THE TALUNE TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9098, 16 March 1901, Page 3

THE TALUNE TRAGEDY.

.THE CORONER'S INQUEST.

(.Electric Telegraph— Cop> right United Press Association.) SYDNEY, March 16. The Conway inquest was resumed here to-day. \ Fletcher, the chief steward of the Talune, % deposed that Airs Smith had joined the Talune at Lyttelton. Before leaving Wellington she came to him and said sue was short of her saloon passage money to Sydney by a pound, and asked if she could have a saloon passage by giving security over her luggage. This was agreed to. She mentioned that she had a draft for £50, which by mistake had been forwarded to Sydney. On the night of February 19th witness saw Airs Smith going forward, at about a quarter past seven. She was carrying something covered m a napkin; It appeared to be a plate with a, glass on it. She said she was taking something for a friend. Witness then described the death of Conway. From certain remarks made by a passenger, he received the captain's instructions to go ahd see the lady passenger. He went and saw Mrs Smith, and asked her if she knew Conway. She replied that she had known him slightly. Witness said' to her that he had been told that Conway's wife was on board. She replied that she did not know he was married. witness then went back, and on the captain's instructions saw Airs Smith again before Con-' way died. He asked her if she knew anything about his people. She replied that, she knew his sister, who lived at Roslyn, Dunedin. Next day witness had another conversation with Airs Smith. She said that one time she had given Conway "a garden to do up, as he had been out of wo*k and not well off . When he told Airs Smith that Conway was dying, she said, "Poor fellow !" The day after they reached Sydney she said she had not been able to cash the draft. Witness explained that the non-payment of the balance of the passage money caused some annoyance. She said "Wait a minute," and brought him two pounds.. He repeated the story Airs Smith had told him m reference to coming .to Sydney ft> look after the insurance money of the child Smart. She showed him a medal, and said she received it for saving a child's life. - ~ Fanny McDonald, stewardess of the Talune, gave evidence that when taking the order for lunch on February 19th Airs Smith asked, "What sort of poison is strychnine?" Witness told her that she did not know. Airs Smith then mentioned about taking a dog to a Christchurch chemist, who gave him something that caused him to drop off m a minute or . two. On that- same evening at 6.30 'Mrs Smith gave the order for a half -pint of stout.. She said she did not wish to take it then, but witness could bring it then. About 8.30 witness saw Airs Smith near the foot of the companion way on the main deck. She told witness that she had been to the other end of the ship to see some ladies. She often spoke to two ladies who were travelling steerage. Witness heard her tell the chief, steward that she knew nothing about Conway, .only tKat he helped aboard her boxes. She said afterwards that she knew his brother and sister slightly, and believed him to be a poor man comnig to Sydney to seek for work. Witness found a stout bottle m the rack bf Airs Smith's cabin and threw it out of the porthole when the vessel reached S; dnej. "Witnes had. several times provide Smith with stout. On reaching Sydney witness and the other stew■xw't'f lent Airs Smith a pound each to pay me balance of the passage mopey. ''he had ii a watch and chain as *tU.*irrity. Airs Smitß^-asked the way to the gasworks, of which she said her uncle was manager. On the following Saturday she repaid the borrowed money. Walter Strachan, greaser on the Talune, said that on the night of i<ebruary 19th, he saw Mrs Smith pass the starboard alley-way, carrying what appeared to be a bottle under a napkin. Theo he saw her sealed with Conway on the -hatf hway She appeared to hand him what she had been carrying under the napkin. Fliza-beth liealey, housekeeper at an hotel ir. Sussex street, Sydney, deposed that Airs -Smith was a boarder, at the hotel In conversation, she told witness that she was looking for a Airs Browne, who had _ come over by the same steamer, that 3h-'. Jwaa gding to give Browne some biscuits and .fruit, but failed to see her, §o gave theijt to a Air Conway. On the night of Alarch Ist, the day the" detectives had been to the hotel, she asked witness to sleep with her. She said she was frightened to sleep alone. During the night she kept jumping up, saying there was someone m the room. Some days before she was arrested she told witness she hod a box at her aunt's ut Pad-' dington, containing two ladies' and ,*©he gentleman's watch. She also told witness that he had' sent two hundred pounds worth of Boots to her husband m New Zealand out of £500 she had got for saving a child's life. The day after Airs Smith viewed Conway's body she was reading, a newspaper, and exclaimed, "Good God ! " It is supposed to be _ a poisoning case. All I gave him was biscuits and plums." The inquest was adjurned to Alarch 28th. All the witnesses so far have described the woman seen going forward and sitting by Conway, just before^the fatal seizure as dressed m a brown mackintosh and black sailor hat. (Received Alarch 16, 9.36 a.m.) SYDNEY, March 16. At the Conway inquest Healey gave evidence that Air's Smith told her. that Conway had money and jewellery, and it was taken, but they did not know by whom. This was after she had read the newspaper account of the case.