The Mali-Houston Trial.

Southland Times, Issue 9351, 18 October 1886, Page 2

The Mali-Houston Trial.

[§y Telegraph.] (FROM OUB SI'ECIAL COBREirPOSDBNX .) Chbistchuruh, Oct. 16. The afternoon sped on, ar^d about four o'clock a little comedy was priHuoii. and came aa a pleasant relief in the n-iirfgt of the apprehensive feeling thatbatf iu'.'eo on the people. Mr Peter Huttou, the well known bookseller of Tim*ru, was called, and he started up briskly and faced the many eyes that were fastened on the witness oox. Without nervousness or embarrassment he told his story in a clear,* loud voice, with appropriate modu lation and confident air ; his head inclined attentively and with an appearance of tacit challenge. The eccentricities of the man escaped notice during hia examination, for his evidence was of so much importance that the people had no ears for anything but the facts which he narrated,viz, tba pnrchase by Hall from him of books oq poison?, the writing of bis name with falao dale and place on the fly leaf. Just as tlie public feeling was getting intense a littie diversion occurred : Mr Joyut rose to tackle this important witness, who cvi dently sniffed "the battle from afar" for he leaned forward and looked at | counsel with a sort of " come on " look. The witness bad spoken of a glaBS case in his shop, and counsel wanted to show that anybody could see books through the glass or open window and take them out tQ look at. Re weat to come pains to

elaborate and explain it to the jury, and when- hW had finished -he '■ looked enquiringly at the witness as who should' say — " Come now, answer if you can '; " Whe.reuponJMc HnttOn, wjtb- the politest posaiblejboyr^ahd a; svveet^ dOyeMikd look,, remark^d^^es,sMr'J6yjnt^BO yoflhxould^ if there were any bboks'Tri the c&Befibnt:; there are none; it is fit llof fancy goods." The air of the ( respective parties— the quiet' triumph of- 'tK^c6S^T^beM~b^k' v ßeller"': and the .mortified look of the counselrTwere too ..much for theVi Judge, Attorney General, the jury, and the public, "abd k iJhere was a perfect roar! ot laughter.. But, mor» followed —".I believe, Mr Hutton;", saiil Mr Joynt, "that you had a disagreement sometime a^o with accused ?"~ i " Yes, I wanted him to settle an accpufit ran up by Mrs Newton, his sister-ia-law, frbtn wtom hie heid. a power ofr attorney, arid he refused."— "And so you quarrelled with him ?^'— V Ohrdear ! no. :I tell out with him because on that occasion he. used language which I should regret to repeat." — " O> .'was it as bad as that ?'%?-" Yes, I think it would be contempt of Court if I used such .shocking expressions." The Judge : '" It would be contempt of Court, Sir, if you did not repeat it when aßked to do so." Witness: "Well then, if I rno6t, he said d ■ the ladies." At this there were peals of laughter. <% Oh !" said counsel as soon as ha could steady his voice, " you never said such a thing, did you ?." — " I should hope not, sir," repeated the witness in a. horrified tone. — :" No,", continued comtuelf " but I'll be bound you often thought it." This little episode over, the crowd Boon fell back into its former attitude of attentivenass, and. Mr Hutton left the box with his testimony unshaken. Then followed the Timaru I ex-gaoler's wife and himself. TLey were abked only about the letter from Megrims to Tommy Dodd written in gaol by Eouston to Hall the day after the arrest. Nothing material came out of this, and it wn.s ffclt to be no very criminating evidence against tho girl so far as the present charge was concerned, though the conduct of tbe gaoler in destroying the document atill remains inexplicable. When the Court rose the Attorney-General announced that he had to put bis remaining witnesses through to moirow, and with that understanding tho day 'B proceed inga closed. I havo a strong exptctation of the case closing in tha middle of next week. Oct. 16. This morning the proceedings opened with the examination of a naw witness — Dr Richard Hoge, surgson