Inquest on Captain Cain

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 60, 20 November 1886, Page 2

Inquest on Captain Cain

VEEDICT OF WILFUL MUKDER.

LPEB UNITED PKEBS ASSOCIATION.! Timaeu, .November 18. The inquest on the body of Captain Cain was continued this morning before J. S. Beswick, Esq. , coroner. Florence Gillon deposed : I went on a visit to Woodlands on 19fch December last ; Captain Cain was taken ill on the Monday after I went there. Hall said a report was in town that Cain was not fed properly. Miss Houston and Mrs Newton and I were present and he turned to Miss Houston saying, " Suppose you did it ?" Mrs Newton said that it would be impossible to manage it in that way as no one person could do it. Three or four weeks before Captain Cain's Hall said something to the effect that it was a pity when people were so ill as Captain Cain that doctors could not give them something to put them out of the way so as to prevent them suffering so much. I know Hall came back twice to stay all night at Woodlands. I asked Mrs Hall when I was at Coomstall in December why nurse Peters had left. Hall was present. Mrs Hall replied to the effect that Mrs Peters got into her head that Hall was trying to poison her (Mrs Hall), Mrs Hall said Tom was always reading " Taylor on Poisons," and did not like it ; I have always heard Hall express the opinion that Captain Cain would not recover. John Eichbanm, chemist, Timaru, deposed : Hall purchased from me in November half an ounce of atropia, and on January ,28th one-third of an ounce of eyedrops, which I took to be atrophia; atropia is a strong poison —the acting principle is belladona. The jury retired to considered their verdict at 4.15 p.m. They returned at 4.45 p.m., when the foreman said the jury were of opinion that Captain Cain's death was accelerated by poison but by whom administered there was not sufficient evidence to show, and, therefore, a verdict was : Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown.