The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4020, 25 January 1892, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1892.

We are very muoh disappointed with the result of the Pahiatua inquest, j which simply crowns the muddle which appears to have attended every step taken in connection with the unfortuuate affair, There was ample time to arrange for an exhaustive inquiry into every aspect of the case, and the miserable outcome of the official investigation is simply trifling with the public, We believe that the publio,who have waited patiently for the result of the inquest, are surprised to find it reveals far less than has already come to their knowledge from authentic sources. The public want to know how it is that when a numberof persons are poisoned, fortyeight hours elapse before biliousness is discovered to be arsenical poisoning, They also would like to know whether, even at the expiration of this period, adequate remedial measures were adopted, for there is rear son to believe that with proper treatment there would have been no loss of life. But what could be expected from a jury which included a persun who was implicated by the evidence of a leading witness! Whether bj accident or design the whole inquiry was so arranged that it concealed rather than revealed material points. The tenor of snch evidence as was submitted went in the direction of showing that the poisoning was not the result of accident, and the verdict of thejury shoul i have been one of manslaughter or murder against an unknown person or persons. There h.as been a deplorable failure of justioe, and w faj}Jp sea how the police I can be exonerated from blame. The composition of the jury alone is open to grave censure, and the absence from the inquiry of outside and independent medical testimony was a serious 0)MJo)) pn the part of those who had charge of tjjearrapgements. The Governor should be adyised to issue a special commission of competent persons to conduct a further inquiry. If there be murder or manslaughter in the case it ought not to be muddled up. '