THE ALLEGED CASE OF WIFE POISONING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1552, 4 September 1886, Page 2

THE ALLEGED CASE OF WIFE POISONING.

FOURTH DAT -Thursday. [Before J. S. Beawick, Esq., R.M., Edward El worthy, and H. J. LeCren, Esqs., J.P.'s.] The hearing of the charge against Thomas and Margaret Graham Houston of attempting to murder Catherine IJall was resumed on Thursday morning. James Qow Black, examined" by Mr White, gaid : I am a professor of chemistry, Otogo University, and Doctor of Science in the chemistry department of the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, and extra murae lecturer chemistry of the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. On the 18th of August last I received some things for analysis. I received them from Constable Daly. The box was tied with a cord and sealed with Bealing-wax over the cord. There were fifteen articles in the box ; they were all numbered from 1 to 15. 1 made an analysis of these nrtidee. No. 1 (Exhibit A)—ls one of (he articles. On aaalyais I found it to be tartar emetic. No. 2 (Exhibit B)—I found tartar emetic in these pockets,—either in one or both ; tiking the two together, after washing and wringing, then I found lartar emetic. No. 3 (Exhibit 0)—I found in this packet tartar emetic ; it is loose powder in whit;) pnpt-r. No. 4 (Exhibit E)— Contains a loose white powder. On analysis I found it to he tartar emetic, No. 5 (Exhibit D)—Contains a liquid, sightly opalescent, with a little white powder undissolved ; contains antimony j in some form. I found anfimony in it. No. G (Exhibit F)-~Contains taitar emetic, crystals and white powder. No. 7 (Exhibit G)-Contains common saltpetre ; no antimony ; nitre is another name for ir. The common name is pott issic nitrate.

No. (8 exhibit H) Wr.s wealc limo water ; does not contain any antimony ; it may or may not have been iced water ; all I can swear to is that it is water. No. 9 (exhibit .1)- Three small packets of white powder ; contain nitrate of bismuth ; no antimony. No. 10 (exhibit J)—Contains alcohol; I didn't find antimony in it; I did not test it exhaustively. No. 11 (exhibitK)—lced water; dosen't contain any antimony. No. 12 (exhibit L)—A piece of cork ; there was a little white powder attached to it, and the white powder was tartar emetic. No. 13 (exhib't M) [the ice water stated to have been given by Hall to bis wife to drink] Contains a strong solution of tartar emetic, at they rale of 8 grains of tartar emetic to the ounce. It would depend on the quantity taken, whether a large or small dose. This is large—B grains to the ounce. No. 14 (exhibit N)—This is said to be vomit, and was found to contain antimony. No. IB (exhibit 0) —This is said to be urine, and was found to contain antimony. Mr White: This next bottle, who did you receive it from ? The Professor : From one of the constables on .Saturday night last. 1 found on analysis antimony. I received other articles from Constable Egan at the same time. These four articles (Q) a cullender, a piece of flinnel, and a kind of gauze cloth. 1 tested these for antimony, and did not find any. Of the sacking, however, I only cut out a piece 12m by Bin, the wettest part, and found not a trace of antimony. While in Dunedin I did not exactly receive two bottles by rail. A carrier in Dunedin brought me a box and handed it over. I signed a receipt for it in the carrier's book. The box was closed tight, and sealed. 