THE MUNN TRIAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 972, 15 May 1930, Page 12

THE MUNN TRIAL

TODAY’S PROCEEDINGS i 11 j (Continued from Page 1.) 1 ‘‘We shifted her to the dry side of | j the bed and while we were doing that j ! she had a violent trembling fit in the | legs and arms. For a time I was able i ' to restrain her, but the spasms be- j came more and more vigorous and j 1 then the body arched up between the ' . | heels and the head and she gave j 1 moaning gasps,” the doctor said. The face became twisted up, in a j position he described as a derisive ( grin. This was caused by contraction of the facial muscles, and was ' known as risus sardonicus. The ( face stayed in this position while the , arms and legs jerked spasmodically and the body arched up. The doctor demonstrated the jerk ;. Ing upward effect of the arms. Mr 3. Munn made moaning gasps, which continued for a couple of min j ntes, he said, but when the paroxysm 1 i was at its height, stopped. The | woman was conscious in the first p*rt j of the attack, but the pain would be too great later for her to speak. | She looked agonised. The attack | lasted for about four minutes, said the witness. “DON’T TOUCH ME” At the beginning of the paroxysm I Mrs. Munn called out, “Don’t touch \ me,” when he attempted to restrain her, but he did not continue this j because the strength of the spasms was too great, and he wanted to do something to relieve her. He therefore injected morphia to ease the pains and allay the spasms. Mrs. Munn then became relaxed, but she was very exhausted. “I have never seen or heard anything like it before,” added the doctor. The doctor said he asked Munn if j this was the same kind of attack as | Airs. Munn had before and Munn said “’Yes.” The doctor did not associate the I attack witli blood pressure because of the great severity of the spasms, the horror of being touched, also the fact that moving her brought on the spasms, the clarity of the mind and her quick recovery. The arching ol’ the body was not typical of an attack brought on by blood pressure. “That’s a strychnine convulsion, I said to myself,” said the doctor. He then thought over the question -whether a strychnine convulsion was associated with blood pressure. VISIT FROM MUNN Munn called on the doctor about, II o’clock, stating that his wife’.' breathing seemed to have stopped and iliat he could not feel her pulse. "t went down to the house immediately,” witness continued. “I was surprised to find Mrs. Munn dead. 1 examined the heart to make sure, and the body generally and found all the muscles were contracted and the risus sardonicus was ou the face and the body was arched. His Honour: Was the mouth open? -—Tartly. Mr. Meredith: What would that indicate? —That she had another convulsion and died in it, and that there was some congestion of blood, making 'he veins stand out on the head, which bore out this view. The arching of the body would cause difficulty iii getting breath. The extent of the arching would be the largest bend possible between the heels and the head, witness said. The doctor was then almost sure Mrs. Munn had cMed from strychnine poisoning, he said. MUNN QUESTIONED Continuing, Dr. Dudding said be asked Munn what Mrs. Munn had to Cat that, morning. Munn replied that Mrs. Munn had had nothing to eat, and. he thought, salts to drink. The doctor asked Munn what time he was roused that morning and when Mrs. Munn’s illness started. The doctor was told by Munn that he had risen late that morning, about S o'clock, and Mrs. Muun’s sickness started about that time. “1 looked about for a bottle of strychnine, or anything in which poison could be taken. On a wicker table near the side of the bed on which Mrs. Munn had been lying on my first visit. I saw a cup in which there was some liquid like salts that have been allowed to stand.” Mr. Northcroft objected on the ground that the evidence was entirely new. It was strange that the matter had not been mentioned to the police. Dr. Dudding said he had mentioned it to the police, but he did not know if it was in his statement. The doctor said he inserted his little finger into the fluid and found that it tasted bitter. He took out a small qua.ntity of the liquid in a small case in which he carried the hypodermic syringe. There was a wash-hand basin containing some water, also on the table. On visiting Mr. Johnson's chemist shop he found an entry in the poisons register showing that on November 25 Munn had bought a gramme of strychnine hydro chloride. A gramme represented a level teaspoonful. Dr. Dudding told his Honour. Detailing the tests he made of the liquid lie obtained from the cup in Mrs. Munn’s room. Dr. Dudding said that he obtained no reaction with two lots, but with the third some of the bi-chromate of potash crystals took on a dark purple hue, which could be spread over the glass when the crystals were touched. He thought this was a possible reaction for strychnine, and when he experimented with pure strychnine crystals he got a similar colour reaction. He could not accept the test of the liquid from the cup as definite proof of the presence of strychnine. Taking four bottles with him, said witness, he returned to the house about 12.15 for further samples of liquids for testing. He saw Munn going down the road in the car, and when witness arrived no one was in the house. While witness was preparing to take specimens Munn returned to the house. MET MUNN IN PASSAGE Witness met Munn in the passage, and told him he had come back to fix things up. Munn remarked that he had been so upset that he had forgotten to put on a collar, and he then entered the bedroom to get a collar. AVitnees was not positive whether Munn actually got a collar, because Munn went into another room and left a little later. The body was in a state of rigor mortis, the limbs being tightly contracted and he had the utmost difficulty iu drawing off contents of the stomach. The mouth, though partially open, was particularly difficult to open wider. He also took the remainder of the liquid in the cup, but did not taste it the second time, and also water from a jug in 'be room. He bottled the samples and in a valise handed them to a mesaenger to take to an analyst. His Honour: When you lasted the t _ liquid in tile cur. was it like that in

