Justices Court.

Manawatu Herald, 22 May 1894, Page 2

Justices Court.

Monday, 21st Mat. (Before E. S. Thynne and J. R. McMillan, Esqs., J's.P. CRIMINAL. Andrew Jonson was charged by Constable Gillespie that on the 18th day of May last, at Foxton, he did unlawfully take a certain quantity of a certain deadly poison, called aconite, with intent then and thereby to murder himself. Mr Ray appeared for the accused. Samuel Howan deposed — I am a farmer^ residing at Foxton ; I have known the accused 26 or 27 years ; I have resided in Foxton all these * years and have known him all the time ; I saw the accused on Friday morning last about 9 o'clock near the Manawatu Hotel ; I wanted to borrow a square and he told me he would lend me one if 1 went to his shop ; I got the square and then noticed something the matter with him as he reeled in a faint on the bench ; I caught hiin-to prevent him from falling ; I waited until he cam© to himself again and I asked him what was the matter with him. He told me " Oh Mr Howan, I am afraid I have taken poison." I said, " You don't mean to tell me that," and he replied he had ; I then said I had better go for a doctor, the sooner the better ; the accused, muttered something which I did not hear ; I went to town and saw Constable Gillespie and I asked him what I should do ; he said I had better go on for the doctor ; I asked the constable what to do about that, as if I went for the doctor I might have to pay him, I did not know whether to go or not ; he said I had better go up and see accused again if he was any worse, and come back and let him know ; I went up to the house, and Mr Ray being inside I was doubtful about going in ; I heard the accused reeling about so I went in ; he was retching very heavily as though he had been vomiting; I know the doctor was sent for ; I saw the constable come up and then I left. By Mr Ray— Accused was retching in the back room ; i do not think accused was likely to take his life ; accused might have aaid t»e wished me to go for the doctor ; the accused was the last person in the. woi'.ld I should think would, attempt i>° commit suicide, <- "?' T 1" I*l. William Thomas Dermer deposed — I am a medical practitioner residing at Foxton ; I knoft ihe' kboused j I was called ir» to see him on Friday last ; I was - shown- :a rbottlfr&f *Hpi* ment when I. called at accused's house at twenty xnjnutegi past' fen* (Bottle produced). ,1 t^qOli* Say showed me the bottle. < ;. .; fton^ - jhe odour and the small amounL of liquid in the bpWle I recogn)!g^^ii as aconite liniment, an^.i.liJQb^ly lelladonna linimentjasjwelf; I Baw a ccused ..^ogpg^H^^Pffl^^ching slightly ; I lookeiyp f^^^nd noticed the pupiis of belladonna poifioning,^ fe^pPfensible; I injected app|j^fiirpnia to bring on vomiting, about half a grain ; the appo>morphia did not act so quickly as I wished, so I had to use the stomach-pump ; the pump worked all right ; he was moved from the bed before the st6machpump was applied, and placed^ a chair ; he appeared, unable ijcj^apd ; after his stomach had been thoroughly washed out 1 injected stryeliiiflne ; I called again at half-past : sijf %v& found him pretty well ;* -*a*<jftused struck me that he did not care to answer a question,-^; •gu^dgj him, ■" how came you>.^^j|^^a silly thing as. th^f since made any expiaasJiS^tt-fi^i 5jK came to take this^oiao^f^^ &J*ld be a . difficult mat|«i| to/ e^^jM^ev accused; had tftpn : e^^m^pon to cause ''his ;dß^i|4^|h| |S|wßD action of pioiSbjo^'4^#lSiiiSi&W c dif " ferent 4 1f ifc^d ; teeß!|^||^ some ; $yfc Ra^f ; fi^p^Bn accused vomit before 1 lippjpir: remedies ; the signs' of poispmtfjj Jprere not severe when I saw accajpedj-but just sufficient to show hja t ha&" taken some ; I think accused enough to carry on a conversation if he had chosen to ; the poison has a depressing effect upon the Wart and nervous system ■', the deprfcsjsing influence of the poison\might have been the reason why Jbe 5 di^L not enter into cc^yfcrsatipn/' j \j\ By the Bench— Nine or ten arops would be an . unsafe dose of the poison to take ; I cannot say how much poison accused ;htf&tfrtfee{ftf he had vomited previous t6 i my i&tfeing him ;! I did not see any < signs of vomiting in the room. " John Tanner. Ray on his 6ath>f aith as follows :— I am a solicitor residing at Foxton ; I , know the acguse^ ; on Friday morning last between j nine 1 and ten I saw him ; I went to see him professionally} ■'% handed Dr Dermera bottle marked poison ; the bottle was. handed to, me by accused's wife as having contained stome of the liquid he' had taken-; I* 1 told 1^ Dermer I believed this was the bottle"^ accused- had taken the poison from ; as appearing as solicitor for the ac* cused I desire to give no further evidence. By the constable— The bottle pro-

