The Inquest.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 75, 27 February 1884, Page 3

The Inquest.

I Extracts from the Evidence. JF-bje; deceased. Olga Stenesse had od different occasions appeared at several public entertainments m Wellington—lnotably at the lectures given by Captain Barry at the Athemeum — m the ! capacity ; of pianiste, ; afe which she won considerable praise. She was a Norwegian by birth, and it was represented that she had had the honour of playing before, ilie Queen of Denmark. She was about 23 years of age, and was very ladylike and attractive. j Dr; Gillon had used all means to recover, her, and was with her till she died. In his opinion death was caused by.au irritant poison, probably arsenic. He asked for Ihe box from which the poison had been -taken, but Miller said he had thrown it down jthe closeti He also said that he had done the same with the stools and vomit. 'He ! prer aerved the stomach and 'kidneys m ,; sealed, jars.i : .-.. t : ; Mary JFoley, housemaid, deposed— at 3 a^lock on Saturday afternoon saw deceased lying on her bed. Asked her what was the matter, and she answered ".Nothing 1 /.' She declined a- cup of tea. : I, returned to her room m answer to a '[call from her at 4.30. 1- found her standing. on the floor naked. I tried ,:fco get her to i bed. 1 She.: threw the sheet at me, and I. ran out of the vooml She told me to call Mr Milleiv T called him from the top of the -stairs, , land he came up at once. I ran down ; stairs, and told :Mrs Harding that deceased was very ill, and had frightened ; ;me. "Deceased was • known m the house as Mrs Miller^ They i had separate bedroomsi I made both 1 bed 9 i every morning; "l&ey seemed on pretty igo.od.ter.msi j . ■ ■;■ •■ ■■■■■■ • ; •! '■■. James Pearson, coachman, said~Ori Saturday evening 1 I was m the ' Union Hotel. 1 . : Deceased.was m the bar, and Miller was m: the passage. Miller aud I went into a sitting- rooin close to the bar. - .Alton we had been talking^there for about ; halfean^houp ' deceased came .came into theirodml She sat down for a few minutes. Miller then took a round box< from his pocket' and gave it ito her., She pulled the lid off, and I noticed it was full of flesh-coloured . : po,\yde>v ■ , .He said ■'.' Mind what: you ai*o doing with that, Olga,. it's, dangerous. u ljfiyou\ise it, be care&iLofAtHe knife . -in applying iti to ithe bread and butter, asjt's;;ratik .poison." Afterward she rose from the. chair and wispered some* thingantb Miller's ear. Thereupon they .left the room together. Miller came back andi : said ; she. had charged him ■ with making an appointment for the afternoon! with aome girls, and wanted to know* .who the girls were. Ho added, "What a foolish girl she is to get such an idea into her head.'.' There had. been no conversatibn > of the kind between us. After 1 this X left the hotel, and returned m about half-an-hour or .' so. .When. I 'came back Miller showing me a box said, "My Gr6d, she has taken some of this stuff." He s» id she :Was very bad 1 , and he took me up td •her room. She was lying covered up m bed;/ Suddenly she sprang^ up m bed m. a sitting pdsifcion and said, " Haven't I loved you; Willie ?." at the same time stretching <hor ; arms towards him . Miller: replied j f i^es, my darling, I; . know you have." With that he kissed :her.L She then fell back on the bed with her head rat one side. > I walked; . nr>to r her audi said, Why have you done this* r.Olga ?" She replied, " I .did not think.": A few seconds afterward she murmured, "It is getting ..dark.'' • Then she expired. William; Thomas- Miller . was next called. He said — I am of no occupational? present, having come ; down ; here to find employment. 1 have been a cotton-planter in' FijU I met de---ceased first at tha Victoria Hotel, Auckland^ m June last. She was them • travellings pianiate with Mr Kudarz*s| ottmpanyT 'Wo "were living as man ~answlfe*at Onebunga, and occupied: ■the same 'bedroom. She 1 asked me to! mari'y her- aiid l : said I would when I; was iv a position. My name appeared; m the Auckland Observer m cohnec-; tiori' with a Miss ;Motion % Deceased,' was aware' 6f it. ; She. knew the report j m the papdr was not true. I to!d her, the wtoole truth of the Hting arid she 'believed me. On Thursday or Fridky a lafcran across the bar. The deceased; reminded me- of some rat-poison which 1 ' I had brought from Auckland. ! broughHt down' ' l to her on Saturday morning and'gaVe it to ber'in the bar,j at the same "time saying, "-Be; very! careful', as Hi is i jioiaon';" • ; Pearson and I T been. talking together -of Mrs Hard- \ ing's four daughters, and dfeceased c-ver-j heard portion of the conversation. She; i wenft outbf the room, and" presently came back] saying she wished totfpeak ■tome. Turning round 1 to Pearson, I said for a, joke, ** We'll take thenv both , ! out this afternoon," She took the i thing ' ! iff a>geribus light, and wanted to know^ 1 who the girls were. I said, " Oh, dt's | j aft* 'nonsense— -It was only a joke. "j At j ' dinner: tittrel went to"' tell dinner ! *Jas' i'eadyp' She said she -did not^^want ! ttßy, atfd ea>hM"mei.rtthlierroom.; My | ! eye cauglit-sight of ; (he r b<»x of hitj , poison. 'It was -ball' empty. T asked; [•her what become of the. remainder '-of j the poison. She wad; "I've taken-it." : J reutarked; "If you had yort ' would not be alive ! by this time." ; She said, "'By God I have." Jl : would not be- : lievd her,- and then isue said, "By "Jesus Christ, Willie, I have," Isaid I would go aud fetch - a doctor.' With one, r , bound she darted past me and locked the door, hiding the key m her -clothes. I threatened to jump out of the .window. She thgn said>hejrould gi*e me~the key if I would promise not to go for a doctor, as she said she had " vomited it all ui>,and was right again now." • I 7 gave iriy word of honour not ,to go for a -doctor, , but as soon , aft ' the door :waSi9p,en, , 1 went at-Once to Q-"or--4on' s( .tlj|G (.chemist, It was not. t^ll 'alter 2 o'clock thai deceased ,told ,me | 'shq had 'taken poison. ' • '