By Roselyn Fauth
Catherine Emily Hall (née Elspie, later Cain, known as Kate or Kitty) was the daughter of Jane (née Ellis) Cain, her step father was Captain Henry Cain, half-sister of Jane Ellis (Espie) Collins, married Thomas Hall in Timaru on 26 May 1885, she was the mother of Nigel Cuthbert Hall born 1886; she would be forever linked to the story of the Timaru poisonings, with her husband convicted of one crime and suspected of another. Details from Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 24/07/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/773
Report of the Trial of Thomas Hall Charged with the Wilful Murder of Captain Cain. Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 23/07/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/43
If you Google Timaru's Thomas Hall, you’ll find plenty of blogs and articles on one of the most heinous crimes of the colonial era. But if you want to learn about Catherine (or Kate, or Kitty, as she was also known) you’ll find very little. And yet, she was the survivor at the centre of it all: a grieving daughter who lost her stepfather Captain Henry Cain in Timaru under suspicious circumstances. She was a wife nearly murdered by the man she had just married, and a mother left to raise her infant son alone while her husband went behind bars and the community talked about the sensational story around the nation. The guilty were remembered in the chapters, and the story of Catherine the survior was shifted into the margins of the page.
So here is a blog to do justice to her. A survivor. A woman I want to pull from the margins of the page and place front and centre. So here is my blog to retell her story with the information I have hunted out so far...
Kate Emily Espie/Cain/Hall: The Woman at the Centre
(She was named Catherine early in the court precedings, but was changed very early on to her offical name of Kate Emily.)
Catherine’s mother, Jane Cain (née Ellis, formerly Espie), was born in 1819 and died on 26 July 1878 at around 59 years of age at Woodlands near Timaru. She is also recorded in some sources as "Ann" and I think she arrived in Wellington aboard the Duke of Roxburgh in 1840.
Jane’s first known marriage was to Robert Espie, around 1853 in Gisborne, reportedly officiated by Rev. Williams. That marriage ended around 1857 under difficult circumstances. The couple had at least three children, including daughters Jane Ellis Espie (later Collins) and Margaret Espie (later Margaret Moore). Some say that she may have escaped the abusive marrage with Robert, taking her children with the help of Captain Henry Cain on the schooner loading wheat on the Taruheru River. The story goes that Robert suspicious and armed, confronted the ship but failed to find his wife, who had reportedly been hidden in a cask on board. He later said that had he found her, he would have shot the captain. That schooner apparently never returned to Poverty Bay. Robert Espie died in 1868. (www.wikitree.com/Ellis-24378)
Jane later married Captain Henry Cain in Melbourne in 1860. She likely joined him in Timaru in May 1862. Cain, a seasoned sea trader, and ship owner, had been invited by Henry Le Cren to establish a store and landing service in Timaru. At the time, the town of Timaru was a tiny coastal sheep station and Cain’s store was initially so makeshift that he sheltered its stock under a tarpaulin and slept beneath it for security at the foot of what is now Strathallan Street.
Cain became a central figure in early Timaru, eventually serving as its second mayor between 1870 and 1873 when the population was around 3,000. The couple’s home, Woodlands, sat between today’s Cain and Harper Streets.
I have hunted for photos of Jane Cain and all I could find was a photograph, taken when she ceremonially turned the first sod for the local railway line. She died in 1878 and was buried at Timaru Cemetery. When Captain Cain died in 1886 he was buried with her. It's awful to imagine 10 months after his interment, that his body was exhumed to investigate possible poisoning, he was reinterred in the same plot where Jane already lay.
According to genealogical records, Kate Emily Hall and Jane Ellis had several older half-siblings. Their mother, Jane Ellis, appears to have had earlier children from previous relationships. These siblings include Margaret Espie (later Lockwood), Hannah (Espie) Rangiuia, Daniel Espie, Emma (Espie) Walsh, Mary Jane (Espie) Robb, William Espie, Elizabeth Espie, and possibly others
Jane Cain: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-24378
Kate Emily Cain Hall: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cain-8532
Jane Cain (née likely Jane Ellis or Jane Espie) died on 26 July 1878, aged 59. This is confirmed by her headstone inscription in the Timaru Cemetery, which reads: "SACRED, To the Memory of JANE, The beloved Wife of Captⁿ HENRY CAIN, Who Died July 26ᵗʰ 1878, Aged 59 Years."
Jane’s daughters, Catherine (Kate) and Jane Ellis, became known in Timaru as the Cain stepdaughters. Kate jointly inherited the Woodlands property with her sister Jane, by then married into the Collins family. Their older half-sister, Margaret Moore (née Espie), remained in the northern part of New Zealand and maintained ties with Kate. A will written by Kate years later in England confirms that the sisters stayed in contact long after the trials.
When Catherine was poseined they had moved from Kingstown to the Woodlands home. Catheines mother had passed away by then, I wonder if Thomas would have got so far into his plan if she had been alive to protect her husband and daughter. The household at the time of her poisoning included Miss Houston, a nurse, and servants. Section of a map of Timaru in 1875-6 by Wises Directory. Detail shows Cains Paddocks. Auckland Librarues Heritage Collections Map 6537a - No known copyright
Then Catherine marries Thomas Hall. Who she thought was well respected, high society money man. It appeared that Captain Cain had been opposed to the marriage of his step-daughter to Hall, and had left Timaru to avoid being present at the wedding. Maybe Catherines step father had a bad feeling about Thomas.
Little did Catherine know then, that Cain was right. Thomas was actually desperate. A failing businessman hiding forgery and fraud, it looks like he married Kate for her wealth, and that he wanted it all. Just weeks before their wedding, he bought poison, tartar emetic made from antimony. After Kate gave birth to their son Nigel in June 1886, he began slowly administering the substance.
During the trial it was recalled by a witness, a legal expert Mr Joynt, that Thomas Hall had sought legal clarity on what he would stand to gain from her death before he even married her. He asked for advice on what rights her future husband might have including if she died before having a child. If she died with a child, the income would pass to that child until the child came of age, and then the father/guardian would recieve it. So maybe that is why Thomas could have waited until after their son was born before he started poisoning her with antimony. This timing ensured he could claim the income as a guardian of the child if she died. This calculated sequence, viewed in the context of premeditation and manipulation of the law, is what I think earned him the label “one of the greatest criminals of a century prolific in great criminals.”
