Frontispiece of a pamphlet about the Hall poisoning case. Timaru was rocked in 1886 by the conviction of one of its most respected citizens, Thomas Hall, for the attempted murder of his wife and the murder of his father-in-law, both by antimony poisoning. A pamphlet published at the time shows Hall (top centre), his co-accused Margaret Houston (top left), witnesses and judge, and Woodlands, the scene of the crimes.