THE CONWAY CASE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 28 March 1901, Page 4

THE CONWAY CASE.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGEAPH —COPYRIGHT.]

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

At the Conway inquest tho Government analyst was recalled and stated that sulphate of strychnine is soluble in water to the extent of two per cent. A fatal dose could be dissolved in a dessert spoonful of alcoholic liquor. A deadly do3o of alltaloid strychnine could be dissolved by an unskilled person in half a pint of alcoholic liquor and by a skilled person in less.

Brooks (chemist) wa3 recalled. He said that he erroneously confused sulphate and alkaloid. It was the latter he supplied to Smith.

Edith Huddlestone, of Blenheim, who occupied the cabin with Smith in the Talunc, said she frequently took stout, and sometimes Smith paid and sometimes she did not. It was usually brought by the stewardess with tho cork drawn. She had some on tho day Conway died. At Mrs Smith's suggestion she did not take it with lunch, but afterward. She was taken ill that evening between 8 and 10. She had a peculiar twitching of the lower jaw, which gradually became still'. She felt dazed and ill after, while her knees and back went stiff. Some days previous to Conway's death, while the stewardess was in the cabin, Smith mentioned having a dog poisoned with a white powder given her by a chemist. Sho asked was strychnine a white powder. Witnoss replied that sho thought arsenic was a white powder. Smith told her that sho had gone to look for Mrs Brown's daughter, supposed to be in the steerage, bul; could not find her. She had given the e4out and fruit which she had taken with her for Mrs Brown to Conway on the evening that the latter died. Witness went on deck with Smith. Shortly after 8 o'clock Smith went to tho steerage and returned after some time. That was the evening she was taken ill.' The case is now closed.

Tho Coroner summed up lengthily. Ho said that tho evidence displayed certain elements of suspicion against Mrs Smith. He drew the jury's attention to the conversations which she had with various person?, She had made admissions a 3 to giving plums and biscuits to deceased, also giving him what she had taken presumably for Mrs Brown, supposed to be a forecabin passenger. The jury must bear in mind that a crime of this kind was not committed without a motive. Evidence had been given from which the jury might conclude that tho motive was evidently monetary relations between Mrs Smith and her husband, or both, with deceased. He commented on the case with which poisons could be obtained from some pharmacists. Tho lady in this case apparently had no difficulty getting strychnine. Tho jury after 25 minutes deliberation returned a verdict that Conway died of strychnine administered by Jane Smith, who was committed for trial at tho criminals sessions on April Ist.