A few months after his marriage, Thomas insured Catherines life under two policies of £3,000 each. The premiums amounted to £120 a year, and fell to be renewed on August 28th, 1886. It was proved at the trial that Hall would benefit by his wife's death to the extent of about £9,000.
On May 19thm a week before his wedding-day, he borrowed from a bookseller in Timaru a copy of Headland's "Action of Medicines." He said he wanted some information about antimony, as he was suffering from sciatica. A few weeks later he purchased from the same bookseller a copy of "Taylor on Poisons."
Captain Cain and Thomas reconcilied, and Thomas became a regular visitor to Woodlands from mid-December 1886, often calling in the morning, staying for lunch, and returning in the evening. Though Thomas and Catherine lived in Kingsdown, he frequently sat up at night with the ailing Captain Cain and was present in the house when Cain died on January 29th. If others were in the room, Hall would ask them to leave, citing "private business" with the Captain.
Kate became seriously ill. She experienced violent vomiting, an unquenchable thirst, yellowing skin, itching and wasting. Dr Patrick MacIntyre became suspicious, and when a nurse caught Thomas giving Kate a drink that immediately made her vomit, the pieces began to fall into place. Poison was confirmed. Police descended.
"On the fourth day after the birth of her baby, however, she became unexpectedly ill and developed symptoms that completely baffled the doctor. Intermittent retching and vomiting continued from June 23rd to August 15th. She suffered from intense itching all over the body, distressing thirst, involuntary movements of the shoulders and spasms in the calves of the legs. Lips and nostrils were constantly sore; the tongue was furred over in patches, and a faint blue line page 319showed itself on the gums. She complained frequently of a feeling of tightness round the throat as if someone were strangling her, and there was extreme tenderness over the abdominal region. As week followed week she suffered from ever-increasing prostration."
- Page 319, Chapter XXII — Two Famous Poisoning Trials http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-AlpChee-t1-body-d2-d12.html
On a Sunday evening, police arrested Thomas Hall and Miss Margaret Houston at Woodlands for attempting to poison Hall’s wife with antimony. While Hall was initially speechless, Houston remarked that antimony was used in his photography, prompting Hall to claim he used it for asthma cigarettes. During a search, Hall tried to destroy evidence. He had tartar emetic in both liquid and powder form in his pockets. In a scuffle with police, he attempted to throw a phial into the fire, but it was recovered. At the station, he admitted to Houston, “I cannot possibly hope to get off,” effectively confessing. The case against Houston was dismissed as weak and biased, based largely on gossip from jealous servants.
In the home: poisoned brandy, antimony-laced water, a copy of Taylor on Poisons and kerosene-soaked rags hidden in the attic, suggesting Tom’s plan to burn the house down and destroy the evidence.
Thomas Hall and Margaret Houston, one of Kate’s nurses, were arrested. It was widely believed Tom and Margaret had an inappropriate relationship. The case against Miss Houston amounted to a failed smear campaign, driven by jealous servants’ malicious gossip rather than evidence, and was ultimately dismissed by the judge and jury as utterly unworthy of belief. At the trial, Margaret was acquitted. Tom was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Thomas Hall was convicted in 1886 of attempting to murder his wife, Kate Emily Hall, by poisoning her with antimony. He was also tried and found guilty in 1887 of murdering his stepfather-in-law, Captain Henry Cain, however, that murder conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal. Cain’s murder was quashed, and he was never legally punished for that crime, even though many believed he was guilty. Hall served 21 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife. That was the only conviction that stood. He was released in later life and lived quietly in Australia as a travelling photographer, receiving a small allowance.. Timaru alleged poisoning case. Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 24/07/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/773 No known copyright
He then collapsed and the police inspector sent his assistant for brandy from the next room - The New Zealand Railways Magazine Volume 8 Issue 1 May 1 1933
Then came a chilling twist: the exhumation of Captain Cain.
After an eight-day trial, the jury swiftly found Thomas Hall guilty of attempting to poison his wife. This conviction prompted new suspicions: Dr. McIntyre realised that the same vomiting symptoms Mrs. Hall had suffered from antimony were also present in Captain Cain, her stepfather, who had died months earlier. Cain had mysteriously been unable to stomach even his favourite drinks, and Hall had been a daily visitor to his sickbed, often alone with him and administering medicines or drinks. This raised serious concerns.
Authorities exhumed Cain’s body September 27th in a midnight storm, and antimony was indeed found in his organs. Hall was then tried in Dunedin in January 1887 for Cain’s murder. The cross-examination showed that Captain Cain died of kidney disease, and that the evidence did not establish that the antimony found in his remains had contributed to his death. On the other hand, although Cain had been ill many months, it was not till Hall's daily visits began in the middle of December that the vomiting symptoms showed themselves. And during the five or six weeks between the beginning of the visits and the death of Cain, Hall was proved to have made purchases of tartar emetic from the chemist at Timaru. Though the Crown lacked direct evidence, the court controversially allowed testimony showing that Mrs. Hall had similar symptoms and that Hall had been caught with antimony on his person. This helped establish a pattern of poisoning.
Though Hall may have misjudged Cain’s financial value as a motive, he had both opportunity and access, especially since Cain only became violently ill after Hall began visiting regularly. Evidence showed others became ill after tasting Cain’s drinks, but not when Hall wasn’t around. Despite the defence’s arguments that Cain died of natural kidney disease, the jury found Hall guilty of murder after just 90 minutes’ deliberation, and he was sentenced to death, pending appeal on the admissibility of the linked evidence from his wife’s poisoning.
Thomas Hall was found guilty of murdering his stepfather, Captain Cain, largely based on evidence that he had earlier poisoned his wife with the same substance—antimony. Although the two poisonings were strikingly similar, the Court of Appeal later ruled that this evidence should not have been used to prove Cain’s murder, because there was no clear proof that the two acts were part of a single plan. As a result, Hall’s conviction was overturned, not because he was proven innocent, but because the law did not allow one crime to be used to prove another unless they were directly connected. In response, New Zealand changed its laws in 1895 to allow such evidence in future poisoning cases. Hall spent 21 years in prison before being released and lived out his life in Australia as a travelling photographer.
