The Conway Case.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 141, 25 April 1901, Page 1

The Conway Case.

Sydney, April 22. Jane Smith was arraigned on a charge of the murder of Conway. Mr Wade, Crown Prosecutor, in opening the case, said that although no one could say that accused had put the poison in the food, the fact ohat she was the last person in the company of deceased, and she being the person at whoso hands he took' food prior to the fatal fit, combined with her demeanour, the conclusion was that deceased had met his death at her. hands, and that the deed was done with criminal purpose. Accused, who looked more careworn than on her appearance at the Coroner’s Court, exercised her right of challenge freely, objecting to fourteen jurors. Thomas Conway, a brother of the deceased, said that his brother never bad a fit in his life. Smith visited their house in 1899. He had seen her several times since then. His brother, sister and himself had accompanied her to their new bouse. His brother had a considerable sum of money by him from time to time. Dalton, a steward on theTalune, admitted that he did not receive instructions to Jock up the do ceased’s effects till next morning. Dr. Taylor, cross-examined by Mr G. IT. Keid, said that he formed the opinion of death after the post mortem and by questioning some of the ship’s company. He bad in his mind the question of strychnine at the time, but finally decided, from the result of the post mortem, in favour of the certificate he gave. He recognised thut a man with diseased kidneys might have fits, ? Handling'a patient after the poison was well absorbed might bring on convulsions. The evidence given showed'that the jars containing the contents of the stomach lay in the morgue for some days unsealed. The Governmens Analyst said that it was very remote that poison was placed in the remains after death, as it would require a skilled anatomist to inject poison in the tissues. April 23. Mr Hamlet, Government Analyst, produced the actual crystals obtained from the stomach of Conway. He had recovered three* quarters of a grain, some being lost m analytical tests. In crossexamination he said that a man woiud retain consciousness until the last after taking 'strychnine. He knew of cases where no fatal results had followed largo doses, but these were abnormal, He placed an unknown quantity of strychnine in a bottle of stout, and allowed it to stand twenty minutes; he made an analysis, and found that in that time 1.38 grains had dissolved. Mary Nesketh, of Christchurch, said that she knew accused intimately for eleven years. Hep name before, she was married was Jane Hampden. She came to witness’ shop in February last and said that she had received a present of £SOO for rescuing a child named Stuart from drown* ing, and was goina to take a trip to Sydney and Melbourne with the friends of the child. Sho asked -witness’ son whether a gentleman had called and he said yes. Witness accompanied hep to Donnington’s, a chemist’s shop, to obtain the use of a telephone, Smith afterwards told her that she had rung up Conway, Accused then asked the assistant for a shilling’s worth of strychnine to kill cats. The assistant refused her request. When they returned to witness’ shop Conway was there, The accused introduced witness, and then gave Conway .a pound note, telling witness that she o|ped him a butcher’s bill and that Convey had lost his money in business. Cross-examined, witness said that when Smith made th© remarks about Conway losing his money it was in his presence, and he did not contradict it. Passey,'cook on the Talune, said he was positive that Mrs Smith visited the fore part of the ship eveiy evening after leaving Wei* lington, Edith Huddleston-said that qb the night she took ijj accused expressed wonder whether she ha 4 taken anything poisonous to cause ; her to become ill like Conway, Cross-examined, she said she copl4 not remepaber Mrs Smith being phs of the cabin on Saturday ntyfafa

She was sure sMTwas not, but was not certain whepber. she left it on Sunday or succeeding evenings. She had stout occasionally for seasiokness, and jWas under the imipression that accused drank some on the night Gionway died, though not certain. She did not go to her cabin till eight o'clock on Saturday night. Accused was there then, and asked h9r to share the cabin with her when they left Wellington, j Brook, a ', l i raist, said that the accused did ask for strychnine. said that she wanted a poison for cats. She suggested strychnine. Ernest Smith, an assistant at Bonningtori's, Christchurch, said accused tried to putchase strychnine to kill cats. She said nothing but strychnine would do.