| HALL FAMILY - TRAGEDIES AND SCANDALS |
| Every family has its share of scandals and tragedies, and the Halls were no exception. The three brothers had each gone their own ways by the 1870's; George was suffereing from ill-health and lead a quiet life compared to his younger brother John, who was very active in politics. Thomas lived in Timaru, and had three sons, Tom, Willie and John. Tom Hall and the attempted murder of his wife Kitty, and the murder of her father Captain Cain Iin 1886 Tom was on trial for twelve counts of forgery and the calculated attempt to poison his wife Kitty, daughter of Captain Cain. A female servant was also implicated in the murder, and, some weeks later, Tom was also charged with the murder by poison of Captain Cain, his father-in-law. At the end of an eight day trial held in Dunedin the death sentence was handed down, but on a legal technicality, was commuted to life imprisonment. He remained in Mt Eden prison until 1907 when he was released after 21 years; he went to Australia where he worked as a photographer. His wife Kitty had returned to England with their son after the trial, and in 1901 Kitty returned to New Zealand and petitioned for divorce in Auckland. The divorce of Agnes Mildred Hall from Edward Wakefield Agnes was the daughter of George Williamson Hall and his wife Agnes Dryden; she married Edward Wakefield, son of Felix Wakefield and nephew of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Edward Wakefield was a politician noted for his opportunism, and from 1884 to 1887 was the member of the House of Representatives for John Hall's former seat of Selwyn. The bare facts were that Wakefield divorced Agnes in Dunedin citing Edward Withers, a cousin, in the case. Agnes admitted her adultery with Edward Withers, a bank officer, and for this lost the custody of her six children, and all contact with them; Edward Withers, employed by the Bank of New Zealand, lost his employment as well. Divorce was considered scandalous in those days, and the social consequences were severe. Agnes and Edward married as soon as the divorce was finalised, and their first child, Aimee Mildred was born shortly afterwards (she was named Aimee meaning loved one). Despite efforts by Sir John Hall and George, Edward was unable to obtain employment in banking in New Zealand. NB Though the bare facts are recorded in various sources, the word in the family was that Edward Wakefield was not a pleasant man, and left Aggie for long periods alone. It is rumoured that he deliberately arranged for his cousin Edward Withers to visit whilst he was away for months at a time, and it was felt that he was only too pleased with the outcome. He threw Aggie out of the home when she told him of her feeling for Edward Withers, and immediately took the children to England to ensure that she never saw them again. Aimee corresponded with one of her half-sisters, Queenie, until she died in 1956. Edward Withers and Aggie left New Zealand after the birth of Aimee and went to Australia where they had two more daughters, Ethel and Irene; unfortunately, Ethel was born with Spina Bifida. They all returned to Dunedin after some years, and Edward worked as an accountant until his death in 1914. Ethel lived at home until her death aged 23, unusual for those days, when children with physical or mental disabilities were usually put into homes. Irene died in Hong Kong of dengue fever, and was survived by her daughter Molly and husband Harold Pearce, who returned to Harold's native Australia. Aggie and Edward also had a son, Peter, but he died soon after birth. |