PAHIATUA POISONING CASE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4022, 27 January 1892, Page 2

PAHIATUA POISONING CASE

Another Vievr of the Matter.

WloOommittoa too Crime?

The Pahiatua Star of Monday, referring to the poisoning case, says :-■ The inquest being over, we are now privileged to speak plainly on the recent unfortunate poisoning cases, and as the fpace at our disposal in this km is very limited, we shall confiue ourselves to two or three questions, leaving the police authori* ties to answer the other,

Abe the Police on the Eight Track ? Have they ascertained whether any of those who attended the wedding on the IYi<%liave been ill 1 No, they have not I We are, however, in a position to say that at least two who attended the wedding and left early in the evening were very ill throughout the night with purging and retching; and it was only by tho liberal application of milk immediately the symptomß showed themselves that they were pulled through. Granted that their condition may not have■been so bad aa tho others, yet it must be admitted that somebody was at work even then I

Was the Mam with the Browk Ham> Hitteb is the House at that time ?—-Perhaps he was; but he is a different individual altogether from the one said to have been seen by Mrs Naylor, The man teen by Mrs Naylor has been fixed upon as the porpeH trator of the crime, He wore a " brown hard bitter,". yet he was too farawag to tell tkcolour of his clothes. The Police and a few newspapers swallow this statement with the greatest of ease, as it is so very simple to fit in a few threats and make the chain of evidenco complete,

What has Become or the Dish the Lamb was Baked in I—This dish was on (he exact spot whore the poisoned lamb was supposed to bare been on the Thursday Constable Cooper went up to take possession of the food, etc, It contained the hard fat arouud the aides—just as the meat was taken from it. Thiii dish would have afforded absolute proof as to whether the poison was in the meat before it was cooked; but it has gone, like the forequarters of the lamb. Will Inspector Thompson say why this dish did not go to Wellington for analysis? The Evidence of the principal witnesses was most inconsistent, and we: are surprised that so much has been attached to it, .For instance, Mrs Naylor's statement of having seen a man she took to be Bill Taggart is a somewhat remarkable one, when she had just a moment before left Taggart sitting in her sonin-law'B house, und it was impotisiblefor bim lo have pussed her on the way to her own house. The police or no one else knew anything of this man with the hard hitter until the Saturday after the poisoning—tbat is after the death and burial of the two victims. Why did not this important feature transpire before? Then the story of the cais and dogs being poisoned is quite a new idea. Why did not the police produce some of those who attended on tliH patients to corroborate the statement? No one else could say anything about it, And why did not the police tender evidence from those who'took no lamb on tlio fatal Saturday) I; is all very well to say they are holding their hand j but they have gone far enough to direct suspicion to certain persons, and those persons are now boing hounded down by unscrupulous sensation mongers, who have already tried and condemned them I Wo are exceedingly sorry if our rcrnarka cause pain to a number pf those ivTio have already suffered greatly from tho effoola of the poison, but the mystery requires clearing up, and we maintain that nothing has yet transpired to justify the suspicions tbat are entertained by the police and sensation«mbngers, No one is more desirous of seeing the mystery cleared up than ourselves. A most unfortunate feature in the inquiry wsb that it assumed the nilure of a trial, and the jury had to draw out the evidence ''that should have been tendered by the police. Take Constable; Cooper and the box of Bough on Rats. He says that Mr Naylor told bim where it was to be found. We believe' that he never saw MYNaylorontliatday. :