GIRL FOR TRIAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 243, 27 July 1935, Page 3

GIRL FOR TRIAL

CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED MURDER POISONED SWEETS BY POST. (Per Press Association). , [NAPIER, July 26, The receipt through the post of chocolates which later proved to contain poison led to a charge in the Magistrate’s Court to-day against Phyllis Tui Marshall, of Tikokino, aged IS, of attempting to murder Alma Lorraine Keith, daughter of Mr and Mrs Keith, of Hastings, on May 22. The accused were represented by Mr C. G. Marker, of Waipawa. Detective Sergeant H. Nuttall appeared for the police. Clara Matjilda Keith, mother of Alma Keith, described the receipt on May 22 of a parcel wrapped in brown paper and addressed to her daughted. The parcel contained chocolates in a small paper bag, to which the note —“Will write to-night and explain if I can.—J.” Witness said she thought that the writing was that of Mr Masters, a young man with whom her dnughtei was friendly. Her daughter was not at home at the time, and she put the parcel away. She later asked Masters if he sent the chocolates, and he said he had not. Dr. G. E. Waterworth gaye evidexice as to the likely effects of varying quantities of white arsenic. Alma Lorraine Keith said that she knew .Jack Masters. Ike uniting on the parcel, she said, looked like his. A mail contractor, Bertram Christopher Hooper, said that on May 21 accused called at his house and asked hirir to post a parcel for her, winch he did. .. & Jack William Masters said that while working at Marshall's he occasionally took the accused for walks. He also wrote to Miss Keith regularly. Witness also gave evidence about being present at Mr Keith’s home when Miss Keith opened the parcel. Analyst’s Evidence. William Donovan, Government Analyst, recalled receiving from a constable packets containing a bag of ten chocolate creams. Examination xevealed that the creams were sprinkled with arsenic. One chocolate had A* grains, a fatal dose. He also received from Detective-Sergeant Nute tall two packets, one containing pow'der 3 received from the accused by 1C Detective-Sergeant on June 28. ie other contained powder taken from a bottle on Marshall’s farm on the same date. Both samples were white arsenic. . - Detective-Sergeant Nuttall, m e deuce, recalled the investigations 'leading to the accused’s arrest. S e gave a statement saying that she put powder in each of the chocolates purchased by her. She said she received the powder through post from Hugh Rochester, and by the same mail received a letter 'from him gesting that she could get rid of Masters with the powder. She tried some on a cat, which died. About Easter, she found Masters keeping company with Miss Keith, and. i* as jealous. She, determined that if he would not have her, he would not ’ have Keith. That was why she posted the chocolates to Keith. The acciised said she did not intend to poison Keith, but to make her sick, and give her a fright. She put only about a quarter of the amount of powder which she gave the cat in the chocolates. In the last letter she said she received from Rochester, he told her it would be better for her to put Masters out of the way-than for him to do so, as “they would not do as much to a girl as to a man. “No Such Person.” Continuing his evidence, DetectiveSergeant Nuttall said lie was satisfied there was no such person as Rochester. Mr Harker said that there was no such person. • Detective-Sergeant Nuttall said Rochester seemed a very real person to the accused. After her arrest, the accused was laughing and joking as if she were going to a picnic. Mr Harker pleaded not guilty on behalf of tRe accused, and called _ a woman farmer of Tikokino to the box. She testified that the accused was of reputable character. Some weeks after Easter she saw the accused, who looked as if she had had a severe shock, which seemed to have caused a nervous breakdown.

The accused was committed to the Supreme Court at Napier lor trial. No bail was asked for.