1 know Dr Maclntyre's seal, and have compared the impression on the wax with his soul. I received two bottles in August bearing fin impression similar to that of his seal. I have the two bottles, but not with me. They are locked in L»r Maclntyre's laboratory sealed. I have possesion of the key. in reply to Mr White, the witness said he could not say how long traces of kerosene wi uld remain in the bag of rags produced ; it would depend entirely on the temperature of the place they were in, the current of air, and other things. He was then examined at great length by Mr Joynt as to the tests he had made. Geo. Smirton, formerly with Mr W. J. Newton (Hall's brother-in-law) at Castlerock, Tota.ra Valley, deposed to Hrtll and Miss Houston visiting Castlerook, between 12 and 1 o'clock on Sunday, (he 24th January, and staying three hours. He took Hall round the estate and left Miss Houston at the house. He then brought H»ll back and jvhen he arrived he saw there were somo things packed up. The house was in such disorder that he could not remember what the things were. The accused were at the house about three hours, from the hour they came to the hour they left. He opened th« drawing-room door and gave them the full privileges of the house. There was no one in the house, barring Bob Wort Kington aod himself. fie saw the accused at different times in the house ; he did not see them all the time ; they went where they liked. He could not s;iy positively what rooms they visited ; he thought they went into Mrs Nekton's bedroom awd the dining-room. He was sure they visited the bedroom. He could not say how long they remained in the bedroom, nor could he say when they went in or came out. It was from some things accused took out of Mrs Newton's bedroom that he know they had been there. Ho did net see the things taken. Was in Timaru on Saturday, the 31st July, at Hall's office. He had to call twice, and when waiting for him the second time Houston came out of his office. In cross-examination by Mr Joynt the witness stated he was twelve years at Castlerock up to the 24th January. Newton, before he went away, sent a power of attorney to Hall. He thought he saw Hall there three or four times since the Ist January. He could not say who packed up the things which were taken. Ha saw accused go together into the dining and dnwing-rooms ; that was all. Castlerock is about 24| miles from Timaru. He knew it was the 24th January on account of "accident" to Newton on the 20th January. All he knew of waiting at Hall's office was that she came out after being in 15 minutes. To Mr Hay, the witness stated that the parcel did not contain dresses ; he felt china in the parcel, and ,a small picture or two were taken away. Professor Black, recalled, said in answer to Mr White: Last Saturday evening [ received two bottles from Dr Macintyre. 1 have kept them locked up in Dr Macintyre's laboratory. On receiving them, 1 marked them Bl and 82. I analysed Bl with Dr Ogston. The bottle is labelled, " Vomit of the 15th." Wo analysed part of its contents fcr antimony. We found antimony in sufficient quantity to enable us to swear there was antimony there. Ic was tested on Sunday, and I made a memo, on Sunday evening. In bottle B2 the substance is urine, labelled "Urine of the 15th." I have analysed, wfth Dr ; Ogston, a portion of the contents. 1 found antimony. The witness was cross-examined by Mr Joynt as to the tests. Francis Ogston, M.D. and CM. of Aberdeen, lecturer on Medical Juris-Pru-dence and Hygiene at the Otago University, said he was in Court during the I time Dr Macintyre was giving evidence and heard it. He heard the symptoms Mrs Hall was suffering under described by him, and considered they were not due to any natural cause. Taken altogether, ho should ascribe the symptoms to the action of some slow poison. He should ascribe them, first, to one of the class of poisons which would cause vomiting ; to some of the irritant poisons. He assisted Professor Black in some chemical analyses which ho had described; be agreed with evidence given by Professor Black of those analyses. He found antimony in all the exhibits Professor Black and he had analysed together, as stated in the Professor's evidence. Tartar emetic is antimony, and antimony is an irritant poison. It would produce the symptoms which Dr Maolotyre stated Mrs Hall showed. He acconipaniod Dr Macintyre to Mrs Hall's residence, to examine Hie drain-igo and sanitary coadition of the house. He wont r.hrough the house and grounds. He found them in a sanitary state.

