Full report of the trial of Thomas Hall for the murder of Captain Henry Cain : Before his honor Mr. Justice Williams, at the Supreme Court, Dunedin, January, 1887.

  • Hall, Thomas, -1887?
Date:
MDCCCLXXXVII
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Full report of the trial of Thomas Hall for the murder of Captain Henry Cain : Before his honor Mr. Justice Williams, at the Supreme Court, Dunedin, January, 1887. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    secure Mitton's promissory note. The signature •*'T. Hall ill the book (poisons register) pro- duced was ill the prisoner's handwriting. Wit- ness did not think that the prisoner's partner, Mr Measoii, ever brought in any bills prior to August 1885. Cross-examined by Mr Chapman : The liabili- ties to the bank amounted to about £8000. The securities held by the bank against over- draft and discounts ia January 18S5 were valued at £9000, and were about the same in 1886. I <3onsidered the account fairly secured. Cameron's bill for £650 was retired at due date, ©n the 16th of December 1885. On the 29th of January 1886 the liability to the bank was £7680. In November 1885 it was larger, being then £9800, and had been reduced in the in- terval. I knew Hall personally pretty well, and believe he had dogs and horses about his place. I rem-^mber OQ one occasion noticing something peculiar with one of Hall's eyes. It was an en- largement of the pupil of the eye. Some con- versation took place about it, and Hall said he had been doing something to the eyes of one of liis dogs, and thought that some of the medicine must have got into his own eye. Re-examined : I cannot tell the date of that. ■Cameron's promissory note was taken up by Hall .and Meason's cheque. The question of the value of the securities held had been gone into lately, and on examination the securities were found to he less than £9000, but how much less I cannot say. The securities valued in 1885 and .1886 included the promissory notes and mortgages mentioned in my evidence. Robert Silvers Black, manager of the National IBank at Timaru, deposed: The prisoner kept his private account at our bank in January 1885, and for some time previously. In January 1885 the account was generally overdrawn something under £100. From then till the following ■September it ran much the same figures, increas- ing towards September to £200. On the 19th of November it was overdrawn £50, and from that time till the end of March the account was in credit, with one or two exceptions. In August 1886 the account was overdrawn £600, and we held security for the overdraft. The signature T. Hall in the book produced (the poisons register) is the prisoner's. To Mr Denniston : We are satisfied with the security we have for the overdraft. Hall had a good commercial reputation, and tnight have relied upon us for £200, I think, without any special security. On December 18, 1885, Hall was in credit nearly £500, and had a substantial sum to his credit during that month, and for the whole of January. Charles A. Wilson, a clerk, deposed: Pre- viously to December 4,1885, and at that time I was clerk to Hall and Meason, of Timaru. I entered their employment in 1880. I know of business transactions between Mr Cameron, a station manager at Waimate, and the firm. There were also transactions with Mr M. Mitton, station manager, Mount Peall, and with a Mr John Fraser, a shepherd in the Mackenzie country. I never received any promissory notes from any ■of these parties. Hall was the partner who attended to the banking business of the firm. I may have taken promissory notes from those parties to the bank, but if I did so I received them from Hall, and took them upon his in- structions. The signature in the book pro- duced (poisons register) is Hall's. I kept the firm's ledger. In December 1884 I find an entry— By E. H. Cameron's promissory note, December 1884, £800; and there is a later one under June 1885. By promissory note, 13th Decem- ber, £650. Mr Mitton's account shows—July 16, 1886. By promissory note, 19th November^ £225 '; and under that the same name— March 3, 1836. By promissory note, 15tb Ju'y, £275 ; and one January 13,1886. By promissory note, 8t-h March, £205. Mr John Fraser's account shows an entry— July 19, 1886. By promis- sory note, 22nd November, £150; and on September 10, 1885. By promissory note, 26th December, £150. All the entries I have read are in my handwriting, and were made by- Hall's instructions. Shortly after Hall's arrest there was a meeting of the creditors of the firm, and Mr W. M. Sim was appointed one of the liquidators. This witness was not cross-examined. Edward Hume Cameron, station manager, de- posed : I know the prisoner. H'^ belonged to th3 firm of Hall and Meason. I had transac- tions with that firm from 1881. They invested money for me. I did business with Hall per- sonally. I got one statement showing the posi- tion of my account. (Statement produced, showing securities amounting to £1575.) Of that money I have received about £440, and have received some of the secu- rities, purporting to be for about £500, but not worth more than from £250 to £300. There are no securities representing the balance, and I am a creditor for it. I have not received any dividend or any notice of a dividend. I gave my money to Hall personally by cheque. I never gave the firm a promissory note, nor a promissory note to anyone in my life. I have lived in that neighbourhood between 22 and 23 years. I have never heard of any other E. H. Cameron in the district. This witness was not cross-examined. Michael Mitton, station manager at Mount Peall, said: I know the prisoner Hall. I never gave a promissory note to the firm of Hall and Meason, or to either of the partners. I gave the firm money from time to time to invest. I chiefly gave it to the prisoner. £1480 was given in all. I have received none of the princi- pal back, but some of the interest. I have re- ceived no dividend out of the firm's estate, and have had no intimation that any w'll be payable. I have lived for 26 years in South Canterbury, and never heard that there was any other per- son of the same name there. The signature on the transfer of mortgage produced is my name, but not my writing. I never signed any trans- fer of mortgage. Cross-examined by Mr Chapman : The secu- rities were held by the firm of Hall and Meason for me. I believe they have been since the bankruptcy handed over to someone for me.