Catherine did not testify during either of Thomas Hall’s trials. Although she had fully recovered and attended much of the proceedings, the Crown did not require her testimony due to the strength of the medical and circumstantial evidence, while the Defence likely feared the impact of her firsthand account. As noted in Cheerful Yesterdays, “The Crown did not need her, and the Defence dared not risk her.” Her absence from the witness box was a deliberate legal strategy.
A Glimpse Into How Imagine Her Voice
We don’t have many direct quotes from Kate. But we know she wrote a letter from Woodlands in 1886 to Lady Rose Hall. And we know the language of the time. So, I imagine her saying something like this... To speak of it is like looking into a shadowed room I can never quite leave. My son was only weeks old when the sickness began. I could not keep food down, and I thirsted as if I’d swallowed the sun. I trusted Tom. That trust poisoned me more than the draught in the cup. He nearly took everything, my health, my sanity, my child’s mother. But I am still here. I was never meant to be the footnote to his trial.
What Became of Catherine / Kate / Kitty?
After Thomas Hall was convicted of attempting to poison his wife in 1886, Kate Emily Hall left New Zealand. These estate records and a few scattered public notices help trace what happened in the decades that followed.
Nigel Cuthbert Espie Hall was born in 1886, the same year as the poisoning trial. She raised her son, Nigel Cuthbert Hall, born the same year as the trial. Her name disappeared from the headlines, but the paper trail shows that she remained active behind the scenes, managing property and family matters for many years. It is likely that Kate and Nigel moved to England at some point between the late 1880s and early 1900s, probably soon after Thomas’s imprisonment and before Nigel reached adulthood.
According to her will, it appears she divorced Thomas in 1902. That decision, and the weight of living as “that lady” in a small colonial town, may help explain why she left New Zealand and resettled in England. Her will and codicil were later signed in Colwyn Bay and Golders Green, and her death certificate places her passing in Middlesex in 1925. She was nearly 80.
She lived under the name Kate Emily Hall and remained legally and financially independent. The estate records show that she kept her 1900 New Zealand will active while making a new one in England in 1923. This dual-will arrangement suggests deliberate planning across jurisdictions. She retained property in Timaru, invested in mortgage loans to individuals, and maintained long-distance ties to her former community.
She also continued to provide for Thomas Hall through an annuity, even after their marriage ended. He received quarterly payments until his death in 1929, by then living under the name Paul Newstead in Yeppoon, Australia. Kate did not rescind this arrangement. Whether out of legal obligation or personal principle, she upheld it.
Her son Nigel later moved abroad. On 9 February 1914, he died in the Straits Settlements. Probate was granted in England later that year, naming his mother as beneficiary. It appears she outlived him by over a decade. By the time she made her English will, Nigel had already died. She does not mention any grandchildren or descendants, and her will contains no reference to her son or to descendants of her son. This suggests that Nigel did not marry or leave children, or that none survived him.
Kate's will included legacies to women, charities, and individuals she likely knew personally: Mrs Kate Amelia Collins, Miss Pattison, Miss Mary Anne Gray, W H Newton and L G Newton. She gave to causes supporting children, animals, and women in distress. These decisions, recorded in ledgers and legal files, suggest sustained relationships and a strong sense of duty.
Most of what we know about Kate comes not from letters or headlines, but from mortgages, bank records, and trustee accounts. The public story focused on Thomas Hall—the crime, the trial, and the scandal. But this archive tells a different story. Kate lived. She endured. She managed her own affairs and rebuilt her life with care and clarity.
So that is why this blog isn’t a story about the scoundrel Thomas Hall. It’s about Catherine. About the woman who survived.v
It’s about Catherine.
More information thanks to Facebook and a chance meeting!
Well you wouldn't believe what happened yesterday! I was in the cemetery doing a short Faceboo live video asking for help to learn about the life of Strong Work Morrison, and a lovely lady Carmen Hayman, had seen my live video from the otherside of the cemetery, and walked over to introduce herself. Turns out we both love a good history hunt, and she had found Catherine's will! So here is what I have found out after reading through it...
This is what Carmen sent me... which got me onto another side quest search for history
The Will of Kate Emily Hall is free to view online in Archway Archives
images, FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M7-ZWYF?view=index&lang=en&groupId=
Becasuse the trail refferred to her as Catherine, I used that name when reffering to her in this blog. But as the Will reffers to Kate, I have used that name for her in the next bit.
While the public record may be incomplete, the financial and legal documents make their enduring connection clear. I dont think Kate’s estate was extravagant, but it was substantial, stable, and income-generating. She appears to have chosen mortgage lending as her primary form of investment, providing secured loans to individuals (often over £500 each), likely drawing steady interest over decades. Her holdings were carefully managed by her trustee, M. J. Knubley, and her estate continued earning and paying out long after her death. She's a long read, so I popped all the pages into Ai and asked for a summary, and this is what it shared back:
The Estate of Kate Emily Hall (1925 to 1937)
A Woman’s Legacy in the Long Shadow of Betrayal
This estate file contains over 40 documents relating to the final years, death, and posthumous financial administration of Kate Emily Hall. She was the woman whose husband, Thomas Hall, was convicted in 1886 of attempting to murder her with arsenic. These documents span the period from her death in London on 29 March 1925 through to the final distribution of her New Zealand-based estate in 1937. They provide rare insight into the financial decisions, obligations, relationships, and responsibilities that shaped her life long after the sensational criminal trial.
The documents allow us to consider not only how Kate planned for her death, but how she lived with dignity and foresight in the aftermath of betrayal. They also reveal her relationships with family, friends, former associates, and those who acted as trustees and beneficiaries.
Overview of Contents
1. Wills and Codicils
The collection includes three core testamentary documents: a 1900 will made in Timaru, a 1923 will prepared in Colwyn Bay, Wales, and a codicil added shortly before Kate’s death in London. The 1900 will named her son William Hall as the primary beneficiary and appointed Miles Jefferson Knubley as executor and trustee. The 1923 English will, with codicil, named her sister Jessie Ellen Basje as executrix and residuary legatee and included charitable and personal legacies.