which salts had been taken?—Yes, as far as I could tell. The report of the analyst showed that the gastric lavage gave a strongly positive test for strychnine, but the liquids from the jug and the cup gave i negative results. "Mrs. Munn was always a cheerful, pleasant woman during the time I had Known her,” said Dr. Dudding, and even during the illness she was never depressed. She was very attached to the children. Mr. Meredith: What is your opinion of the cause of death? —Strychnine j poisoning. j HOW MANY DOSES? In your opinion was more than one j dose given?—At least two doses on February 4 and February 11. Looking back, probably more, by reason ' of the cramps she complained of, and ; the noise made by dropping of the broom. He inferred from this there had been small doses between Febru- ' ary 4 and February 11. The effect of strychnine was to ; cause death or lead rapidly to com- j plete recovery, said Dr. Dudding. j There were periods in which a ] patient suffering from strychnine would appear to have nothing the matter. Mr. Meredith: Would there be any relation between the paroxysm on February 4 and 11?—No. His Honour: How long would the paroxysms last? —Half an hour. Continuing, Dr. Dudding said that strychnine would have the effect of raising the blood pressure. Cross-examined by Mr. Northcroft, witness said he did not keep a diary of his work, but he fixed the hours fairly well with his consultation hours. He had no record of the hours when messages were received for him. He fixed the time of his visiting Munn’s house on occasion of his first call there at* about 9 o’clock. Mrs. Munn was exhausted but her condition did not alarm him, and there was no sign of twitching or convulsions. i Mr. Northcroft: Was her mind j bright and alert?—No; she was ini dined to be apathetic and did not , want to be bothered. 1 Do you rnaaii that she did not want to be bothered with your questions? —That is more likely. Did Munn use words to indicate that his wife had a convulsive seizure?—No. In the lower court you said Munn told you his wife had some kind of convulsive seizure? —Those are my words. I can only quote my impression. But you credited Munn with saying he told you it was a convulsive seizure? —My mind may have been biased through seeing the fatal convulsion. Do you mean to say that your statements are prejudiced by this? —Not my statements. His Honour described Mr. Northcroft’s questioning on this point as “only splitting straws,” but counsel retorted he wanted the doctor to explain the “extraordinary Inconsistencies” of his testimony In the Police Court and at the trial. EVIDENCE THIS AFTERNOON Dr. Dudding was further crossexamined in the afternoon. He admitted that he read over the depositions of his testimony given in the Police Court and made many alterations, even to the punctuation. He admitted that after strychnine was administered and convulsions had died away, a noise, touching, or even a draught could provoke a fresh convulsion. Strychnine convulsions were more or less periodical. He tested the blood pressure by wrapping a rubber band round the arm, stopping the circulation. Mr. Northcroft: I suggest that with a patient affected by strychnine poisoning, that would stimulate a fresh convulsion? —Yes And after you drew blood the releasing of the band would be a stimulus?—Yes. And haviDg remained with the patient an hour and there were no signs of a fresh convulsion, could it be assumed the effect of* the poison had passed off entirely?—Not altogether. The doctor expressed the opinion that fresh convulsions would not occur within half-hourly periods. (Proceeding.)