THE HALL-HOUSTON CASE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1347, 21 September 1886, Page 3

THE HALL-HOUSTON CASE

CLOSE OF THE MAGISTERIAL ENQUIRY. PRISONERS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The enquiry in tlra case was resumed at Timaru on Monday before Mr Beswick, R.M. The Crown called Hedley Vickers Drew, who deposed that he had been in consultation with Dr Mclnfyre on Mrs Hall’s He described the symptoms of the patient from the 24th July to the 15th August, and deposed to the finding of antimony in the urine and vomit tested by Relnsch’s process. Hall complained to witness of Dr Mclntyre “fossicking about amongst the pots and pans.” He alto asked abcu" the chemical testing, and wanted to knew if they had found anything in the stuff they had examined. Told him they had found neither albums n nor sugar. Ho asked if witness would allow him to come up aud see the testing, but witness con’d not remember what answer he gave him Hall said Mrs Hall Lsd borne her sufferings very well, and witness said he thought ehe had. Mr Jojnt declined to cross-examine this witnets. Edward George Kerr, proprietor of the South Canterbury Times, said that on August 5 he went to Hall’s office. S*t down and examined seme papers with him in the office. ® While sitting there Hall, who was standing, said, “Excuse me, I wish to speak to my house.” He then rang up the telephone and said, “Is that yon Mary 1 Is Miss Houston in ? Tell her 1 want her.” Afrer a piuse of a few minutes be eaid, c Ta that y< u, Megrims 1 By the way, there is a decanter of wine in the room. Put it away. It was foolish of me m t io put it away before I left home this morning.” He then said, apparently in reply to a remark, “But ho said, “How is 'Kitty,” then “Yes, yes, all right,” as if answering qnea ions! He then walked so oss the room to the end of the table at which witness was sitting, and said, by way of explanation of hi* conversation, “I have a servant at home V© drinks anything ehe can get hold of, J have doctored some wine ? na Witness said, laughingly, ,? r . j»lep, 1 suppose." He •« Tfo some s uff I got from the Uttle chemist o ver , fcbe ™. ad ” Ehffibaum’s l i*. >. almost immediately oppoC u en FTßll , ii office* Hall and wltneß3 stood site Halls office. - minU ‘ eH . and talking or telephone again, “ Sid -A Houston. On beinga^werea, “ y° n ’ he Sd ?.°AU right, if in reply to a qneitton. flo then came back to the table naa coi - tinned his conversation with witness a the account they were discussing, and tn about four minutes he wes rung up. he went to the telephone and answered the ring, saying, “Is that . y#u ,^ 8 Houston?” and after a pause ho said, *' What, my mother there, and want something to drink; give her something. Look in the cupboard, and I’ll wait. "These sentences were evidently given in answer to questions, and after the last question he stood, apparently waiting for ;a reply. Suddenly he put his hands in -his pocket and said, et’dl through the telephone, “the keys are in my pocket.” Then, in answer evidently to other .questions, he said, “ Say nothing at all, And give her nothing.”

Thi-i concluded the evidence for tho prosecution, and eftpr some arjumeot between counsel as to the place trial, it was arranged that the committal in this and the forgery cases also should be made to Christchurch. Prisonets were then formally committed for trial at the next Ttting of the Supreme Court to be held at Christchurch, an spp’ioatlon f t bail for the female h-dng refused