Mr Joynt decided not to cross-examine this wit'H'Bß. Jane Turnbull, examined by Mr Martin, paid : i ant a domestic servant, now at Duuedin, and know Hall, the prisoner, and his wife MrsC. Hall. I was formerly in their employ. I went there in November, 1885, and left there this year. They wore living at u house at Kingsdown, and then moved to Woodlands, North ptreut. I know Miss Houston, and she was living with the Hall's about three months whilst I was there at Woodlands. Accused wero good friends ; he called her " Mi-grims," and she called him "Tom," sometimes. I know where Miss Houston's bedroom waa. It was next lo Mr and Mrs Hall's bedroom. Hall at this time slept in thesame room as his wife. T have seen Hall go into Houston's bedroom ; more than ooce ; sometimes in the morning between 7 and 8. Sometimes Miss Houston was up and out, sometimes she wns not. He sometimes stayed in the room ten minutes ; could not say if this was the longest or shortest time. Misß Houston was there at this timo. They were sometimes together. They t>oemed very friendly ; nothing more. To Mr Joyot : I occupied the position of general servant in the house ; the ooly servant. I usually rose in the morning at 6.30, sometimes 7. My duties from the time I rose to % were to clean the dining-room, light the fire in the kitchen, get the breakfast, and sweep the hall. Both Miss Hall's and Miss Houston's bedrooms are downstairs. Goiog to the dining-room from the kitchen I did not pass the bedroom doors. At Woodlands the bedrooms were not near the diningroom or kitchen. They were in a different passage. The bedrooms are next to each other, It was at Kingsdown I saw Hall enter Miss Houston's bedroom, and when I saw him go in I was engaged sweeping the hall. Miss Houston's room was next to the dining-room, and Mr and Mis Hall's bedroom door was opposite the dining-room 'door. The hall tins between them. Both bedroom doors were in the same passage, the female prisoner's room being opposite the kitchen. It was arranged that the cross-examina-tion of this witness Bhould be continued on the following day, and the Court then adjourned. FIFTH DAY-Friday. The hearing of the Hall case was resumed yesterday morning before the same Magistrates. The evidence was continued : Jane Turnhull, cross-examined by Mr Joynt, said : I swear that 1 heard Miss Houston call the prisoner Hall "Tom" simply several times. I have never hoard her call him "Tommy Dodd." 1 think Mrs Hall called Miss Houston " Meg," and she ueed to call her " Kitty." I never beard Miss Houston call Hall "Tom" in Mrs Hall's presence. She usually addressed him as Mr Hall, but I cannot swaar that she always did so, Both of the prisoners seemed to be very friendly with each other in Mrs Hall's presence. 1 lave heard Hall sing is the evening, but never heard him sing a song called "Tommy Dodd." I never heard an angry word pass between Hall and his wife. The place they lived in at Kii.gsdown was not Compstall, but close to it. The cottage was a small one, with thin partitions between the rooms, and voices could be heard between the rooms although the actual words could not be distinguished. I cannot say if the door of Mrs Hall's room was open or shut when Hall went into Miss Houston's room. The passage led into the whole four rooms. The passage was longer than the courthouse table. I should say about 17 feet lodg and 4 feet 6 inches wide. Hall could not help seeing me when he went into Miss Houston's room. Hall:usually knocked at Misa Houston's door before he went in. Hall sometimes closed the door when he went in but did not "latch " it. It was more than half the length of the passage between Miss Houston's room and Hall's room. Cross-examined by Mr Hay : The breakfast hour at this time was 8 o'clock, sometimes 8.30. Miss Houston had Some duties to perform before breakfast. She had to dust the dining-room. I never heard Hall say aoything when he knocked at Miss Houston's door. I have heard him say, " Are you not up yet?" Hal' knocked loudly at the door, enough for Mrs Hall to have heard it in her room. I have seen Hall come out of Misb Houston's room, but he did not then go to Mrs Hall's room. I have no reason to believe that when Hall went into Miss Houston's room it was for any other reason than to wake her up. I do not think that Miss Houston and I ever quarrelled, but T had no groat dislike to her. William DavMson, recalled, produced two proposals for life insurance, both being dated August 19, 1885. Mary Hassen deposed—l am a servant in the employ of Mrs Hall. I entered her employment on the 26th May last. Mrs Hall was ill when I went there. Miss Houston looked after her. Afterwards a nurse came, Mrs Ellison. I had some work to do in the sick roorr. Miss Houston took Mrs Hall's breakfast in the morning and she was generally able to come out for lunch. After Mrs EHisou came she attended to Mrs Hall for the first fortnight and after that Mr Hall generally took in her breakfast from the dining-room, where I took it from the kitchen. I took the breakfast from the kitchen to the dining-room by Hall's orders. Hall used to call Miss Houston "Megrims." When I first went there Hail and his wife occupied the same bedroom, and afterwards he occupied a room on the verandah. I have seen Miss Houston take ten into that room between eight and nine o'clock on a Sunday morning. Hall subsequently occupied a different bedroom, upstairs. I have sesn Miss Houston go to that room between seven and eight o'clock in the morning. She had a dressing gown ou. I have seen Hall and Miss Houston together in the dairy. Miss Houston went in first. Hall did not a3k me anything before ho went in. I saw Hall " pulling" Mis's Houston in the dairy. By "pulling" I mean that he was pulling her by the arms, and had his arms round her neck. I know the garret, and have looked in, but have not been inside it. The only way to reach the garret was through Hall's room, then through the back room, and thenoe to the garret. That is the only access to the garret. I never put anything int > the garret, i took a tin of kerosene out of there the Friday after Hall's arro.s?. [ carried it down stairs and Broham took possession of it. The Inspector took it away ou tho Saturday. la consequence of a conversation with Mr,

Brohara I looked 'over some rags which be brought lo the houue in a bag. I also went upstairs to look into a box, but I found no rags in it. I saw some rags in thesame box some time ago. They were nothing like the rags Inspector Broham showed me. I have seen Hall writing a letter in the dining-room. Miss Houston was there and was standing beside him with her nrm on h ; s Btaonlder. I looked in the kitchen cupboard on the day Inspector Broham showed me the rags. There were some rags there some time ago and they were gone. They looked like the rags Inspector Broham showed me, but I could not say they were the same. Cross-examined by Mr Joynt; "When Miss Houston Bpoke to me she called him Mr Hall. I never heard anybody call Hall "Tommy Dodd." Miss Houston was generally up at 8 o'clock. She sometimes dusted the dining-room iu her dressing gowa during the winter months. I never saw what she had on under the dressing gown. I only once took Ha'l tea while he wns in bed that I remember. 1 think Hall's bedroom at Woodlands is about oyer Mrs Hall's bedroom. 1 wag iu the kitchen when I saw Miss Houston go into Hall's room on the verandah on Sunday. I knew she was goiog to take in the ten. I did not actually see her go into the bedroom but 1 saw her go in that direction. When she came out T met her coming into the kitchen door. 1 did. not actually see her either go in or come out of the room. I had been engaged in the maantims getting the table ready for breakfast in the dining-room and nothing else. It took me halfran-hour toget the table ready. Cross-examined by Mr Hay: When Miss Houston went into Hall's room on the verandah it was necessary to go outside of the house, arid she would have to i pass the place where the canaries were kept. I have only known two cups of tea to be prepared for him before breakfast. These were the ones I and Miss Houston took in. Miss Houston often wore her dressing gown in the morning, and I cannot s..y I thought it an unusual circumstance at the time she took the tea into Hull's room. . Hannah Ellison: I una nurse, and know Mrs Hall; also the accused. I have been nursing Mrs Hall 11 .weeks yesterday. I occupied the same room with her. There was nothing unusual about the confinement. On the third or fourth day atter the confinement she was sick. Mary Hassen u°ed to bring the first cop of tea in the morning sto Mrs Hull and myself. Mr Hall sometimes brought the breakfast; Miss Houston sometimes brought it, and sometimes I did. When I was engaged with the baby Miss Houston brought it. Fcr the first few days I brought the meals in,- then she got her meals from the dining-room. They were brought in sometimes by Mr Hall, sometimes by the girl/nnd sometimes by Miss Houston. She got up on the eleventh day. She went into the dining-room on the Sunday follbwing—a fortnight after the confinemen*. The sickness would cease for a day or two, but would come on again. She was pretty well on the Sunday she went into the din-ing-room. Old Mr and Mrs Hall were there on that day, and so wbs Miss Houston. She was very sick that evening.. I mostly went out when Mr Hall was in the room. Sometimes she was