to the Timaru Gaol. He deposed to having seen the male prisoner on August 17th at the gaol and on various occasions \intil August 27th, and the Crown, obtained from him the statement that when in gaol H-ill was apparently quite well, and that he had no morphia administered to him there. He further made it plain that had Hall b^en addicted to the hypodermic injection of morphia a very grievous change would have come over him on his having to suddenly leave it off. Tbe witness very distinctly (on hearing read to him the evidence of Dr Mclntyre as to Mrs Hall's symptoms) said ho could not trace them tQ any cause but one, viz., antimony poisoniDg. The defence tried to puzzl« the mattor-of-fact stolid doctor, but he was not to be had. He could not trace the detailed symptoms to any disease, and he declinod to say that complicated symptoms were common. He did not set up as an expert in toxicology, and had never had anthing to do with a case of poisoning by antimony though be had seen the action of other poisons. Autitnony was not a poison, but tho term, he at once declared, included, tho metal and its salts and oxides. To Mr Hay tho doctor said he did once see Mra Hall professionally with Dr M'-Intyiv, and Hall then informed him tfiat his wife was suffering from the effects of canned fb-h. Dr Hogg gave his evidence very cautiously and at the same time very clearly and promptly, and on bis homely, honest face there was the light of conscientiousneps. Mr Jo} T nt's over - abundant jocularity fell rather flat on so immovable a person. To Dr Hogg succeeded a gentleman whose entrance was like a sudden break in the clouds and whose slay in the box was probably battsu* enjoyed by the public than by himself! — Dr Srackpoole. Hs saw Mra Hall in conjunction with Dr Alelutyr> j , aud was puzzled w account for her symptoms. He never gave Miss Houston special directions about tho medicine for Mrs Hall, but h-vspokw freely co Hall about ins wife and ihe treatment of her. TheD came Thomas Howley, Clerk of the Court at Timaru, with his eyes brim full of humour and his face decorously composed. He, poor feliow ! has to repeat things he had said in an unguarded moment, and of course the legal terrier who so ably conducts the deleace fastened on the weak side of this evidence with cat-like spring — "Of course you oid not volunteer the information to thn police." — "No," said the witness. — " Woil, if you bad," said the Judge, " you are an officer of tho Court and wuuH have only been doing your duty.' — '' Of course, oh yes! I see," observed counsel, knowing very well the inference that would be quickly snatched up. Mr Howley had to say that on the Saturday night preceding the arrest he and others haw Hall playing pool at the >Club Hotel, having a drink with hie friends, and generally being in high spirits. Counsel hal a good dual of batter with Mr How'ey and got eriuiething the best of it. Thm came Mr E. Kerr, proprietor of the South Canterbury Times, who had heard that half conversation at Hall's telephone. The wimess repeated what he had heard, which, of course, was all from one speaker, and, iv reply to counsel, he filled in the gaps with what appeared to him probablft replies, judging from what was said by Hall at his end. "Oh !" said Mr' Joynt, "that's your view of it, eh ?"— " Fes," replied the undismayed witoose, " that is my view, but whether the jury \v;il take the sauje view I don't know."