishing?—He may require. st:mulants, Of course it depends upon the case. I cannot speak generally. Are depressants good for him, then, under anj circumstances ?—I should say not. Tartar emetic, I understand you to say, administered in small doses, acts as a depressant; —Yes. And the result of administering depressant? to a person in that state is what?—lnjurious and if continued long enough fatal. Suppose antimony to be administered in larg< doses to a person iv such a state?—lt wouk have a very depressing effect. And supposing that continued large doses wen given, what would be the effect? —It would b< still more depressive. If these doses were continued, what ■would bi the effect of them ?—They would be fatal. (Continued on Page 4-)