Legacies were left to her sister Jessie Ellen Basje and to several members of the Basje family, including Mrs Emma Eliza Basje, Mabel Basje, and Gladys Basje. She also provided for her friend Mrs Kate Amelia Collins, and left instructions regarding Miss Pattison, W H Newton, and L G Newton, who later received shares of the estate. She made a legacy in trust for the grandchildren of Mrs Thomas Hall. Other named recipients included Miss Mary Anne Gray of Scotland and a long-serving domestic worker (unnamed) who received £50. Charitable legacies were made to the Cancer Hospital at Brompton, St Anne’s Home in Kilburn, the North London Home for Friendless Girls, the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The presence of both English and New Zealand wills indicate to me Kate's cross-empire planning. Her legacies to charities, women, and working-class individuals suggest consideration of women's welfare and social reform. Her financial arrangements were far-reaching and practical, indicating both legal sophistication and emotional resilience.
2. Probate Records and Affidavits
These documents were necessary to grant probate in New Zealand, where Kate still held assets. They include affidavits from Miles Knubley explaining delays in probate and verifying estate value, a statement from her sister Jessie Ellen Basje regarding Kate’s place of birth and migration, and a medical certificate confirming her death, signed by Dr Lawrence Stuart Woolf of Golders Green. Additional records describe her earlier residence in Colwyn Bay and confirm her place of death at 23 Woodstock Avenue, London.
These documents trace Kate’s life journey from Gisborne, New Zealand, to Australia, Timaru, Wales, and finally London. They show that she maintained family relationships, legal foresight, and a sense of rootedness in both hemispheres.
3. Property and Asset Declarations
Kate held a half-share in Lot 93 in Timaru, valued at £5,870, and additional cash assets in the Post Office Savings Bank. She also invested in a network of mortgage loans to private individuals. These included loans to A S Shepherd, Mrs Hunter and E D Hunter, Mrs B P Long, Miss A J Long, A Dale, H Woolford, D Callaghan, S D Mason, Mrs McLeod, Mrs Hooper, Mr Bowie, and Mr Rush.
From her will we can see that this was not a passive estate. Kate’s financial holdings created income for others and were managed long after her death. These investments reflect her long-standing connection to Timaru and a trust-based relationship with individuals, some of whom may have been friends, former staff, or widows. It is possible that many of her borrowers were women.
4. Beneficiaries and Payments
The documents show that Thomas Hall received £25 quarterly until his death on 10 August 1929, with a final settlement of £11 3s 3d. Mrs Kate Amelia Collins received annual annuities between £25 and £115 until her death. Following her passing, residual legacies were distributed in equal shares to W H Newton, L G Newton, and Miss Pattison. Jessie Ellen Basje received her legacy of £200 with interest. A payment of £500 was transferred to a trust or fund associated with Thomas Hall, likely as a legal obligation. Additional legacies and annuities were also administered according to the provisions of both wills.
From this we can see that Thomas Hall continued to receive annuity payments despite attempting to murder Kate. I find this really facinating. Maybe this reflects a legal constraint, moral obligation, or emotional complexity. Kate also upheld support for women such as Mrs Collins, and ensured a structured transfer of her wealth to family and trusted others.
5. Trustee and Executor Administration
Miles Jefferson Knubley served as executor and trustee in New Zealand for over a decade. His records include annual income and expenditure accounts from 1928 to 1937, interest receipts from mortgagees, legal and tax documentation, and final sworn affidavits of estate closure submitted in 1928 and again in 1937. He managed disbursements, investments, and interest-bearing funds with diligence and transparency.
This was a professionally managed estate that operated much like a trust fund. Its financial longevity reflects both the care Kate took in planning and the integrity of her executor. The records provide a rare example of a woman’s estate operating over an extended period, generating passive income, and supporting dependants with precision and formality.
The Deeper Story: Life After the Poisoning
In 1886, Kate Hall became a reluctant public figure in one of the most scandalous trials in New Zealand history. Her husband, Thomas Hall, was convicted of attempted murder for poisoning her with arsenic over a period of weeks. While newspapers at the time portrayed her as passive or broken, these documents suggest a very different trajectory.
From this will we can see how Kate rebuilt her life. She left the country, raised her son as a single mother, and ultimately died on her own terms in London at the age of 72. She left a lasting financial legacy, not just for her family, but for women’s organisations, the poor, and people she trusted. Her estate was built on care, trust, duty, and long-term planning. She did not seek revenge, but she did not forget. Her legacy was shaped by both sorrow and quiet strength.
A letter that was included with the Will. Kate Emily Hall wrote her will on 15 April 1926, and it was properly witnessed by two women, Constance Muriel Page and Gladys Dorothy Page, both of College Bay. The final page confirms her clear intention for this to be her last will and testament, and she made sure her trustees: Miss Jefferson Kneebone and Constance Muriel Page. They were authorised to charge for any professional work they carried out on behalf of the estate. This means she wanted them to be fairly paid for their time, whether legal, administrative or clerical, even if they were already salaried elsewhere. It was carefully signed and witnessed, following all the proper legal procedures. I find it moving that her wishes were recorded so precisely, and that the women around her seem to have played such key roles not just in her life, but in ensuring those wishes were carried out.
When Kate Emily Hall died in 1925, her New Zealand estate included a half-share in a Timaru property, savings in the Post Office bank, and a wide range of mortgage investments that steadily produced income. Her will shows she made thoughtful provisions for people connected to her life. She continued paying an annuity to her estranged husband Thomas Hall until his death in 1929. She looked after Mrs Kate Amelia Collins with a lifetime annuity, and after Mrs Collins died, the remaining balance was divided between W H Newton, L G Newton, and Miss Pattison. Her sister Jessie Ellen Basje received £200 plus interest. There were other named beneficiaries in her English will, including members of the Basje family, Miss Mary Anne Gray, and an unnamed servant, along with several charities supporting women, children, and animals. The rest of her estate was managed by her trustee, M J Knubley, and used to generate income through carefully selected mortgage lending. There’s no sign she lived extravagantly, but she remained financially independent and ensured others were provided for, quietly and precisely.
Who were the benefactors of her will, such as Kate Amelia Collins?
