MR WHITAKER WRIGHT

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 15

MR WHITAKER WRIGHT

A TRAGIC OCCURRENCE.

POST MORTEM EXAMINATION.

CYANIDE POISONING PROVED.

LOADED REVOLVER IN HIS

POCKET.

A VERDICT OF SUICIDE.

LONDON, January 26. "The trial of Whitaker Wright ended tragically. He was found guilty on all counts, and sentenced to "seven years' imprisonment .

Immediately he w?s sentenced he was conveyed into an anteroom, where he was consulting his clicitor, when he uddenly collapsed ajid became insensible. He died in 50 minutes of heart failure. January 27.

Mr Whitaker Wright's trial before Mr Justice Binghnm and a special jury lasted for 12 days. He presented •throughout an undaunted front and consummate coolness under a merciless cross-examination. He made numerous "•damaging admissions. He declaied that Jhe had only done what 99 out of ever 100 managing directors would do.

Counsel for the defence implied that a verdict against Wright also involved the condemnation- of Lord Dufferin and Lord Loch.

Mr Justice Binghana dissented from this view, and said that their conduct, so far as was known, was consistent with ihonest mistakes or with negligence. Mr Justice Bingham's summing-up was strongly adverse to Wright. The jury deliberated an hour. Mr Justice JBmgham, in passing sentence, said that he concurred in the verdict, and declared that he was unable to conceive a worse case of its kind.

Wright was much surprised at the sentence, and remarked : " I can only say I am innocent of any attempt to deceive."

When removed to the consultation room of the High Court, and while emokiug a cigar and talking to a friend, declaring that a great injustice had been done him, Wright suddenly collapsed, dying within half an hour, during which he remained unconscious.

Throughout the trial his health was apparently good, excepting that he complained of insomnia.

Many re-ports f.?=ert that he poisoned himself, and startling revelations are expected at the inquest, as tabloids were found in his pocket.

Januorv 28

-„- — A. post mortem examination of the foody of Mr W T hit?ker Wright showed that the deceased had died of cyanide .poisoning.

While tne judge was delivering sentence it was observed that Mr Wright kept his hand in his pocket, in which subsequently a phial was found containing capsules of this poison, and, after protesting his innocence, he was seen to bru§H his mouth with his handkerchief.

It is believed it was then he swallowed the capsules.

A loaded revolver, full cocked, was found in his hip pocket. Mr Whitaker Wright told a friend that, if convicted, he was resolved that he would never serve a day of his sentence.

At the inquest a verdict cf suicide was returned. It is supposed that Wright took prussic acid when visiting the laboratory. He afterwards talked to some friends, and attempted to light a cigar, when he suddenly expired.

January 31

One thousand persons were present at Whitaker Wright's burial in Witley Churchyard. The clergy omitted portion of the burial service.

The affairs of the London and Globe Company, of which Mr Wright v/as the central figure, are by this time familiar to most of the public. The company had a capital of £2,000,000, on which it paid dividends at the xqte of 15 per cent, for 18 months. Then its dividend fell to 10 per cent., and finally vanished completely, which was not altogether surprising, since when the accounts were examined by the Official Receiver it appeared that these dividends h&d only been earned upon paper by dealing in the shares of subsidiary companies. The final crash came at the close of 1900, when an attempt was made by Mr Whitaker "Wright to "■corner" the shares of a West Australian gold mine, reported to be of prodigious richness. The " corner," however, failed lamentably, and a<s the Tesult of the losses which that failure brought upon a large number of firme on the Stock Exchange no fewer than 30 members of the Stock Exchange were " hammered." The' main charge which Mr WhitaJter Wright had to meet may be .stated thus: — On the eve of tHe collapse a balance sheet was produced by the company, with Mr Whitakor Wright's name at the bottom. This document represented the Gdobe Corporation to be solvent — indeed, to have a credit balance of £2.6so,ooo— thouah, as sub. sequent investigations before the Official Receiver showed quite clearly, there was nothing in the company's treasury but money borrowed at an exorbitant rate of interest for the purpose of making a display. Efforts were made by interested parties to prevent a compulsory liquidation of the corporation, but those efforts failed, and the much-dreaded public scrutiny of the company's affairs followed.

Some excellent fields of wheat are to be seen in the Kingsdown district (South Oanterbury) this vsar, visitors having expressed the opinion that in no other part of JNew Zealand avo the harvest pTcepeets so la\our-