Inquest at Pahiatua.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 26 January 1892, Page 2

Inquest at Pahiatua.

The inquest on Peter Dickson, one of the victims of the Pahiatua poisoning affair, was resumed at the Town Hall, at Woodville, on January 2ist, at 6 6 l d6clr,"b6tenrMr-€ r . Hall, Coroner. In-pector Thomsor conc'ucte: 1 . the examination pi tm wit- mes, and Mr W. Tosswill, loca sol' tor, watchej thejarQQeejilinga.s.u b"t If of the relatives of the dcea 3d. ' ; ' -.'..\ ■. 1 he jurors were Messrs A. 'Blacic (foreriian)j B-. Crewe, H. Stevens, J. Henderson, H. \% *«g«s, J. P. The Insp^tof r^^^Analyst's report which stS^^Mkjpiie considered arsenic- caused^ rithe death of the late Mr P'Ditftson. Mrs Mary Jane Naylor deposed that on Christmas Day her daughter Annie was married to Wm Sedcole. Mr and Mrs Dickson were amongst the guests. They had luncheon and tea at her house. They promised . to come the next day. After £ea on Christmas Day there was a big disb, # containing two joints of lamb,' in the kitchen, and on top of it , she plaoed a dish containing sliced lamb, oover-,, ing the whole with a cloth, the fab and cloth being replaced > after. Mr Naylor had supper on Christmas night. Alongside , the lamb was another dish containing ham, also covered with a cloth.- These dishes were placed on a bench immediately inside the scullery door. At. mid? night she went to a dance in her daughter's house, leaving no one in the house but smull children in bed asleep. The scullery door was closed but not locked, and she left a candle burning on the bench alongside the meat. On returning at 25 minutes to one she found one corner of the clothe oovjeriijg #amb turned back exposing theL* tneat. When she was returning from her daughter's, and ;was about seven yards from the scullery, she saw a man passing up the right-of-way # at the side of her house, and going towards the main^, road. He^ was about five or six vja|d|' from; v' the scullery door wtien she first saTrhim. She .pointed put the spots yesterday to the police, and they measured the distance, which was as just stated. She called out " Hulloa, Bill, is that you ? taking him to be Bill Taggart, one of the guests, but on 'returning to the dance room she found Taggart still there, and then' was satisfied that it was not Taggart she had seen. The man took no notice ;' he did not look round, and so far as she knew did not speak. All she knew as to his dress was that he had on a short coat and blown hardhitter hat. His back was towards her. He went on, and she entered the scullery' ; and found the meat had been uncovered. Lights were left in the diningroom, bedroom, and scullery. It first occurred to her that one of the' gtresta had been helping himself. That was what the candle was left in 'the scullery for. The man she saw appeared to be walking quickly away round the corner of the house irora the scullery door. Shortly afterwards witness and her husband retired for the night. After- dinner next day (Boxing Day) witness, her husband, and Mr and Mrs' Dickson. went for a drive to Woodville, returning at half past 5. Theyha4 nothing after dinner. On v unday morning scarcely anything was left of the lamb, and she gave the remnants to two dogs and two cats, and saw them eating at these remnants. , 'these dpgs rt and . eats were found to be bad next day, and remained bad, for a day or two afterwards While returning f ifibm Woodville witness felt very thirsty. (Here witness described the attadfr') William $edcole an( j her daughter had been keeping company five years prior to their marriage, and „there was no other lover in the case. , - Inspector Thomson : Was not a threat made use of in your presence three weeks before the wedding? Witness: Not in our house;. it was in the house of Mr J. P, Clark (one of the jurors) about a fortnight or three weeks before the wedding. Only Miss Maggie Clark (sister of Mr J. P. Clam) and myself were present. We were alone. Miss Clark was talking about Mrs Dickson, and said if she had a chance she would poison the old bitch, she had been telling me about Dickson having had her up at. Court at Masterton. She was very angry or she would not have said that. Mrs Emma Moore, widow of Joseph Moore, Edward Nayipr.^A* P Williams and Constable Cooper gave evidence. t ' '/' The Coroner having uummed up, tho jury retired at 25 minutes past 1 a.m , and returned ten minutes later with the following verdict : 'The jury were satisfied from the evidence that the deceased Peter Dickson was poisoned by arsenic at Mr E. Naylor's house on the 26th December, 1891, but how the poison was administered', or by whom, there is no evidence to show.' At the inquest on the death of Joseph Moore, held immediately afterwards the jury returned the following verdict:— 'That the deceased Joseph Moore came to his death from arsenical poison, taken at Edward Naylor's house at Pahiatua on the 26th December, I^9l/bui'by whom administered the jury are nnabletosfty. •