Mrs Kate Amelia Collins appears in Kate Emily Hall’s 1923 English will as the recipient of a lifetime annuity. The payments continued after Kate’s death in 1925 and appear in the trustee accounts until the early 1930s, when they stop. Maybe this suggests Mrs Collins died during that period. The amounts she received varied but were significant enough to indicate a close and trusted relationship.
There is no explanation in the will or probate records about who Mrs Collins was. She may have been a companion, housekeeper, or long-time friend. After her death, the remaining balance of her annuity or estate share was distributed equally to W H Newton, L G Newton, and Miss Pattison. They may have been relatives or appointed to receive anything left over.
I do not yet know how or when Kate and Mrs Collins met, but her inclusion in the will shows to me that she obviously mattered. Her name appears across a decade of estate accounts. That tells me she was part of Kate’s later life, and that Kate made sure she was looked after.
Who was Jane Ellis Collins (born Jane Ellis Espie) also known as Cain after her mother’s marriage to Captain Henry Cain, a prominent early settler and mayor of Timaru.
Jane Ellis Collins, born Jane Ellis Espie in 1854, was the daughter of Robert Espie and Jane Ellis. Her mother later married Captain Henry Cain, one of Timaru’s earliest settlers and a former mayor. That made Jane his stepdaughter.
Jane and Catherine Emily Cain were half-sisters. They shared the same mother, Jane Ellis. Jane was the daughter from her mother's first marriage to Robert Espie. Catherine was born from her mother’s second marriage to Captain Cain. Catherine later became Catherine Emily Hall when she married Thomas Hall in Timaru in 1885.
Jane married three times. First, she married William Johnson Newton on 1 May 1874. Later, she travelled to Australia, where she is believed to have married Jonathan Melvin Pattison in 1887. He was born in Durham, England, and died in Auckland in 1904. That same year, on 29 November, Jane married John James Collins, and that is the name she used for the rest of her life.
I was told, but haven’t proven, that her husband Mr Collins may have attempted suicide just days after Captain Cain’s sudden death in 1886. I haven’t found any record to confirm this, but the timing is interesting, especially considering the scandal that unfolded later that year when Thomas Hall was tried for attempting to poison Catherine.
According to her last will and testament, Jane Ellis Collins of New Plymouth, widow, passed away on or about 18 March 1934. Her will, dated 10 June 1932, was submitted to the Supreme Court of New Zealand in the Taranaki District, and probate was granted on 6 April 1934 under file number 4711. The executor named in her will was Cyril Hendry Croker, a solicitor in New Plymouth. He swore an affidavit confirming that he knew Jane personally, was present at her funeral, and would carry out her wishes faithfully.
In the will, Jane revoked all previous wills and appointed Croker as both executor and trustee. She directed that, after her debts and funeral expenses were paid, all of her real and personal estate should go to Ivy Barbara Sweyns of Urenui. Ivy was eighteen years old at the time and had lived with Jane since childhood. The will made clear that Croker, or any future trustee who was a solicitor or barrister, could charge professional fees for their services even while acting as executor.
Although the estate was originally estimated at under 200 pounds, it was reassessed many years later. In 1948, the Stamp Duties Office certified the net value at 586 pounds and 16 shillings. Then, in 1949, an amended court certificate recorded the final estate value as just over 2,100 pounds. That’s a significant increase and suggests that Jane left behind more than originally expected.
Jane’s story is woven into the history of early Timaru and New Plymouth. She moved through multiple marriages and households, cared for a young woman she called her own, and remained tied, by blood, marriage, and memory... to some of the most talked-about figures of her time.
- https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Espie-149
Who was Margaret Houston
Margaret Graham Houston played a significant but often overlooked role in the events surrounding the Hall and Cain families in Timaru during the 1880s. Born in Birmingham, England, around 1850, she came to New Zealand under the guidance of Dr Keyworth, a respected physician who had known her since birth and encouraged her to emigrate. Margaret first worked as a nurse at Wellington Hospital and later moved to Timaru, where she was employed at the Timaru Hospital. From there, she was engaged to care for Captain Henry Cain in the final stages of his life, placing her directly in the household of one of Timaru’s most prominent early settlers. After Captain Cain’s death in January 1886, Margaret stayed on in Timaru and entered the household of Thomas and Catherine Hall. Catherine was Captain Cain’s daughter from his marriage to Jane Ellis, and the half-sister of Jane Ellis Collins.
Margaret worked as what was then called a lady help. Her duties spanned nursing, cooking, gardening, and general domestic service, and she was living in the Hall household at the time Catherine became seriously ill. When suspicions of poisoning arose later that year, Margaret was accused alongside Thomas Hall of attempting to murder Catherine. A letter discovered during the investigation, in which Margaret affectionately called Thomas “Tommy Dodd” and signed herself “Megrims,” was presented as evidence suggesting a close and possibly conspiratorial relationship. The scandal made national headlines, and Margaret’s character and reputation were scrutinised in court. However, she mounted a strong defence, supported by testimony from medical professionals, clergy, and others who had known her in both England and New Zealand. The trial took place in Christchurch in October 1886 and lasted a week. In the end, Margaret was found not guilty. After the trial, she is believed to have relocated to Nelson, possibly to escape the social stigma that followed such a highly publicised case. Her story sheds light on the vulnerability of women in domestic service roles during that era, and how easily they could become entangled in the private turmoil of the families they worked for.
If you are a history deep diver... then you might like some more bits and bobs that I have come accross when hunting for Catherine's story...
Catherines Mother and step father... Captain Cain Mayor, Mrs Jane Cain holding spade, turning of the first sod for the Railway from Timaru to Christchurch 4 October 1871. The Mayoress Mrs Cain with the assistance of Mr Babington Assistant Engineer. The crowd around her including detachments from the local volunteer rifle and artillery units, members of the Borough Council, Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, Roads Board, and others. - Section of a photo, from the South Canterbury Museum 201904937. Captain Henry Cain arrived in Timaru in 1857 and was soon joined by his wife and stepdaughter. His wife had been previously married. She lived in one of the first five European houses in Timaru, helping to build domestic and community life in an isolated and rugged settlement. His stepdaughter was Kate, who married Thomas Hall—the man later convicted for poisoning both her and Captain Cain. Diaries from immigrants who arrived on the Strathallan in 1869 reference a Mrs Cain, indicating her active presence and visibility in the community by that time. Her name is missing from the statue, the plaque, and most public stories about Captain Cain, which reflects a wider pattern the Harvard Tangible Things course urges us to question: whose names and contributions are remembered, and whose are overlooked?
