ALLEGED MURDER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2482, 28 March 1893, Page 3

ALLEGED MURDER.

The Waikomiti murder trial was continued at Auckland on Saturday last, Mr J. A. Pond, who made an analysis of the stomach of Thompson, the deceased, gave evidence to the effect that he had discovered strychnine in the contents as well as in the stomach itself, in the liver, and other organs. He thought that if he had examined other parts he would have discovered more. He did not isolate enough strychnine, in his opinion, to account for death. He found a third of a grain, and certainly cases had been recorded of death from a quarter of a grain, but they were very rare. Several medical witnesses were called aud deposed that, in their opinion, death had resulted from strychnine poisoning*. This concluded the case for the Crown. The defence was opened yesterday morning by Mr Heßketh, who said the witness he should call would 6tate that the symptoms of Thompson's illness were more consistent with gastric irritation, the result of natural causes, than they were consistent with poisoning by arsenic. Mr Halst.ead, veterinary surgeon, would be called to tell them that prussic acid was used for preventing i rr i t " J olorl jjj horses, "* ul

ill opening ilie case on the 13th inst., Mr Tale, the Crown prosecutor, said there could be no doubt that the deceased had died by strychnia poisoning. The question was whether that poison was administered by his own hand ; or, if not, whether it was administered by the hand of another, and whether that other was the prisoner Alexander James Soott. The deceased Thompson had been ail English bayriator, who had come out to the colony some live or six yeirs ago, but had not practised his profession in New Zealand. He had finally settled, down at Waikomiti, and Ww prisoner lived close by, and attended hiin during the illness which preceded his cloath. It was no part of the prosecution to prove a motive. A murder might be committed by mere malice or impulse. There had been, Mr Tole went on to say, a very familiar, affectionate, and signiiiqa,iiL relationship existing between Aim Mrs Thompson, the w ifo of the deceased, Th,p. tjovrespondenco which had, passed between the two contained sprays of ferns, and thoaccused addressed Mrs Thompson by pet names, and gavo oilier indications of ail'ectioii and - * intimacy. A little boy, AJfeur, was also continually inentiuuod in the most, iiiTetitiowite maimer, and it was a question

for the jury to decide whether these marks of affection were meant solely for the child, or, at any rate in part, for Mrs Thompson. Mr Tole read the following letter, discovered in the pocket of a pair of trousers hanging in Scott's bedroom : Friday night!—My own darling wife. As I told you, T. went to town to-day, and has not yet returned. You can see by the notepaper where I am writing this. I am sitting in my darling's chair to write. T said if he was not home early would I come down and feed Rose and Bess, and I said I would. So lam here waiting for him. Oh, my darling, what opportunities I am getting. I can do it at any time, dear, and I wish to God it was done, so that I could call you my very own. Oh, Dolly dear, what difference between this Friday and last. Ah ! my sweet wife, 1 was happy with you, darling. Are we going to have any more happy days? Dolly, my sweet wife, do you want to come back to your own Bertie, do you, darling ? lam only just scribbling a few lines. I saw paper on the table. My Dolly, 1 wont wait much longer; I can't stand it. —Your own true, loving, and devoted husband, Bertie. I think I am writing with your pen. What do you think I Bertie.

Mrs Thompson had not seen her husband from September 19 until October 31, and it was to be considered whether the deceased was not prevented from visiting his wife, and Mrs Thompson from visiting her husband, by the prisoner Scott. Scott had been continually visiting Mrs Thompson, and probably the familiarity between the two was fully established as far back as January 1891. In March 1892 prisoner seems to have commenced buying poisons, and did so under false names. The evidence to be given by various witnesses was then summarised by Mr Tole, who*'drew attention to the previous good health and spirits of Thompson, to the neglect to obtain medical attention for him during his illness, and to the symptoms of poisoning which were present. The earliest sickness might or might not have been due to irritant poisoning if they stood alone ; but the case must be taken as a a whole, and the jury must decide whether, taking the motives and all the other circumstances together, the sicknesses were caused by irritant poisons. Besides strychnia, other p bisons had been purchased by the accused, one purchase of six grains of strychnia being as late as October 6. Not till the morning of Thompson's death did the wife go out to him. Mr Tole said that he felt bound to describe the reasons given at various times by Scott for not bringing out a doctor as merely excuses. He could safely put it before the jury that the prisoner had exceptional and ample opportunities of administering the poison. As to the fatal night, they had only the prisoner's account of what occurred. The two men were alone. Scott, and Scott only, stated that deceased was despondent; that he spoke of monetary difficulties ; and that he also spoke of putting an end to his life. Then came the statement of Scott as to being aroused during the night by a noise appearing like that which would be present iu tha ease of spasms. He applied mustard, but no !mustard was afterwards found, and he was quite certain, so he said, that Thompson was not dead when he left for the doctor. When Scott went for Moorhead he said that he thought that Thompson was going to " kick out," but to the doctor he snid that Thompson had poisoned The prisoner had definitely - fcet U p t j ie defence that Thompson , jiad - commm itted suicide,