TRIAL OF A. T. MUNN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 9

TRIAL OF A. T. MUNN

DOCTOR GIVES EVIDENCE DISCOVERY OF STRYCHNINE WHAT ATTACKS INDICATED [ Per Press Association J AUCKLAND, May 36. In the Munn trial evidence v.as given this morning by F. W. G. Johnson, chemist, who supplied accused with one drachm of strychnine on November 25 for the purpose of poisoning rats. There were no new features about the evidence, he said. He also supplied medicine to Mrs Munn on Dr. Dudding’s prescription. There was no possibility of strychnine entering mat medicine.

Giving evidence after the luncheon adjournment, Griffen described the ,method of analysis adopted by him to extract the poison from the tissues oi the organs given him to test. Mr Noithcroft: What other test did you apply? Witness: The tacte of strychnine in tho residue. Counsel: It is characteristic —Yes, it is very characteristic and most extraordinarily bitter. If strychnine were used in salts, inasmuch as they are both bitter, the draught may be taken without the strychnine being detected, but if tho draught has passed to the back of the throat then the bitterness is distinct from the bitterness of salts and immediately is noticeable Witness: Yes. Mr Northcroft pointed out that his cross-examination was important as the question of salts and strychnine being taken in confusion was mentioned by the Crown Prosecutor. The reason that strychnine is considered by experts suitable for criminal poisoning is that one draught can be got down before the subject is warned. That is the effect of it. Analyst’s Tests

William Donovan, Dominion analyst of Wellington, said that on April 2 ho received from Griffin a sealed glass jar containing the balance of tho articles submitted to him by Dr. Murray. He conducted the test for strychnine. In the test strychnine definitely chrystalised in one of its forms. He could not confidently say from these tests that the residue was strychnine. The post mortem examination which he had carried out on the body of Mre Munu on February 13 was-4jescribed bj Dr. D. N. W. Murray, of Auckland. Mr Meredith: I understand that thi examination of the organs indicated nothing that would cause death?—Witness: There was no evidence of disease or of injury such as would cause death. There was no sign of miscarriage and no sign of pregnancy. Counsel: There was no doubt about that?—None at .all. Witness said he subsequently heard that the Government analyst had recovered strychnine from parts of the body. Ho had heard what Dr. Dudding and women neighbours had said about Mrs Munn’s condition. Mr Meredith: Taking that yvith your own observation and tnc analyst’s report, what in your opinion is tho cause of death? Witness: Strychnine poisoning. Mr Meredith; Any doubt about it -• Witness: No. Will you give an opinion as to when tho poison that actually caused death was given?—l should say within ton hours of death. Separate Doses Witness said that the demonstration given by Mrs Gill on the chair was consistent with strychnine convulsions and the condition on the Tuesday morning described by Dr. Dudding was also strychnine convulsion. The convulsionson the 11th and on the 14th could not emanate from one dose of strychnine because it was rapidly eliminated by the kidneys. If she did not die of the dose she would make a complete recovery in a few hours. The authorities were clear on that. The strychnine found in the fluid from the body must have been taken within two hours. Witness said ho was definitely of opinion that there were separate doses of strychnine on the 4th and 11th. Mr Meredith: In your opinion had Mrs Munn had more than two doses of strychnine.—Wintoss: Yes.

What make you say that —Because on the sth she was seen by Mrs Gill and Mrs Brown when she was afraid to be touched and was twitching the same evening.

Mr Meredith: It was stated that her nerves were twitching on the 7th. She was very ill, nervous, twitching and unable to got out of bed again on the tenth. A statement was made that when a broom fell on the back verandah Mrs Munn nearly jumped out of bed. Would you expect those conditions to have existed if no strychnine had been given after the 4th.?—Witness: No. Witness thought that on Friday Mrs Munn was in a state of exhaustion following on convulsion. Ho said there was nothing in the post mortem to suggest blood pressure. Mr Northcroft: At what period after the taking of strychnine would you expect the blood pressure to return to normal? —Witness: I would not say. Witness said he could not draw any conclusion from the circumstance that Dr. Dudding found the blood pressure high on two separate occasions. He would not in this case expect any cumulative effect of strychnine. At the close of the cross examination of Dr Murray the court adjourned until to-morrow.