I stand quietly at the grave of Jane and Henry Cain, paying my respects to a couple who helped shape early Timaru and their children. Jane died on 26 July 1878, aged just 52, many years before the troubles that would fall upon her family. Her husband, Henry, died on 29 January 1886, aged 70. He had been a respected retired sea captain, known for his firm opinions and integrity. He had opposed his stepdaughter Kate's marriage to Thomas Hall and chose not to attend the wedding. In time, he reconciled with the couple, but perhaps at a terrible cost.
As I run my fingers over the worn limestone, I picture the night they came to disturb this resting place. For 10 months Captain Cain had rested here until his grave was disturbed. It was late in the evening on 27 September 1886, deliberately timed after dark to avoid public curiosity. A southerly storm was blowing through the cemetery. The night was pitch black, with heavy rain and a biting wind. By flickering light, police, doctors and lawyers stood gathered around the grave. The diggers worked through the downpour, lifting Henry’s coffin from the soaked earth. It was taken straight to Timaru Hospital, where a post-mortem was carried out, the examination finished at 1:00am on 28 September.
Despite being buried for nearly eight months, Henry's body was clearly identifiable. Samples of his organs and bodily fluids were sent to Dunedin, where tests confirmed the presence of antimony. The traces were small, but enough to have sped up death in someone already suffering from illness. Thomas Hall was later tried and found guilty of Cain’s murder, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. The court ruled that the evidence connecting the two poisonings could not be used, even if it made sense to science and common reason.
Standing here now, I think not only of the lives they lived, but of the strange events that followed. This grave, once a place of peace, became the centre of a midnight investigation. And yet in the end, Henry was returned to Jane, where he belonged. The wind has settled. The stones are quiet. The past, though shaken, lies still once more.
Sadly, the grave was later damaged by someone during a cleaning effort. The story goes that it was part of a community service project, and that the person using the cleaning solution or wire brush might not have realised the harm they were doing. I cannot help but wonder if they knew whose grave they were tending, or if the name Cain meant anything to them at all. Perhaps they were just working through their assigned task without much thought, unaware that what they were doing would cause permanent damage to a headstone that had already weathered nearly a century and a half. I do not believe it was done on purpose. But still, to see the surface worn away like that, to see the stone scratched and dulled, left me with a heavy heart. It felt like another wound, as if the suffering endured in life had somehow reached into death and even in rest they were not left untouched. These were people who had shaped a town, who had lived through storms both literal and personal. Now their names, once carefully carved in stone, are fading faster than they should have. Standing there, I felt sorrow, not only for the act itself, but for what it said about how easily the past can be mishandled when we do not stop to learn whose memory we are standing over.
Graves in the mist. The resting place of many including Jane and Captain Henry Cain. - Photo Roselyn Fauth 2025
Captain Henry Cain - Timaru Borough Council mayor from 1870 to 1873. South Canterbury Museum - 2016/011.024
From the book: The Streets of Timaru, Jack Hamilton and Keith Barthmolomew.
Cain Street and Cains Terrace.
"In 1949, to avoid confusion between the above two names, Cains Terrace was re-named Customs Street. After only five months and following strong objection from the public and the South Canterbury Historical Society the name reverted to Cains Terrace. Both streets honour Captain Henry Cain (1816–1886), one of Timaru’s earliest settlers who spent the last 30 years of his life in the town. He had been a seafarer from the age of thirteen before travelling to Sydney, Australia, where he engaged in trading to the South Seas, China and Auckland. He kept a saloon in California and then bought a schooner, the Pauline. With a cargo of kauri timber he arrived in Lyttelton in 1851. The Pauline was wrecked in a heavy south-west gale and he bought the cutter Kaka which traded to the Heathcote River. In March 1857, Captain Cain anchored in Timaru roadstead in the Royal Bride. From that time he was one of the pioneers of the place. He opened the first general store in the town for Henry John Le Cren, of Lyttelton (see Le Cren Street). Cain also operated the first landing service at the foot of what is now Strathallan Street, using large surfboats to land cargoes from ships anchored offshore. He was mayor of Timaru from 1870 to 1873. The first sod of the railway from Timaru to Washdyke was turned, on 4 October 1871, by the mayoress, Mrs Cain.
Captain Cain lived at Woodlands, in North Street, at the end of a driveway between Cain Street and Harper Street. Cain’s paddocks extended up North Street and were a popular sports ground for athletics, cricket, football and the first games of golf.
After his death it was strongly suspected that Captain Cain had been poisoned by his son-in-law, Thomas Hall, who was charged with the offence. Hall had previously been found guilty of the attempted murder of his wife and sentenced to life imprisonment. Now doubts arose in connection with the death of Captain Cain. When Hall was brought to trial evidence was tendered which referred to his previous trial and the Court of Appeal disallowed it.
A statue of Captain Cain, erected in his memory, can be seen in front of the Landing Services Building in Heritage Place at the eastern end of George Street.
Woodlands
Woodlands was Captain Cain's home in North Street, between Cain Street and Harper Street, and his paddocks were the venue for various sports. The New Zealand Grand National horse race for 1877 was run here. In 1912 the congregation of the Primitive Methodist Church moved from Barnard Street to a new church on the same corner with North Street and called their new building the Woodlands Street Church. The Woodlands home was demolished in 1915. When it was built it would have been in open country. The house was situated at the western end of Cains Paddock."
Captain Henry Cain - Burnett Collection - South Canterbury Museum 2015154058
Timeline of the Case and Key Events
24 Jan 1848: Thomas Hall is born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire.
1846: Kate Emily Espie is born.
1853: Hall emigrates with his parents to New Zealand.
1857: Captain Cain sets up a trading post in Timaru.
26 May 1885: Kate marries Thomas Hall.
29 Jan 1886: Captain Henry Cain dies suddenly at the Hall residence.
19 Jun 1886: Kate gives birth to her son, Nigel Cuthbert Hall.
Jul–Aug 1886: Kate suffers prolonged illness; suspicions arise.
