DANGEROUS CHARACTERS

Southland Times, Issue 17734, 11 August 1917, Page 5

DANGEROUS CHARACTERS

CHRISTCHURCH CHLOROFORM CASE. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 10. At the Supreme Court. William Kinnaird and Robert Erwin Meachlem, who were not represented by counsel, were charged on various counts that on July 5, at Christchurch, with intent to commit a crime, they caused Andrew Rollo Guild and Enid Guild to be affected by chloroform. The Crown Prosecutor said vccused had taken a room at the Clarendon Hotel under false names, going out late at night in a taxi cab and returning early in the morning. Mr and Mrs Guild, who slept in a room opposite the room of accused, were awakened early in the morning and found on their pillow a handkerchief soaked in chloroform. Accused on their arrest were found to have in their possession certain papers that Guild left in his clothes overnight. A bottle was identified as one in which Kinnaird had purchased chloroform. The Crown Prosecutor read a signed statement by accused that , they had merely soaked the handkerchief in chloroform, and thrown it into the room to test it. Kinnaird on arrest said: “I suppose we will get seven years for this.” The case is proceeding. Accused were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each. Both men had king lists of previous convictions, and Sir John Denniston said they were dangerous characters who went about with lethal weapons like a Colt automatic revolver.