-" O.i! that'll do, sir. You're not called upon to address the jury ; you may get your chance of that some day." There was a hearty laugh, in the midst of which the witness 1 disappeared and room was made for Benjamin EJ wards Hibbard, storekeeper, of Timaru. He Lold of Hall's purchase of kerosene anri his (H:;ll'd) crder that it should be sent to 1113 offiou ; of Hall's having once Ju-iged at ,'jis (witTT^'H) fathei'a house, aud having there suffered from sciatica. This wai all the witness had to say, and he was quickly followed by Thomas Peters, his assistant, who deposed to selling Hall a tin of kerosene and being asked to send it over to the office (not to the house, whither goods usually went) and wrapped in brown paper: — Following him came the youth who carried home the kerosene. Mr Joynt tried him hard but ho adhared to that kerosene tin and its wrapper of brown paper, and mi-t Mr Joynt's banter with hard truths. After a little battle of wit Mr Joynt exclaimad, " You'll do, I think," whereupon the lad dived out of tbe box with alacrity, and when counsel looked up he saw an empty box — " Oh ! I beg pardon ; my words were taken too literally, I did not mean ' You'll do' in its valedictory sense, but in its modern colonial sense — 1 mean that the lad is a very promising fellow ;" and the crossexamination bad to be renewed but without any discomfiting effect. C. A.' Wiison, Hall's clerk (re-called) deposed to a parcel, which waa hard, square, and heavy being left in Hall's office, and to Hall's having sometimes used morphia for injections. Then came James Forbes, Captain Cain's oid servant, who depobed/to tbe presence of. fbfiammable rubbish and kerosene in t|ie garret at; Woodlands, Tto rubbish,

was inainly ri'ear t!u > sarking boards. J Gririgg, i Captain Cain's /gardener, sucoeedea andgave unimportant < 3vid«ncß,but depose;! t£the presence of ru bbish in the garret. Again the prosecutf or r harked back to the relations between Hi ill aDd Houston, and toveatablish complicity j they called Jeannie Turnbuilj formerly c servant to Hall. She had lived at a cottagt i near Cohsr.Br.all and had seen familiarity Hall; and "Houiton, blii sbe^evid Intty^ad^naXdea. of anything wrong 'jarqir.: g on.: only ireedom oit^intercourse. : Eac f *fcad gone' into! the other's bedroo,m frequ ently, but their inti- ■ macy- aeejßoed tpbesan ctf oned byJtfra Hail. • Mr Hay^ doing .battle, ior Miss Houstoni asked whether the wit aoas had ever, heard Hall sing " Tommy D odd." She did not know, bat ahe^wduld iknow the jong if 6he heard,, it. There was a ,peal: r of laughter 'at 'Mr Hay' 3 expanses whej&' he gooa-aaturediy declio ed to Igin^rfoe^png in question. Mary Haasien "was lichen called. She was not the quiet, Knowing little domestic that Jei innie was: she was a robust Hibernian ano h indignant, for she bad been pointed at as the girl from whom I Hall found it necess. iry to look up the grog / according to 1 us statement after they conversation at ' the telephone. .^She had seen M'sa Housto 0 go into the dining room to •• Tom." to asl '£ him to lace up her stays.' Hall did lace them np gallantly ; she had no dress on ;at the time. Hall took her to the balla pd came back' again. Mr Joynt "went fc >r" the damsel m earnest, but though ho scattered bushels of chaff he get no graii t of defensive evidence out of her. Sh b had seen the two together- repeatedly, 1 md had seen them visit one another. Sht j never drank wine pr spirits, and her fa oe flushed and her voice shook with.indi| jnation as she made the denial, She havin ig descended, B. Y. J. Le Cren was callet 1 by the AttorneyGeneral to testify to tl le sobriety and good conduct of this witne bs, but his Honour promptly disallowed avidenoe as to the character of witnesses . The last witness of the day was on 6 Welie, the Club billiard marker, who ideposed to having, shortly before the arr< l»t, seen Hall in the billiard room, take a t yo ounce phial from his pocket and shove 1 it in the fire, deep down into its midst. I The Attorney- General announced that he had now but fo or witnesses to call, and Mr Joynt said th |at he should occupy almost a day in statii ig the case for the defence, and as it wa j now 5.15 the Court adjourned till Monde ,y, at 10 a.m. The progress of popular c incitement was indicated to-day by the large attendance of tue public. The g ,-allery was literally packed all day ; score 3 of the people being women, who gazed fi xedly at the prißoners aDd devoured wi :th avidity the evidence. The back cif the Court below stairs was also crowdi }d and not a