15 Aug 1886: Hall is charged with attempted murder.
16 Aug 1886: Resident Magistrate's Court remands Hall and Houston.
Sept 1886: Trial opens; Kate gives testimony. Margaret Houston is acquitted. Hall is sentenced to life in prison.
Dec 1886–Early 1887: Captain Cain’s body is exhumed.
1887: Second trial in Dunedin. Hall is convicted of murder, but the conviction is overturned.
1902: Kate divorces Thomas Hall.
1907: Kate is last noted in NZ records before likely returning to England.
29 Mar 1925: Kate dies in Middlesex, England.
Post-release: Hall serves 21 years in prison, then relocates to Yeppoon, Australia, under the name Paul Newstead.
Map of Timaru in 1875-6 by Wises Directory. Detail shows Cains Paddocks. Auckland Librarues Heritage Collections Map 6537a - No known copyright
This statue commemorates Captain Henry Cain, who bought the landing service in 1870. Captain Cain to keep watch over city (17 Aug 1999). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 10/07/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/414. Right Photo of Captain Cain by Roselyn Fauth. Captain Henry Cain (1816 -1886) is now immortalised in as a life-like bronze statue by Christchurch's Donald Paterson, sits outside Timaru's Information Centre. A plaque reads: "Henry Cain was born in 1816 and went to sea at the age of 13. After 30yrs of seafaring, he settled in Timaru in March 1857, and opened a general store. The town grew and before long he was operating the first landing service at the foot of Strathallen St. Captain Cain became a prominent businessman and significant public figure, serving as mayor from 1870-1873. He died in 1886, having been poisoned by his son-in-law. For many, Henry Cain represents the pioneering spirit that made Timaru." In 1857, he was asked by Le Cren to relocate to Timaru to open up a landing service, which he did. This was mainly to service the Rhodes’ huge sheep station, the ‘Levels’, South Canterbury’s first farm.
I’ve been doing a free online course from Harvard called Tangible Things, and it has been fascinating. It teaches you to really look at the everyday things we pass by without much thought, and then step back to ask deeper questions. Who made this? Why is it here? What stories are being remembered... and what is being forgotten? So, I want to look again at something many of us walk past often here in Timaru... the statue of Captain Henry Cain outside the Timaru Landing Services Building. I have always admired it, but I see it differently now. This bronze sculpture by Christchurch artist Donald Paterson was installed as part of the 1999 city centre upgrade. It shows Henry Cain, sitting in life-size form, confident and commanding. According to the plaque, Cain was born in 1816, went to sea at thirteen, and after 30 years as a mariner, settled in Timaru in 1857. He opened a store, developed the landing service at Strathallan Street, and served as mayor from 1870 to 1873. He died in 1886, poisoned by his son-in-law. The plaque ends with the idea that Cain represents the pioneering spirit that made Timaru. But the course has made me ask, what else does this statue represent, and what does it leave out?
But what does the statue leave out?
Cain’s role in Timaru’s founding is significant. He was invited by Henry Le Cren to help establish a landing service to support the Rhodes’ sheep station at The Levels. He brought supplies on the Royal Bride, ran the store at the foot of Strathallan Street, and helped shape the commercial growth of the town. He would have had friendships with men like pastralist George Rhodes who built a simple cottage on George Street in 1851, Belfield Woollcombe, the government agent and harbour master, Henry Le Cren his employer, and Samuel Williams, a former whaler who returned to Timaru to work for the Rhodes and as a publican. I can imagine them gathering to discuss the town’s future, sharing news, and helping build something new in Timaru.
But what about the women?
We know Cain had a wife, Jane Cain, who was part of the early Timaru story. Passengers arriving in 1869 on the Strathallan, the first immigrant ship from the UK to sail direct to Timaru, mention visiting her. She was here. She was active in community life. We even have a photo of her turning the first sod of earth for the Timaru to Christchurch railway in 1871. And yet her name is nowhere on the statue or the plaque. This is something the Tangible Things course invites us to reflect on, who gets remembered, and who does not? Maybe there was a good reason, maybe they were focused on a key figure who used the site? Next time I am at the monument, I will need to see if I can spy a wedding ring or a symbol to her.
Jane Cain lived in one of the first five European houses built in Timaru. Her stepdaughter, Kate, married Thomas Hall... the man who would later poison both her and Captain Cain. The whole town was shocked. Hall insured Kate heavily and slipped her arsenic until the family doctor uncovered the plot. Kate survived. Cain did not. When his body was exhumed, it showed traces of the same poison. Hall was sentenced to death, but the sentence was overturned. He lived out his days in prison.
That story, full of grief and betrayal, is not on the statue either. There is no sense of the sadness, feelings of betrayal, or courage of Jane Cain or the resilience of Kate. The focus stays firmly on one man, one version of civic success.
The Tangible Things course has taught me to look beyond what is obvious and to ask what stories can be found in the margins. I now see this statue as an invitation to think more deeply. To wonder about the lives behind the names, and the lives without names at all.
I think about the other early women of Timaru. Mrs Anne Williams, who ran a public house with two children and her husband. Mrs Frances Woollcombe, raising five daughters near Waimataitai Lagoon. Mrs Elizabeth Rhodes, who rode on horseback through the South Canterbury hills as a young bride in 1853 to settle at the Levels Estate. Not to mention their companions, house help and governesses, and all the women who were soon to arrive to make Timaru area their home, to work, give and raise their families. These women birthed, baked, nursed, traded, farmed, hosted, volunteered, and held the community together. Their husbands made the newspapers, plaques and monuments. I think the women made the town.
So when I look at Captain Cain now, I see more than a founder. I see the space around him, and I wonder who else we might honour. What if we added a second statue nearby? Or a plaque that told Jane’s, Kate’s, Annes, Elizabeth's, Frances' and their friends and staff's stories? What if public memory included everyone who built this place? We can make space for the idea that the current monument might not tell the full story. And with heritage signage and murals nearby, we can start to broaden the information and ideas we share and invoke.
I would love to learn how this monument is seen through a Māori lens, and welcome others to share stories or perspectives I may not yet know. This land has a long history that did not begin with Cain, or the settlers, or the ships. The statue sits on Kāi Tahu whenua, and any story of this place must reckon with that fact. How was the arrival of Cain and others experienced by Māori? What was lost, displaced, or transformed? How do mana whenua feel about how their histories are represented or erased in these spaces? These are hard but necessary questions that we must keep asking.
