Thomas Hall (c. 1848–1929) was a New Zealand commission agent, forger and murderer. Hall was born in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, England, on 24 January 1848. He migrated to New Zealand as a young child with his parents in 1853. Hall's father, TW Hall eventually settled in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

and young Thomas managed a property owned by his uncle, John Hall, who later became a prominent New Zealand politician, Sir John Hall. Hall established himself in business in the early 1880s becoming a partner in Hall and Meason, commission agents, selling land and lending money. He married Kate Emily Espie on 26 May 1885. She was the stepdaughter of Captain

Henry Cain Captain Henry Cain (1816 – 29 January 1886) was the second Mayor of Timaru. He was at sea from age 13 and was one of Timaru's first settlers, where he lived for his last 30 years. Early years Cain was born in 1816 in England. He went to se ...

, who was

's second mayor and regarded as the city's father. Cain died at Hall's house on 29 January 1886. The Halls had a child in June 1886 and soon after, his wife showed signs of a mysterious illness that puzzled her doctor. After a family friend drank from a cup intended for Kate, rumours in the community spread and the Doctor began to suspect poisoning. He sent off a sample of her stomach contents for analysis which confirmed suspicions. Hall and a family friend, Margaret Houston were committed for trial. Houston was acquitted, but Hall was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder, and 12 charges of forgery. Soon after, the doctor had Hall's father-in-law's body exhumed and signs of poisoning were found. Justice Williams sentenced Thomas Hall to death for this second case, but on appeal, the conviction was overturned on a technicality. Hall was released from

Mount Eden Prisons Mount Eden Prisons consists of two separate facilities in the Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Mount Eden — the Mount Eden Prison and the Mount Eden Corrections Facility. History The original Mount Eden prison was a military stockade built i ...

after serving 21 years and left the country. In the NZ Dictionary of Biography records that the time and place of Hall's death is unknown, however biographer Peter Graham claims that after his release he left to live in Australia in the seaside town of Yeppoon where he is buried today under the assumed name of Paul Newstead.

References

1840s births People from Kingston upon Hull New Zealand people convicted of murder Forgers English emigrants to New Zealand People convicted of murder by New Zealand Year of death missing Criminals from Yorkshire 1886 murders in New Zealand {{NewZealand-crime-bio-stub