AN OLD POISONING CASE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1506, 30 October 1886, Page 3

AN OLD POISONING CASE.

The incidents of the Timaru case recall the facts of the trials of Captain Jarvey m Dam edin many years ago on the charge of 1 poisoning his wife. This is especially the case in regard to the scientific evidence. Captain Jarvey was a well known and popular skipper - of steamers plying between Dunedin and the Bluff—'the Titania and William Miskm. He was very much liked, especially by the ladypassengers. His. wife and family resided at, ‘ Caversham, near Dnnedm, where her death occurred. Nothing could exceed the astonishment which was caused by the arrest of her husband on a charge of poisoning her. New F Zealand at that lime had no Universities and few scientists. Mrs Jarvey’. viscera was forwarded to Melbourne for analysis by • Professor Macadam, the Government Analyst there. He found ample proofs of the presence of strychnia, and ho came down ... to Dunedin to give evidence. The defence vras intrusted to Mr James Smith, who knew •omething of chemistry, and speedily learned -more. Professor Macadam was an elderly and rather infirm man. He was quite sure of hie facts, but under the terribly merciless scientific and technical cross-examination of ||r Sscith he got confused, hesitated, contradicted himself, and caused in the minds of the iuty a doubt, suggested rather by his manner than the matter ofhisoross-examina-tibn—-a doubt as to the perfect reliability of .r: ' his uvidence-in-chief us an expert, of the presence of the poison in the remains analysed. ' The result was that the jury disagreed, Jaryey was remanded, and the Professor went back to Melbourne. He was on his way to Dunedin to attend the second trial when he died on the steamer. He had never recovered from the severity of his cross-examination. His death rendered his evidence on the first triM admissable as proof. Bead from the Judge’s notes the facts were so clear that, hot having witnessed the effects of the oross•Xamination and the manner of the witness, the jury had no hesitation m accepting the •ocaraoy of bis analysis, and Oaptaw Jayysy |VM dul j wDTioted tad sxscuted.—Post,