The Harvard course has sparked in me a deeper curiosity, a lot more side quests, and from starting with Ann Williams on a simple whaling history hunt, is not a deeper search into our history and find what was left out, and a desire to tell fuller, richer stories. I think this can make our past more relatable, help us see where where have come from, enable us to reflect on the past with our own lens, and be in a better position to know where we are going and to make better choices.
Our history deserves that. And so do we. Let’s keep hunting.
Captain Henry Cain - Burnett Collection - South Canterbury Museum 2015154058
Captain Henry Cain: Key Facts
1. Born in 1816
Henry Cain was born in England. Like many of his era, he went to sea at a young age.
2. Went to sea at 13
He began his maritime career early and spent roughly 30 years as a seafarer. His long shipping career included voyages across the Pacific, including to Australia and the Pacific Islands.
3. Arrived in Timaru in 1857
Cain settled in Timaru in March 1857, bringing goods aboard the Royal Bride to supply Henry Le Cren’s trading post. He is often referred to as one of Timaru’s early European settlers.
4. Opened a store and landing service
Cain ran a general store and developed the first landing service at the foot of Strathallan Street, a critical part of early shipping and freight in Timaru before a proper port was developed.
5. Was Timaru’s Mayor from 1870 to 1873
He served as Mayor during a formative period in Timaru’s development, contributing to civic growth and local leadership.
6. Married Jane Cain
His wife, Jane Cain, was an important figure in early settler society in her own right. She is recorded in diaries of new immigrants as hosting and helping new arrivals, and she ceremonially turned the first sod for the Timaru to Christchurch railway in 1871.
7. Had a stepdaughter, Kate
Jane’s daughter from a previous marriage, Kate, became part of the family and married a man named Thomas Hall.
8. Died in 1886 under suspicious circumstances
Cain’s death was first thought to be natural but was later linked to poisoning by his son-in-law, Thomas Hall, who had also attempted to murder his wife, Kate.
9. Hall was convicted of attempted murder
Thomas Hall was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to kill Kate and was also convicted of Cain’s murder. That conviction was later overturned on a technicality, but he remained imprisoned.
10. Immortalised in bronze in 1999
A life-sized bronze statue of Captain Cain by sculptor Donald Paterson was installed outside the Timaru Landing Services Building in 1999. It presents him seated, dignified, and is meant to honour his pioneering role in the town’s development.
Sources:
Probate Record for Nigel Cuthbert Espie Hall (1914)
This record confirms the death of Nigel Cuthbert Espie Hall on 9 February 1914 in the Straits Settlements, a former British colonial territory in Southeast Asia. It shows that probate was granted in England on 29 October 1914, with his mother, Kate Emily Hall, named as the beneficiary. The record appears in the England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858–1957.
Link: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904/
Access is available through Ancestry.com with a subscription or through library databases. This document provides legal confirmation of the mother-son relationship and is valuable in tracing family movement between New Zealand, Asia, and the United Kingdom.
Will of Kate Emily Hall (1926), Archives New Zealand
The will and probate record for Kate Emily Hall is held in the Christchurch repository of Archives New Zealand, recorded under TU2651/1926. Despite having been married to Thomas Hall, the record describes her as a "spinster" residing in England, likely reflecting her legal status at death or the conventions used by the probate system. A digitised copy of the document is freely available through the LDS FamilySearch platform or accessible online via Archway.
Link: https://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=67569935
This record is important for understanding the final chapter of her life, and it may offer further insight into her estate, residence, or relationships. Researchers can view the original document without charge, although retrieval may require a request through Archives New Zealand.
Grave of Henry and Jane Cain, Timaru Cemetery
Henry Cain, a former mayor of Timaru and the stepfather of Kate Emily Hall, died on 29 January 1886 and is buried with his wife, Jane Cain, who passed away on 26 July 1878 at the age of 52. The grave is located in the Timaru Cemetery and is listed in the Timaru District Council’s online cemetery database. It has been noted that the headstone was damaged, reportedly during community service cleaning efforts, raising concern about the preservation of local heritage gravesites.
Link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/services/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search
By searching the surname "Cain," users can locate the grave’s exact plot and burial details. The site remains a place of reflection for those studying early Timaru settlers and their legacies.
Thomas Hall Trial and Biography Reference in Cheerful Yesterdays
The book Cheerful Yesterdays includes a detailed account of the Thomas Hall poisoning trials, the exhumation of Captain Henry Cain, and the legal decisions surrounding Kate Emily Hall. It confirms that although she was competent to testify and attended the trial, she was never called to the witness stand. The author explains that this was a deliberate legal strategy: the Crown had sufficient evidence without her, and the defence likely feared the risk of damaging testimony.
Link: https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov09_03Rail-t1-body-d9.html
This source is freely available via the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection and is out of copyright. It remains a well-cited narrative in New Zealand legal and social history circles for its detail and accessible storytelling.
Cheerful Yesterdays. Chapter XXII
Two Famous Poisoning Trials. http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-AlpChee-t1-body-d2-d12.html
Newspaper and Court Reports from Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand)
Margaret Houston and Thomas Hall Arrested
Timaru Herald – 19 August 1886
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TH18860819.2.21
Trial Testimony – Dr Keyworth and Defence Witnesses
Nelson Evening Mail – 19 October 1886
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM18861019.2.9
Evidence of the Letter (“Tommy Dodd” and “Megrims”)
New Zealand Times – 18 October 1886
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18861018.2.29
Additional Trial Details and Background Context
Waipawa Mail – 24 August 1886
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPM18860824.2.19
Retrospective Summary of the Case
Timaru Herald – 8 February 1935
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19350208.2.28
Research and Academic References
South Canterbury NZGenWeb – Thomas Hall Case Summary
(Includes details on Margaret Houston’s role)
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nzlscant/hall.htm
New Zealand Electronic Text Collection – NZ Railways Magazine
"Hall’s Trial" Summary Article
https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov08_01Rail-t1-body-d11.html
Alphonse Cheeseman’s Legal Summary of the Trial
NZETC – Legal and Public History Account
https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-AlpChee-t1-body-d2-d12.html