ducad is the bottle I handed to Dr Dernier. John Gillespie on his oath saith as follows :'■ — I am the constable stationed at Foxton ; on Friday morning last at a quarter past nine from what Mr Samuel Howan told me I went to the house of the accused ; I saw Mr Ray at the door and Mr Howan and I asked for the accused and' I was told he was inside ; I went to his bed room and found him lying pon the bed ; I asked him if he- "was ; ill, but I got no answer ; I endeavoured to get bim to drink some mustard and w.ater, but I could not induce him to take any ; I saw that he was suffering very much, and he was shaking and moaning a good deal ; I p,Bked him if there was anything t'jat I could do for him at all, and Ue muttered something about telegraphing to Levin for his son ; &b,out this time Mr Williams arrived, Jje also tried to induce him to take this mustard and water, and about •- the same time Dr Dermer arrived ; ' Mr Williams and myself assisted in holding the patient whilst the doctor • attended to him ; he strongly re- ' sented the treatment ; I watched the patient most of the day ; I do not ' think any vomiting took place until the doctor applied the stomach pump ; since, the accused has explained how he came to take this liniment ; the bottle containing the liniment he obtained from Mr Rockstrow some years ago for his back ; on Friday morning he felt very unwell and went to the Bhelf where this bottle and another was standing and he took the dose out of the wrong bottle ; having the bottle containing the liniment so many • years in his house he thought it would have no effect and it was only • after: he found his legs givirig way l he ttsked Mr Howan to' go for the doctor. • By Mr Ray — Mr Howan did tell me that he was told by accused to go for the doctor; I think the words used by Mr Howan were that he was going for the doctor ; I have known the accused a good many years ; I was quite surprised to hear that he had made an attempt to commit suicide ; I did not think he would do a thing of the kind ; ■Howan said he was not quite sure if accused had taken poison. , By the Bench— At my request Mr v lt&X sent a telegram to accused's son iftt Ijevin ; I think accused understood what was said to him ; we told 1 koontfeß thV^reason ; why. we wanted him to take the mustard and water was to make him vomit ; he seemed to have lost the power of speech ; I explained 'that if be had taken poison the best thing was to take mustard and water so as to vomit the poison off bis stomach ; he let me pi)t the drink to his lip 3 but then shut Ms mouth and shook his head ; yestei&lay the accused explained his mistake -as to the bottles to me and laid /he had not the slightest intension of- committing suicide ; IfflgßffTn'titfililiw rriri trhnr* the pottles w^siiM#k; he Oriras suffering on the effect of toaiimuoh i>q.uor .on the previous night,; 4 think he. said he thought he had got painkiller. .^ 'Mr, . R>y briefly addressed ths Bench with the purpose of showing- that no prima facie case had heeti made out. The Bench ruled otherwise. The accused was given the usual oaution, and the following statement was taken :— Andrew Jonson deposed— On last Friday morning when I got up I found that I was shivering all over, and with a slight pain on the chest. The wjfe was in the kitchen getting breakfast ready ; I was talking to her about some business and as I was talking' l took a bottle from the shelf TO 4ne kitoheD, taking it to be ibft. uauaLbottle I take medicine out jfcfj I got? a teaspoon out of the box jihA',l took two feaspbonfula out' of jthia botfcle r my usual dose, put it into * cup and added about two ►Aabtaspoonful&.of water ; .-the colour of tlw?Bfcnf£ turned white ■ aa : the painJlilbnidoes ; I put some sugar, in ; I ttwn a put it to my mouth intending 'tprdrfnk the full contents, but I found % ftad' a. different .taste to .painkiller '; not quite half of the stuff was taken ; iiiseoHy I - found I had made a mistake I -looked at the bottle, but dittaefc -feel alarmed owing to the agaiof the stuff which has been in xnjrtopsession oV er six years; I found the other bottle, painkiller. standing on the shelf by the clock ; I then -went down town and called upon "Mr Bay about some business I ibadL-Sflen him about four or five days before; I felt nothing strange .gwagto Mr Ray's till I reached the courthouse ; when I got further on tielt a weakness in my legs and a rolling inside and I then became *$E^idit 'was poison; I got to Mr 'J^j^and asked him to come along 'to my house which he said he would ; on the way back I met Mr Howan, he said he had called at my place to borrow a square, I told him if he came back I would lend bfth'a square; he did ; I gave him lh# square and my legs dropped from under me ; he said whatever is the •ii&ttor ; I told him I believed I had taken poison, go for the doctor; I aw— «#i~ guilty -of taking poison wilfully, it was simply a mistake. --By. the constable — I know nothing .<©f tse events from the time I went to faeci till my son came. The Bench then dismissed the case,