single square foot of room wa : available in the body of the hall, the most profound silence was observed by everyone, and all paid grave attention to what was going on. At adjournment of the Court there was a rush round ibe dock and quite a stampede when the prisoners were removed. Mi 88 Houston came lirst, chaperoned by a female and attended by a male warder and Hali followed io, charge of the gaoler aud two warders. Outside, a mass of people had gathereel to wait the exit of tbe prisoners, and a^crowd of some five hundred had asaembl ed around them, when suddenly a brougham dashed up at top 3peed. How the psople ran right and left, and how they fought the police on their recovery to get baci to their obseVvation ground, but in a moment Miss Houston had been hurried in, the door slammed, and the cab started off at top speed and soon placad her ou; of reach. Then another rush was made for Hall's trap,but the authorities had watched their chance and whipped him quickly into a trap, and be too was soon on the horizon, and the crowd grumblingly dispersed. By Wednesday I think we shall have seen the last act of this drama. (Per Pkess Association.) The hope entertained that by making a beginning on Monday the case would be finished and the jury spared the inconvenience ef being lucked up on a Sunday has not been realised. When thb Court adjourned at> bait-past five tbis evening there still remained three or four witnesses to be examined for tbe Crown (chiefly it is believed for the parpose of proving that antimony is not uaed in photography) and Mr Joynt spoke of taking a whole day to address the jury. It Las not yet been definitely btaied that the defence will call no witneßsus, but it is improbable they wilt do so. Hjwever this may be it ia almost a certainty that the AttorneyGeneral will insist on his ri^ht of reply. Sir R. Scout said be did not mean to make a long speech, but experience shows that intention and .practice are not always in harmony with regard to the length oi! ■speeches. The Judge's summing op will no doubt be a long one, and considering all things the case will probably last till tho middle of next week. The prisoners today appeared at times 6ven cheerful, and at times smiled at the humour of Mr Joynt, who generally contrives to raiae a laugh beiore he has finished cross-examin-ing a witness. As the proceedings generally are very tedious these little digressions are v relief, and the learned counsel knows how to time his jokes co as not to interfere at a wrong moment. The possibility of picking a flaw in the indictment is evidently one of 'the hopes of the defence. The accused are charged with aduiiniateriDg " a certain deadly poison called antimony," and Professors B.ack and Ogdton both gave the opinion that the metai antimony is not a poison. It is true Professor Ogaton said antimony if a generic name for the compounds of antimony which are poisonous, but there in room tor two opinions as to the meaning of the word, and the defence will no doubt make the rnobt of this for their benefit. His Honour said that, as at-pro-sent advised, aesuming that tartar emetic is vulgarly known as antimony, that would he sufficient for the purposes of the indictment. The witnesses examined included Drs. Hogg and StackpooJe, Messrs Ho.vley and Wills, who were not examined in the Court below. Dr Richard Bower Hogg, examined by th-j Attorney-General, deposed that he was surgeon of Timaru gaoJ. Saw Hali ia gao! rirst on August 17 tb, and off and on till August 27th. He knew the effect of taking morphia, and would say that Hall was not Buffering from the effects of that drug. On August loth, before the arrest, Hall appeared to be iv good health. Had known Hall about seven years altogether. If a person had been in the habit of taking much morphia and tiiddenly ceased he would expect great refetleesnesß within 24 hours ; also loss of appetite inability to sleep, probably £ a sinking feeling, and it might induce vomit and purging. Morphia »ras not