The Poisoning of Captain Cain.

Southland Times, Issue 9390, 2 December 1886, Page 2

The Poisoning of Captain Cain.

fßr Telegraph.] Tim abu, Dec. 1, Tho htaring of tbe charge against Thos. Hall for the murder of Captain Cain waa resumed in the R.M. Court to-day. George Kay deposed — I went to Woodlandß to nufßa Captain Cain in January last, and remained until his death. Hall came to the house every day. He used to conje at night somotimes, about 6 o'clock, but did not remain loDg on these occasions. I left the room whenever Hall came in. The Captain was very often sick. I used to find bim sic^ after J had rive^ hies; hig cougn mixture^ Trie mixture was kept on ji side table with ibe grog and tbe wine. I sat up with Captain Cain the night before ho died, and I saw no difference in him till about 2 o'clock. I saw a change in him then which I took for death. Mt Stubbs was sitting up with mo that night. I don't remember seeing Hall there. When the Captain vomited he used to say "Botheration; cannot tbe doctors giye me something to etop this ? " Joveeey Jackaon (blacksmith) deposed — I made an invalid bedstead for Captain Cain, and I took it to the house about 1 p.m. on the 15th. George Kay gave me a glaflsof champagne which was taken out of the room tbat had been occupied by Captain Cain up to that day. I waa sick after it. Francis Worcester Stubba [(agent)— 1 knew tbe late Captain Cain for many years. I went to see him on 13th January, which was my first visit during his sickness 1 . I was there on the evening of the day the invalid bed camo. Hull waa in the house. I asked hiaa how he thought the Captain was, and he replied, " very bad indeed." He also said that the doctor gave no hopes of him, and that he could not get over it. I thought Captain Cain was better than on tha day before. Patrick Mclotyre deposed — I am a duly qualified medical practitioner. I began to attend Captain Cain in July, 1885. I visited him on the 9th and 10th of July, on the 31st August, sth September, 3rd and 7th November, and from the 17th to 31st December inclusive, daily. I visited Captain Cain almost every day from the end of December till bis death. He was suffering from kidney diaeias and dropsy, aad also general debility of the, ej^tem

continuing from bis previous illneßS. I firnt prescribed for the vomiting on the 24th December, and I did not know of its existence before that date. la my prescription there was nothing to produce vomiting. I also prescribed stimulants spirits and tonics ; at one time champagne, and at another claret and Australian wine, and probably port. I would not expect n y „pf. these stimulants to cause vomiting. None of my' proscriptions -contained atropis, colchicum, or antimony, or any preparation of these things. Captain Gain odco complained to me of bis whisky making him Bink : this was a few weekß beiore his death. I laßt Baw Captain Cain the day before his death. H,e was then much worse than he had been for some weeks before. The administration of atropia, colcbicum or antimony to anyone in Cain's position would "certainly accelerate death. — Grosa-exemioed by Mr Perry: Cain was suffering from chronic kiinoy disease during his laßt illness and probably Bright/a disease, but I did not " examine thoroughly to nee. His legs and body, and particularly the. left hand, were much swollen during the latter part of the illnesp. I only remember one Bore on the body — a small ulcer — and there wa> a small deep hole in the sole of one of his feet, but his legs had not gangrened. I considered his recovery hopeless throughout the last illness and I told members of the family that he might die at any moment or live for werke or months. My prescriptions during Cain's last illness were palliative and to a certain extent curative. The mcdii cines given for the kidney disease and the dropsy were palliative and to reduce the dropay. I did not expect to cure either the kidney disease or the dropsy. The Bymptoms at the beginning of Cain's last illness were general debility with increasing dropsy, particularly of the legs, and afterwards extending op to the lower parts of the body. There was also dropsy of both hands. He also suffered from chronic bronchitis and vomiting. I also treated him for diarrhoea during the last month of his illness. Dropsy acting on the heart »vas not, in my opinion, the immediate cause of death. The immediate cause was kidney disease ani dropsy in a constitution already enfeebled through, impaired heurt action. I never told Hall the dropay would soon reach Cain's heart and death would immediately follow. Richard Bo wen Hogg deposed — I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, I remember holding a. post mortem examination on the body of Captain Cain with Dr Ogston at the Timaru Hospital on September 27th. We removed the stomach, and a portion -of the small and large inteatinep, the bladder, 'portion of the liver, the spleen and the kidneys. There was also some liquid put into the bottlea taken from the chest and from the bladder, and from the peritoneal cavity. The analysis was commenced on the night of our arrival in Dunedin by myself, Prof essor Black, and Dr Ogetoo, at tbe Uairereity laboratory. We discovered antimony in all tha organs. I Bhonld not expect to find traces of colcbicuin or j atropia in a body nine months buried, if such poisons had been administered during life. In one suffering from heart disease and dropay they would certainly have the effect of accelerating death. Cross-ex-amined by Mr Perry : We did not test for atropia or colchicum. The urinous fluid in the bottle containing the bladder was tested. In the battle containing the bladder aad the urine were probably the kidneys and some liquid from the peritoneal cavity ; in anot&or bottle were the stomach and a portion of the small bowel, and in a third bottle there was another portion of the stomach, a portion "of the liver and spieen. A separate analysis was made of part of the contents of each bottle. There was no difficulty in getting results although the analysis took a considerable time. The Court adjourned till to-morrow morning.