sick after meals, and sometimes when she had not taken anything. When the stomach got relieved of its contents by vomiting the sickness stopped. Besides her fond Bhe threw up a greenish fluid with a yellowish froth. Her fac« looked yellow, with a blueieh tinge around her lips, her nose, and her eyes. She was able to. go for a drive with old Mr Hall and Miss Houston. Mies Houston took a little brandy with her in case Mrs Hall should fee) faiotish. Mrs Hall seemed well but tired after the driv«. She was sick through the night. Whenever she was retching Mr Hall came into the room and said how sorry he was. I gave her the meah she took in the latter part of the day. They were prepared sometimes by Miss Houston and sometimes by Miss Drs Mac- | Intyre and Drew held a consultation. Afterwards a consultation was held by Drs Stackpoole and Maclntyre. I gave Dr Maclntyre some urine and vomit. Drs Maclntyre, Lovegrove, and Drew hlso held a consultation, after which she only took ice by the mouth. On the evening before Mr Hall »as arrested I went into the bath-room for some ice. Mr Hall came in. He assisted me to get a part of the new ice that came in that afternoon. The pipce broken off I put in a pieoe of clean" flannel in a cullender. The other ice that was there before 1 took it into the bedroom. The ]ug-'was cleaned before the ice was put in. . I got a clean handkerchief from Mrs Hall's drawer, and put it on top of the jug. 1 took the iug into the bedroom, and put it on a chatr. There was a cnp in the room, with some muslin on, and Mis 3 Houston put ice in it. Mrs Hall used some of the ice from the jug that night more than once. She was very bad, but was a little better next morning. I was in the room all night, and got up every time she was sick. She always felt the sickness coming on, and called me. I used to pour the water out of the cup into a wine glass and wet her lips. She had no breakfast the following Sunday morning. Mr Hall came into the room cu Sunday morning, and I went out. When I came back Mr Hall had gone out. Mrs Hill made a complaint to me immedinfo'y that I went into the room, and in consequence I tasted the ice-water. It tastod bitter. Mr Hall came into the room afterwards. Mrs Hall asked him to taste the ice- water, because it was so nasty, and he did so. She said she did not know what was in it that made it taste so nasty, and he said he must have done wrong in putting some water out of the jug iu it. It must have baen a mistake. Miss Houstou came into the room while we bad the conversation, and she said if it was nasty, andw Mrs Hall should not drink it. She took ) the cup out. She fetched 1 it back with a clean piece of muslin and some more ice. Before Miss Houston took the cup away, I took it from the dressing-table as far as the washhand-stand, and poured part of the contents into a clean cup. Mrs Hall called me back, ao that Mr Hall might taste it. I took the cup into which I had emptied part of the contents of the bedroom cupinto the kitchen, and put the icewater into a bottle. I corked the bottle, and put it into my pocket. I gave it to Dr Maclntyre. There was nothing in the botfc'o except the ice-water, just as I puujod it out of the cup, which had been in the room all night. I tasted the icewater, and it made me sick. Mrs Hall was very ill in about ten minutes after

she took the ice-water, This was the Sunday on the evening of which Mr Hall was arrested. I gave Dr Maclntyre the ice-water on the same day. The bottle produced is the bottle I gave Dr Mactyre, but not the same cork. The witness then identified the bottles which she handed to Dr Maclntyre and the police, and continued to any that the water in the jug out of which Mr Hall said he h<*d poured the ice-water had been produced by the melting-down of ice through a cloth. Gave a bottle containing brandy to Constable Egan. It contained some of the brandy used for injection. The brandy was given to me by Mr Hall. Mrs Hall has not been sick sine* the night of the arrefct. Was with Mrs Hamersley since the arrest. We went to look for a basket in the little room off Mr Hall's bedroom. Saw a tin of kerosene there. 1 did not know before that there was s f arret there, ftever put anything in i». liss Houston and Mr Hall were on good terms. He used to call her "Megrims." I hare heard her call him " Tom." She used to call him Mr Hall. [The ex; 11-nation of the witness was not finished =u 4.25, when our reporter left. The oiAy other witness to be called was Dr Maclntyre. He is to be recalls! to give some evidence concerning Borne thing omitted in his first examination. The case will then be adjourned for » week, when it is expected Mrs Hall will he strong enough to give evidence.]