prescribed for Hall in gaol, bnt on August 16th a preparation of opium was prescribed for a tendency to diarrhoea by Dr Lovcgrove during witness's absence. Hall told witness he was nanch better on August 17th and during tbe next, fortnight witneßa' prescribed slaepiag draughts for him. There was no difference between him and other prisoners except that be was mentally • distressed, but compared with Miss Houston's health, h'ia was good. His Honour read to the witness from his notes Mrs Hull'b symptoms as described by Dr Mclntyre, and witness said, taking the symptoms as a whole, he did not know of auy known disease to which they would be "attributable. He attributed them to irritant poisoning as by antimony, arsenic or eolcbicum. It was usual to uao the forage «« noJBOQJpg by »B.tjlßOny," Jfy

knew th( % >ok on Forensic Medicine and; Toxicolo gy by Woodman and ', Tidy; . It wm rec o;:ni*ed in the profession as • good ■ book, and he would not be urarpriseijl that ; the r ; book ' '>.;]: gpokey-;,; of ppisoninii rl> y aotimbny. It ! was usual to we the; c; * preesion when a /preparation of antimony' was meant, and bo it was usual to apeak \of poisoning by lead and arsenic. When Pf '( kking of the metal it was usual to ; ;ca|l. I \t,- metallic antimony .—To Mr JJoynt : J '.i^t Hail in gaol on ac'tibuntof ' '"isarrbceaii > Did'not.presoribiefor biru as ;lii »ari.t already been prescribed for by t>t Lc The 'sjeeping^dranglit ],■ fscribed contained bromide of ' potassiun •.' chloral -\h;ytf ratio, vtinciqre- of; ' digitalis, > yrnp^of orange;^ and, ';] water.! Had alto: j ied Hall piivately a long time, •go' for ia h< "iJin'av J It^ww^rjambbred he was ; in the r h B,vjt. of ,ÜB>ng morphia hypodernicallyy ) ,j£cj i ha(t 'jha3y no personal experi^ ence of >ii 'imoniai poißoning or any kind of irrit arit poisoning. Mrs Hall's pains at tbe, pi: oil ihe^toinach^and the -vomiting mipht b-3 attributable to gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), bat ; the intermission »v^ not attributable to- gastritis! There would :be similar symptoms,-] but not in i wrinittent, in gastro-ehteritis, but the i ccastnptjdn^ of ihirpat^ if it; occurred, v!v^A.;nbt^mp6nsiste : nt with^galstro-'' enteritis. There mighfcbbbiiejin dyfien- * tery. If n patient \ had* a .complication of ailments (which was not a common thing) there might be a complication of symp- ' tome , ■ ■ pi a not. know any natural disorder whiclv would n incladev all .Hall's Byinptcrae. He had conenlted WoodTian and Til y'w book occasionally but had not read ;up antimony in it. If a person were poisoned by one of the salts of antimony one medical ■ man might say 'to another tb it there' was poisoning by antimony. Poisoning by any antimonial salts would be properly expressed as poisoning by/'antiniQny/^VTd-'.'Mr'^ay/:/ He had attended- Mra^ Hall ; with /Pr Mclntyre in November^ laat < when she;' had . vomiting. The history given tohim 'was that she had been eatinjj ifiome tinned fish which had disagreed ; with her. The Attorney-Gen-'erel: ■/ Who told you it was the tinned fiah? I)r Hogg •• Hall, the prisoner. In re-examibirti*-n by the Attorney General the v witneea Biaid that, if he gave a patient a mixture cpmpOßed of harmless ingredients mixer}^Jwji]i';jws.emo' and "the patient died witness would say he had been poisoned by arsenic. ; Dr Stack poole, of Waimate, said he was called in consultation with Dr Mclntyre on 28th July. He was a friend of the Hall family. .He examined Mrs Hall and was told her. symptoms by herself. Found no ~ organic disease present, but she had an abscess in tbe breast at the time. Witness thought there was considerable want of blood, that the brain was exhausted, and that the vomiting arose from lobb of nervous power. Witness stopped at Hall's house all night, uod saw Miss Houston, but gave her no directions about the medicine. It would not have been professional for him to have given directions as Dr Mclntyre was in charge of the patient. It was false , that be had