PAHIATUA POISONING CASE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4018, 21 January 1892, Page 2

PAHIATUA POISONING CASE.

Sho Inquest to to flosumod To.Ni?M Iho Affair StlilaMyfltory. (By Telegraph.—Press Association,) 'Pahiatua, Thursday. The inquest on the viotiins of the poisoning fatality, which will -fcApsumei at sixo'olock this probably be conoludedabout midnight. Ten witnesses are to be examined. The evidence of Dr, Skey* Government Analyst, and Mrs Naylor, in whose house the wedding took place, will have the most important bearing on the jase.

Arsenio was found in the stomach of the deceased, but not the slightest trace of poison of any kind was discovered m the various artiolo's of food forwarded to the Government Analyst. : It should be : meutioned,however, that none of ihe lamb which iB supposed to have contained poison could be procured for analysis, the remains of the dish having been thrown away before the symptoms of the guests became alarming. Evitfenoe will be given to show-that a oat and dog which picked up the meat and ate in were attacked by severe fits of vomiting, but that they recovered 1 shortly afterwards.

MrsNaylor's evidence will go iu the direction of showing that ttajft. is reason to believo the poison TO-' put in the food by design, and that the sad affair was not the result of an accident. - 1 ~ •

The police have made every effort, h but have been unable to ascertain where the poison was purohased. Drs Skey and Milne (who attended the deceased), Mr Eidd (the local chemist), and Mrs Naylor, who will be called in the order named, are expected to be able to throiflie most light on the occurrence. ' " . Intense interest is taken in the Inquiry in tho township aad sur- 1 rounding district. The speoial correspondent of the Times has ascertained that ionic ovi- ' dence of a highly sensational character' is likely to be adduced, Although ,- , not suicioatly direct to incriminate,. still it will bo sufficient to raise buspicion. It appears that at the wedding: breakfast tho guests partook of lamb..' killed and supplied by Mr Moore(ono :i of deoeased). This was at the house of the bride's parents, At 1 nighyfrtrib was sliced and placed on covered by a cloth in tbo kitchen. The bride's mother was ont at midnight to visit a dance in honour of the wedding, leaving tho doors of the house unlocked and a light burning. She returned hall an hour later and taw moving away from the hack of tlni door a man whom she accosted,but who - did not reply. Going inside she found ' one corner of the cloth :whioh had been placed over the meat tucked up ' A and the lamb exposed, The lamb was served at dinner next day, and all who ' parcook of it subsequently displayed symptoms- of .-poisoning, two of them ■' dying. The same evening what re» ; . mained of the lamb was given to a cat and dog, which were ill for some , days afterwards. Revenge arising from unrequited love is absolutely -- out of the question as the possible motivo for any deliberate poisoning, as the bride and bridegroom had been keeping company for fivo years previously. If revenge prompted any criminal act it must havo been dife&od against ouo of the wedding guefjf * This feeling is alleged to have existed <| betwoan Borne of those who attended tho wedding and soma of those invited, but who remained a\yay. Some highly suspicious woids, which are reported to lmve boon used Seyeral weeks prior to tho wodding, are tnkei) to strengthen this suspicion. At aqy rate there jo the fact tljat the laqib', which was harmless on Christmas Day, proved fatally : poisonom on Boxing Day, the suspicious incident connected with the mail coming from the back door of the house on Christmas night, and the allegation that there iB an old standiqg feud, hacked up by bitter threatening wqrds, *