THE TALUNE MYSTERY.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 57, 8 March 1901, Page 2

THE TALUNE MYSTERY.

STARTLING STATEMENTS.

THE WOMAN UNDER ARREST,

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright

Received March 8, 1.8 a.m

Sydney, March 7. The stewardess and firemen of the Talune are coming to Sydney in the Mokoia to give evidence in connection with the Conway caso.

As the Talune arrives in Melbourne on Sunday, probably some moro of tho crew will come over to give evidence. The woman Smith, in custody, is the wife of Percy Smith, residing in tho vicinity of Dunedin. She made a statement to the police, denying tho charge. She also told them that she was going to travel round the world with a lady and gentleman, whose little daughter she rescued from drowning. It is bolioved, however, that since she came to Sydney, sho sought employment as a barmaid. The police aro in possession of information from Now Zealand, which alleges tho following facts: —Percy Smith owed Conway J 6200, for which ho hold a promissory note and deeds on Smith’s property. Conway and Mrs Smith left Dunodin about the end of January. Shortly aftor they went to Christchurch. While thore Conway made a statement to tho police. He was at a watering place with a woman. He had a promissory noto and tho deeds of Smith’s property with him. He had a drink and boeame unconscious. When ho recovered he found tho documents gone. He reported the matter to tho police, but the documents were not recovered. This was about a week beforo ho left by tho Talune, on which Mrs Smith was a saloon passengor.

During tho voyage Conway and Smith were frequently seen sitting together on tho hatchway shortly before Conway was taken ill.

A Christchurch chemist en route to Sydney will give evidence. He was given a description of Mrs Smith, and declares that it tallies with a woman to whom ho sold two lots of strychnine in February. When Conway died thcro was no suspicion of anything wrong. The body was sewn up, but tho captain decided to bring it on to Sydney. An officer took possession and scaled up Conway’s belongings.

A Dunedin correspondent writes : —lt is asserted that the woman Smith, arrested in connection with the suspicious death on the Talune, was confined to her cabin by sickness from tho time tho vessel left Now Zealand until within two days of reaching Sydney. A strange circumstance is that her cabin was shared by another female passenger, and one evening, while the two were apparently in an animated conversation, the stewardess had occasion to enter their quarters, when the woman whoso antecedents are now the subject of great interest inquired . from the stewardess as to whether the latter was acquainted with the effect of strychnine. Tho stewardess said she was not, though she knew the color of ’arsenic. The woman remarked that once she had taken a dog to a chemist to liavo some operation performed upon its eye, and that after undergoing treatment the dog suddenly expired. Smith has resigned his position as a salesman in the City Boot Palace, and proceeds to Sydney. He has implicit confidence in his wife’s innocence.