THE WAIKOMITI POISONING CASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9715, 18 April 1893, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE WAIKOMITI POISONING CASE.

SCOTT SENTENCED TO DEATH. Our Auckland correspondent writes:— One of the most prolonged and remarkable criminal trials iv the auu.tls of Auckland has come to an end by the sentence of death being passed upon Alexander Scott for the murder, at Waikomiti, of Blr William Thompson, an English solicitor. Tho murder was oue of the most cruel aud cold-blooded which has occurred in this place—the confiding husband being slowly dous to death, by poison, by the seducer of his wife. Hra Thompson, though subpcenaed for the Iria!, very judiciously left the colony before it came off, leaving her paramour to his fate. Medical experts endeavoured to throw up a cloud of dust by their wire-drawn theories about "ptomaine" poisoning, but a practical, corninon-seuso jury contemptuously brushed theEo scientilie conjectures out of their road and looked straight at the salient facts— (1) that SL'eett had bought poisons all over the city under assumed names, among them crystals of strychuiua; (2) that latterly he exclusively uursei aud had the control of ths sick man ; (3) that strychnine was found in Thompson's body; (4) that it was proved beyond all doubt that Scott was carrying on an intrigue with Mrs Thompson ; (5) ths,t the correspondence submitted disclosed that intrigue and the motives and objects Scott had in view in the removal of the husband. With these damning facts before them, the jury had no hesitation in promptly bringing iv a verdict of guilty, and the judge entirely concurred iv their verdict, which had attached to it r.o recommendation to mercy. As usual, an eudeavour is beiugmade to cheat the hangman of his prey ; bub if Alexander Scott is reprieved, then capital punishment may as well bo abolished in future, as it would be difficult to find a case in which the exercise of mercy could bs more abused. The plea put forward now is that he is of weak mind and eccentric, though that line of defence was not urged at the trial by the counsel who ably defended him. Indeed it would scarcely have teen put forward, as throughout the pro-

longed trial S:ott took copious notes of the ■'points" of the evidence, and constantly advised his lawyers. When the death sentence was pronounced he wa3 the coolest aud most self-possessed man in the court, and all through has shown himself to be possessed of iron nerve. That' attitude he still maintains, occupying his time ior the mest part in reading, his weakness being fiction. Bishop has Cowie visited Scott twice, but from the briefness of the interviews ib is concluded that he has not made much of the condemned man, and no other clergyman has approached him. His relatives are highly respectable people. His brother came from Australia to the preliminary inquiry, but went back again. Scott's father is said to be on his deathbed through grief over the fate of his son. Thompson's brother (Dr Thomp2on), who came out from England in time for the trial, left Auckland to-day for Wellington to catch the direct steamer for Home. Ho is very much distre'Ted at the tragic closo of his brother's career, Home of the surrounding incidents being especially touching and pathetic. When the case was resumed on the 29th ult., Mr Cooper addressed the jury on behalf of the Crown, speaking for three hours. His Honor (slr Justice Couolly) then commenced his summing up. He read the medical evidence showing that death resulted from strychnine poisoning. All of the doctors who were examined having expressed that as their opinion, there could, h9 believed, be very little doubt that strychnine was the cause of death, aud the next question for tha jury to consider was, Did Thompson commit suicide ? It was true that he led an ieoUtcd and what might have been an uncomfortable life, but there was no evidence of his having complained of that. He was cot destitute, nor did he appear to have been pressed for money. The prisoner himself wa3 the only person who had suggested suicide. The state-

ment of Scott that Thompson had been in a

desponding state of miud was absolutely untrue. It had been stated by one witness that Thompson had told him that ho had trouble enough to drive him mad, and it had been conjectured that the cause of that trouble was his wife's sickness, or else her inGdclifcy. But how could he for two months before his death, if he had been grieving for his wife's infidelity, have allowed Scott, the only person with whom she wasalleged to have beeu guilty of misconduct, to have been in his house for the whole of that period ? On the contrary, evideuce had been given by onu witness that a few days before his death he was cheerful, and other witnesses had also disproved Scott's statement in that respect. The prisoner had told several falsehoods concerning the case, rendering it extremely difficult

to place credence upon anything he had said. The judge's address had not concluded when the court rose for tho day, and he resumed on tho following day, the summing up

lasting altogether six hours and ten minutes. His Honor, in concluding his address to the jury, said there was every evidence of motive, if it wf-ro needed. Tho familiarity between Scott mid Mrs Thompson was amply proved. The woman was lost to every sense of decency, and that immoral rela-

tions had exisic-d between her and the prisoner was certain. The letter written by Scott, and found in his pocket, on which the prosecution founded the theory of along-conceived intention on the park o!' tho prisoner, was proved to be addressed t:.- i\vn Thompson. There was, however, no ground for a charge against Mrs Thompson, as it was not proved she ever received it.

Tho jury retired at 25 minutes to 1, and shortly after 2 o'clock returned to court and announced a verdict of "Guilty."

The piisoner was, considering tho circumstances, wonderfully cool and collected, but there was a good deal of suppressed excitement iv the courtroom, which was- crowded with spectators.

Scott did not make any reply to the usual question as to whether ho hr.d anything to cay why sentence should not bo pa3sed. His Honor, having put on the black cap, and addressing the prisoner, said that the murder of which he. had been found guilty had been exaggerated by the fact that its probable motive was his immoral relations with the deceased man's wife, mid also by tho fact that Scott had professed throughout to be Thompson's most intimate friend, and to bo nursing and caring for him iv his siukness. His Honor then sentenced the prisoner to death.

Before discharging the jury, his Honor said he concurred entirely with them in the verdict they had returned.