THE CAIN POISONING CASE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2272, 1 February 1887, Page 2

THE CAIN POISONING CASE.

[BY TELEGRAPH.— PHESS ASSOCIATION. Dunbdxn, Monday. To-day's proceedings at the Supreme Court brought the case to a conclusion, within a measurable distance. The evidence of the defence was proceeded with. Joseph Edwards, of Invercargill, deposed that on one Occasion in June, July, or August, 1885, Capt. Cain was sick in Mr Slater's draper's shop, Timaru. The other evidence was all medical, and was given by Drs Alexander, Mannsell, lieid arid Bakewell, and was intended to show that the symptoms of Cain's illness wtre not inconsistent with death from the diseases from which he was suffering, but were not so consistent with antimonial poisoning. Dr Brakowoll, in fact, went so far as to say that antimony administered in small doses such as, judging from the amount found in Cain's remains, was the case with him, would prolong life, and would counteract the effect of over stimulants, and alcoholic poisoning, from which Cain was suffering. He was inclined to give urinic poisoning as the cause of death, and to eliminate antimony, as from the symptoms described in the last days of Cain's illne.-s lie was not evidently suffering from antimonial poisoning.

Mr Chapman opened the defence in a speech which promises to be of great length and great weight. He commenced by referring to the gravity of the charge, and the sense of responsibility under which he rested, the present being the first case in which he had undertaken the defence of the main issue which might put a man in peril of his life. He then proceeded to analyse part of the evidence, but as lie only spoke for a little over an hour, and is likely to speak for another four hours, he only cleared the ground a little.