told Miss Houston to give the medicines. To Mr Joynl : Hall behaved ' like an anxious husband might be expected to do under tbe circumstances. Witnes3 had baen telegraphed for by Dr Molntyre, and aIBO by Hall. To Mr Hay : Though he did not say anything specially to Miss Houston that she was to administer powders she might construe it so when he was speaking to several persons in the > dining room. He knew Mrs Ellison was the nurse, and he would have been most careful not to have interfered with the nurse for he knew nurses' temper in general. When the inflammation of Mrs Hall's breast was acute it might increase the vomiting. Had known a good vomit to relieve inflammation. Had given small doses (about a grain) of tartar emetic to produce vomiting. Tops. Ho wley, Clerk of Court, Timaru, said he knew Hall, who was a member of the South Canterbury Harriers Club, with which he was out the day before his arrest. He saw Hall at the Olab billiard room playing at pool that day. He seemed in good spirits, and left about half past six. He remembered Cotter, the gaoler at Timaru, showing him a letter shortly after the arrest It began ''My dear Tommy Dodd," and concluded "Ever yours, Megrim." To Mr Hay : Had not seen Hall Sing "Tommy Dodd" in character, and did not know that it was his stock Bong or star song. Edward George Kerr, proprietor of the South Canterbury Times, deposed that on August sth be was in Hall's office. Hall telephoned to his bouse and asked " Megrims to put away tbe decanter of wine left in her room." Hall explained that he had doctored it with some stuff from the chemist's over the way to catch a jrervaDt. To Mr Joynt ; Hall was fidgeting about at the time, but he usually had a fidgety manner. It did not seem to witness that there was anything specially guilty about the circumstance. Ben. Edward Hibbard, storekeeper in Timaru, and Thomaa Peters, and Andrew Avieon, two of bis employes, deposed to the sale of a tin of kerosene to Hall on August 2nd. The tin wa» sent to his office wrapped up in brown paper instead of being sent to his house as was usually done. Hibbard, cross - examined by Mr Joynt, said Ha!l lodged at his father's house at one time. Believed he used morphia for injections for sciatica. There was usually a deal of kerosene sent to Hall's—a case a month was the average in winter. Witness sold Hall a patent air lamp which would consume a little more kerosene than an ordinary lamp. » Charles Aloysiaa Wilson remembered Avisou leaving a parcel like a tin of - kerosene done up in paper at Hall's office. Kerosane was not commonly used in the office. He bad insured the furniture and effects at Woodlands in the Imperial Co. foirL6oo, and insured thehouße for L 575 in the names of Captain Gain's executors. Hall was not one of the executors. >. Jamea Forbes (plumber) and Dennis Wren (labourer) bad been in the garret at ' Woodlands, but had never seen more than a bucketful of rubbish there. Jeannie Turnbull (domestic aervant), Dunedin, was employed by Hall from November, 1885, till May last at Constall (Hall's former residence) and Woodlands. Hall and Miss Houston appeared to be very friendly. Had heard him call her Megrims openly before witness, and she called him Tom, but not always. Had seen Hall go to Miss ~ Houston's bedroom . at Woodlands in the evening after dinner, while Mrs Hall was ill. Frem all she saw ' he might have left the roJin immediately after. Hall went" to Miss Houston's room at Constall in the morning when Mrs Hall was not up. He knocked at the door and , then opened it and went in; Mrs Hall could have heard him knocking had she been awake. This occurred twice or thrice.' - To Mr Joynt : Mrs Hall used to call Miss 1 Houston "Meg" and ; Miss Houston ; Hall used to call her " Megrims" and Mis* Houston. Never quarrelled with Miss 4ifous£ph and was friendly with her. Once /Mies Houston locked the 'dairy up.-—Hii S Any cats about? — Witness : It '■'^■3iwarW^|p'ls«,.'"feQin^getting the cream. ; Iftußtoa^66k£u#ge of the dairy at ■ 'Zy. Woodlands and kept the, key. \ Witness 'V ; \ J:^oniy; : "gbt : B.kJnj;['milkv|tili;'' she; spoke to Mr " ■'•"'■Hall and then she got new milk.— Mr J^nt r Whpvniilked.tlie cow ,?— Witnes s; ( ) ; The i boy/ Wlßon>^M£ Joynt : 'And could ' >:■; not you manage' to gejt a, mug from him J 'Uie quwt?— Laughter follbwed and cVos^^iaminatibny was continued, and in ■^ vV rbply to iurther questions the; witness said Hall and Mrs Hallineyeir quarrelled and ■■■'Kjjwin^/td/Uw could Unre heard fiall and Mill Honpton

