The Conway Mystery.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 130, 30 March 1901, Page 3

The Conway Mystery.

Sydney, March 27. The inquest was resumed to day. Detective-McLean stated that Mrs Smith said :—" My husband borrowed £2OO on our property, the deeds wore -given as security, but there was no Mortgage or any other legal writing." She paid the money, and Conway handed the deeds back. She paid the money in the presence of Mr Williams, of Maori Hill. Mr WilHann formerly practised as a barrister and solicitor, but did not do so now. She paid £2OB, including interest. She denied ever borrowing money from Conway herself, or giving to him a promissory note or other acknowledgment. She had heard that Conway was ill on board the steamer. The chief engineer called at ail the ladies' cabins, nuking if there was a Mrs Conway on board. Mrs Smith told the engineer tint she did not know any Mrs Con Way. She did not go to wee Conway when she heard ho was i)i, becau-e she was attending a young lady in her cabin who had convulsions. She did not know what cmised the convulsions, but she thought there might be poison on board, but they might have been CMisod by sea sickness. Shortly aPerwards the stewardess told Mrs Smi.'h that Conway was dead. She admitted meeting Conway in Ohristchureh. Ar Sumner Conway pressed her to drink first from the bottle. She then lost hu- memory. She paid Conway thu money a month before she left ho u-\ Til- detective detailed the arrest of Mrs Smith, who lad asserted bur. inuoconco.

Tilt; Covermnent An.il.ysi, recalled, stated thai sulphate of strychnine was soluble in water to the oxl.'-hit of 2 per cent. A fatal dose couM be dissolved i:i a dessert spoonful of alcoholic liquor. V deadly dose of alkaloid strychnine could be dissolved by an unskided person in lialf a pint ui' alcoholic liquor, and bv a skilled person in less. C. *M. Brooke, chemist, re called,, said that he had erroneously confused I sulphate and alkaloid, lb was the J latter that was supplied to Airs Smith. Edith iiudaiesLoiie, of B.uuhiMm, who occupied a cabin with Mrs Smith in the Tahlue, said that they frequently took siout. Sometimes Mrs paid, and sometimes she did. The stout was usually brought by tho stewaidess with the cork drawn. Site had some on the day that, Conway died, (ic Mrs Smith's suggestion. Sho did not take it with lunch, but after wards. She was taken ill that evening between 8 and 10 o'clock. She had a peculiar [.witching of the lower jaw, which gradually became si.l'i". Shu felt very dazed and ill after, while her knees and back Went stiff. Some days previous to Conway's death, while the stewardess was in the cabin, Mrs Smith mentioned having had a dog poisoned with a white powder given hev by a chemist. She a.-,ked whether strychnine was a white powder. Witness replied that she thought arsenic was white. Mrs Smith told her that she had gone to look for Mrs Bio.vn and ! her daughter, supposed to be in the steerage, but could not find them. She had given tho stout and fruit which she had taken with her for Mr;* Brown to Gun way. Oil the owning the latter died witness went on deck with Mrs Smith shortly after S o'clock. Mrs Smith went to the steerage, and returned after some time. That was the evening site was taken ill. The Coroner summed up at considerable length. IL) said that the evidence displayed certain elements of suspicion ngain«t Mrs Smith. I'm drew the jury's atten ion to the conversation which site had with various persous. She had mado admissions of giving plums and biscuits to deceased, and also giving him what L-he had taken, presumably, for Mrs Br/uvn, supposed to be a fore-cabin passenger. The jury must bear in mind that it crime of this kind was not committed without a mjtive. Some evidence had been given, from which the jury might conclude that the motive was evidently the monetary relation between Mrs Smith, or her husband, or both, with deceased. He commented on the ease with which poisons could' be obtained from soms pharmacists. The lady in this case, apparently, had no difficulty in getting ssrychuine. Tho jury, after twenty-five minutes deliberation, returned with a verdict that Conway died of Strychnine administered .by Jane Smith. Mrs Smith was comv.iittod for trial at the criminal sessions on the Ist April.