THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S ADDRESS.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 174, 16 October 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S ADDRESS.

The Attorney-General's address occupied, a little over an hour in delivery. Having disposed of the motives which the mala prisoner would have for the commission of his wife's mm dor, Sir Roberts proceeded to say : "I now come to the question of the administration of the poison. On the 19th •f June, ISSG', Mrs Hall, was confined, and four or five ■ days after she was suffering from continual vomiting and retching, pain in the throat, burning and purging.' ' 'J hese symptoms were intermittent, I mtiy tell you, and this, ypn will see from the evidence ol the medical men, is important in _ this case, and continued up till the arreft of 'the prisoners. Immediately .alter, the .arresb the retching and -trouble generally ceased, 1 sWI she got wall. These symptoms, "ag £ haye v tol<i you, are described by the doctor to have . been incessant 'vomiting and griping and .burning sensation in the throat, ami, purging. Dpcfcor after doctor was called in to see Mrs Hall, but they cannot explain the symptoms, as, on examination, they found no signs of organic disease. Not till two or three days before the arrest of the prisoners did it flash across the mind of ' one of them' that the symptoms were symptoms of irritant poisoning. This will be one of ihe little pointa which you will have to consider in the course of thiß case. What was the cause of Mrs Hall's illness?. The doctors will describe the symptoms exactly aa I have told you. They will tell I ' you that ,these are the symptoms of poisoning. L with antimony, and that the only other eymptoms akin to those under which Mrs Hall was suffering was poisoning by colchicum. The symptoms, I may tell you, gentlemen, oi poisoning by antimony and poieoning by colchicum are very much alike. The symptoms of colchicum poisoning are burning pains in the throat and gullet, violent purging and vomiting. Those by antimony arelncessanfc vomiting, pain in the stomach and bowels, thirst and contraction in the throat and gullet, so that you will see, gentlemen, that the symptoms of poisoning by antimony and colchicum are very much alike. Now, Mrs Hall's symptoms were nob consistent with thoae of any known disease, but were consistent with poisoning by antimony or colchicum. After the arrest of the prisoners, as T have already said, these Bymptoms ceased. In former times, all that it was necessary for the Crown to do in cases of poisoning was to prove to the jury that the symptoms of the person, when the accused was charged with poisoning, were inconsistent with any disease. In the old days, when science had not advanced to the stags it has now, we were not able to dirt-uguish the poiqons used j all that could be done was to prove that the symptoms were not consistent with any known disease, and this was held to be enough proof. Now, fortunately, however, for the public, and for the eud6 of justice, we are not' restricted to mpro symptoms.. By teats of evidence, to which I shall refer presently, the Crown will be able to prove most conclusively that antimony was ad> rniuiatered to Mrs Hall Unfortunately for the male prisoner, the evidence that Mrs Hall had taken antimony is clear aud conclusive. I told you that only a few ' days before the arrest of the prisoners the doctors suspected that antimony had been admininisfcered to Mrs Hall, and that in sufficient quantities to show tho intent to poison. They got the vomit and the urine which had come from Mrs Hall, and tested it, and both Dr. Drew and Dr. Mclntyre are certain that they found antimony. 1 now come to what happened on the day ol the arrest of the prisoners. Mts Hall was extremely fiek on the 15th of August. I am. not dealing now, you will observe, with the connection of the male and female prisoners with the administration of the poison. lam dealing with the question whether Mia Hall Avas poisoned or not. Who poisoned her I will deal with later on. As I was observing. Mrs Hall was extremely i-ick on the 15fch, and that day some icewater was given to her, part of which was kept by Dr. Mclntyre and tested by him, the result being that he came to the conclusion that the ice-water had been poisoned, by antimony. He immediately took the proper steps, having iv view the responsibility resting on a medical man for the safety of his patient, and laid &n information and had the prisoners arrested. The ice - water has been. tested' by Mr Black and Dr. Ogston, and they will tell you that, without the slightest doubt, antimony was present in considerable quantities. They will tell you that this ice-water, which we shall show by evidence was given by Hail to his wife, contained antimony to the extent of eight grains to the fluid ounce, aud they will tell you that in all the other articlessubmitted to them, such as the vomit, etc., antimony was found. In the other things mere traces of antimony found, because after the 15th of August it had time to get out of the system. The doctor will also tell you that it was the abundance of antimony which was given to Mrs Hall that prevented her being murdered. ■ If it had been given to her ia minute doses in her weak state sht^ probably would not be alive, but the large quantity such as I have referred to as having been found in the ice water— eight grains to, the ounce — made her eject it from her system. I have told you that I intend to bring evidence to prove as to what Mrs Hall's symptoms were — that the analysis shows that antimony was taken into Mrs Hall's system, and now you have a right to ask nee what evidence I intend to bring , to connect this with the prisoners. First, I intend to- prove to you that the prisoner Hall' purchased poison, and here let me say that, considering the number of chemists' shops, considering also the nearness of the Australian continent, and the opportunities people unfortunately have, despite the stringency of the law, for the purchase of poison, that even if we were not* prepared *to prove the purchase of poisons, as we are, it would nob have been any answer to our charge. But we can prove- 1 the "purchase of the poison, and, "more 'than thia» as 'I 'shall show you later on, thai 1 the' dfctes of'th'e purchase correspond most accurately with the days upon ' which t'hV symptom's, of Mrs" Hall's illness manifested themselves strongly. We shall prdVe t6 yqu^the purchase by the^pri°nner Hairb'f . antimdniar l! wiiiei antimony, JJani 1 (Continued onPagdf.) '" ' '