talking together injhe latter's robin^Mre" Hall was in her room &en 'suffering from a rold^ and Etall was ; 'speaking to . Miis ■^Hous^iurin a;i jo^ Minute. To ; Mr^Hiy^f Hail as well as Mijss 7 - Houston woro^a r dj^S^sf h^gbirn in ihe mqrhjngs. \ Nyy^r kiq^w Miss Honetoii to do Hall did not call her •' Megrims "when she first came. hot beard Hall JsihgiM Tommy Dpild."; I Mary Hassen, a domestic servant at present eniployed by Mrs Hall, Had been -at^opdlajaias, Bincft May j^it. ■ ,; ■ "VWai^the only -domes tic, ; at^|b^ time. | ? Nißyer .'^nt \or saw anyone $Be}xp^£iany^^ aenether^ after the arre^ ;nsed io look after' 'Hrß :: ' > Hall.at I ' > ]ciighl; ; ii|i the morning Miss Houston brought her a cup of tea. Hall generally took breakfast to herj and sometimes . Miss Houston. The food for Mrß Hall was cooked inia white enamelled sanoepan. About a'weeK after the child was borri some oysters were bought on twi> day)B (2^tJbraild 26tlrJtirie). The, oysters were :; opened .by^ the fishmonger, and the boy John Wilson ate some and felt no ill effects. On the, secoDd night Hall took Miss Houston to the Volunteer ball. Remembered Miss Hougton dreasing for the ball.. She came into the diniDgroom and asked Hall to tighten her stays.. i Had seen Hall go into her bedroom. Saw her go into his room in a dressing-gown between 7 and 8 a.m. She had no tea with her. Remembered answering the telephone about a week before the arrest and hearing Hall'» voice (she believed) Baying, "Is that'ybu, Megrims ?" Witness replied, "No," and went and fetched Miss Houston. Never remembered drinking wine or spirits in Hall's house except. one glass given by Mrs Ellison and another by Mr Hall when the baby was christened. To Mr Joynt : Smelt no kerosene in the garret on the night of the arrest when witness was in the adjoining rooms. Mis Hall reminded witness of the oysters since the case in the R.M. Court. Miss Houston was a girl of <? very bold manner, and witness never thought much of her. Heard Miss Houston bad said that witness drank, and that did not help witness to think better of her. Henry John Le Cren deposed that he had formerly employed Mary Hassen, and was going on to give evidence as to her good character when Mr Jaynt objected that evidence as to the character of a witness was not admissable. The AttorneyGeneral said he only tendered the evidence ; hn did not press it, and his Honour ruled it inadmissable. Thos. Wells, billiard-marker at the South Canterbury Billiard Club, of which Hall was a member, said Hall was a pretty constant attendant. He was there on the Wednesday before his arrest from 6.10 to 6.30, and was ptaying again the same night from 10,30 till the room closed at 11 o'clock. On the Thursday before arrest he was playing pool and witness saw him pnt a two ounce phial into the fire. He did not put it on in an ordinary way, but shoved it well in. The cork flew out Jand some one asked what he had there and Hall said it was ojae of Mr Wakefield's sleeping dnmghts. The Court adjourned at 5.30 p.m. till 10 a.m. on Monday. Every evening as the accused leave the Courthouse a large crowd watches their departure, but as they are driven away in covered cabs the majority of the sightseers are disappointed. A few groans are usually given as the prisoners come out of Court, and this evening the police had to exert themselves to keep back some members of the crowd more anxious than the rest who crushed against the cab Miss Houston WBS entering