ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO POISON A FAMILY IN OTAGO.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 617, 30 December 1869, Page 2 (Supplement)

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO POISON A FAMILY IN OTAGO.

[tuapeka times, dec. 11.1 Some excitement was caused in Lawrence on Wednesday by the intelligence that Inspector Percy and Constable Purdue had arrived in charge of a man and woman accused of the serious offence of an attempt to poison a whole family. From what we can learn, the facts of the case are as follows :— Jane Doigh, the female prisoner, and her husband, have been fur some time engaged as servants at the Spy law Station, Tapanui. Mrs Doigh is a very passionate woman, and has repeatedly quarrelled with Mr Cameron, the manager of the station, and his wife. On the occasion of one of these quarrels, she said to Mr Cameron, " I hope I will yet see you a corpse in your boots." She also threatened Mrs Cameron on the day of the alleged attempt, and expressed regret to a boy, named M'Grath,

at the non-success of the poison. It appears that every facility for the crime of poisoning was offered at the Spylay Station. In the woolshed a barrel of arsenic was stored, without any precautions to prevent it being at the disposal of every one about the place. Mrs Doigh has repeatedly asked both Mrs Cameron and her husband to fetch her some of this arsenic stating that she wished to poison rats ; but both declined to gratify her. She has, however, frequently been seen near the woolshed after dusk. About nix weeks ago, Mrs Doigh got a tin of soda from some fencer 3. Part of this she gave to Mrs Cameron, who used it for baking purposes without any ill results following, until Saturday, the 27th nit., when she used it in some flour to make scones. Mr Cameron, Mrs Cameron, and their child, ate some of these about 5 p.m., and were almost immediately taken ill, and continued sick until midnight. The symptoms were violent headache and excessive thirst, and were equally marked in the case of the boy M'Grath, who had also eaten of the scones. On the same 'evening, previous to the family having tea, Mrs Doigh fed the fowls with some stale home-made bread soaked in water, and next morning four large turkeys and eight other fowls were found to have perished. The arresting constable has in his possession two of the scones left over, and a quantity of the . powder left after baking. No doubt an analysis of these will show whether arsenic was introduced into them or not. As it is, the case is undoubtedly one of strong suspicion, and thoroughly justifies the police for arresting the accused. The 'female prisoner is described as about 40 years of age, and is said to " have the appearance of an old hand." She will be examined here on Tuesday next. The most remarkable feature is the culpable carelessness which left a quantity of one of the most deadly poisons at the mercy of every passer-by. In another part of the same issue, the same journal saj'S : — We understand that the stomachs of the poultry, alleged to have been poisoned at Spylaw '• Station, the scones, and a portion of the vomit of the sufferers is to be sent to Wellington for analysis. Constable Purdue will have to go North in charge.