CASE FOR DEFENCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 206, 13 June 1936, Page 9

CASE FOR DEFENCE

THE RE-TRIAL 0F MAREO. DOCTORS DEAL WITH‘ VERONAL THE EFFECT OF THE DRUG. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, June 12. When the trial of Eric Marco, on the charge of murdering his wife, Thelma. Clarice Marco, was continued in the Supreme Court to-day, the court was crowded. Mr Justice Callan presided. The Crown case is being conducted by Mr V. R. Meredith and Mr F. McCarthy. The defence was conducted by Mr H. F. O’Leary, K.C. (Wellington) and Messrs Trevor Henry and K. C. Aekins. Dr. T. L. Paget, of‘Wellington, (Inspector of private hospitals under the health department) gave evidence that he had not practised during the past 12 years, but had previously practised at Stl'atford and. Palmerston North for 36 years. A statement he had read during the Marco case caused him to offer yesterday to'give evidence. That statement was that if a patient lapsed into unconsciousness through an overdose of veronal and recovered that patient would not relapse and die. The statement reminded him of a case that came under his notice 20 to 25 years ago. The woman livednear Hawera and had been a patient Of‘ his at iStratford. When he was called in she had been in a fairly deep coma. The history of the case was given him that she had been given veronal two nights previously. Witness thought that from 10 to 15 grains had: been given on medical advice. The first dose was not effective and a second similar dose was administered next evening. The cumul—ative effect of those two doses was the cause of coma. When Witness arrived the woman was in a comatose condition, but while he was there she roused, recognised him and talked. She seemed to be recovering. Witness could not remember what treatment had been given the woman, but he thought they had prescribed strychnine for the heart. They thought she was recovering, but she relapsed into unconsciousness and although under conStant medical attention the coma increased and she died from veronal poisoning. “I was satisfied that she was in. a state of coma because of veronal,” continued Dr. Paget. “She may have had a limit of 40 grains in 20—grain doses, but I cannot remember exactly. I think it impossible for her to have had a third dose. Her husband was very fond of her and there was no question of criminal intent. The veronal was given on that occasion. hy’po—dermically.”

Action of Drugs. ‘ Replying to Mr Meredith, the witness said that he agreed that drugs of the barbituric acid group acted fairly certainly, but he'did not agree with the statement that they acted with rapidity. He would recommend a dose to be taken an hour or two hours before the patient desired sleep. The patient to whom he referred was between 50 and 55 years of age. Her general health had been good, but he had not seen her for some time before the fatal illness, and she may have deteriorated physically during the interval. No post-mortem examination was carried out, and he was unable to tell the court of the woman’s organic condition. The patient was in a condition of coma—with a brief intermission in which she was awake—for about 36 hours. Her appearance was dusky and her breathing laboured. Witness roused her, he thought, by speaking to her and probably moving her. He thought it possible that the other doctor might have given her strychnine before witness arrived, and this might have assisted her to awake. Re-examined, Dr. Paget said that he found no organic disease of the heart or lungs. .To his Honor, witness said that when he rousedi the Woman she did 1 ct become at all lively. She was drowsy,J and spoke in a drowsy way. _ + ; Use of Veronal. ‘ j j ’lrene Alice Riano, a widow, of Mel-1 ibourne, questioned by Mr Henry, said ’that she met Thelma Trott (Mrs Marco) in 1931 with a variety company. Her [daughter and grandrdaughter joined “the company. She saw Miss 'l‘rott again in Melbourne in 1933, when her family rpoiined the Ernest Rolls Company. She remembered Thelma 'Prott telling her she could not sleep with sleeping powders. One night she had a bottle of veronal which, she said, wasthe best thing on the market for sleeplessnsss. She had once said she would kill herself, because life was not worth living, Mrs Riana said she remembered Thelma Trott saying that if the Ernest ’Rolls company did not take her to New Zealand she would kill herself, and they decided to take her. \Vhile in Auckland, she came to witness’s dressing room and asked whether witness could give. her some powders or something. Mareo was standing in the doorway, and said, “I wish you could convince Thelma to be a homeopath, ‘because something will happen if she doesn’t stop takimg so many sleeping ydraughts.” “fitness remembered Mrs Marco drinking in the Crow’s Nest “Cabaret, \Vellirngton, and being under the influence of liquor.

To Mr Henry, the witness said she was very fond of Miss Trott. ’.llhere had been a. difference between her daughter and Maren ovfer the latter playing music too fast, but there had been no difference with Miss Trott. Witness Cross-examined. —- Cross-examined by Mr Meredith, the Witness said that when she was interviewed by the police in Melbourne she may not have mentioned that Thelma Trott showed her a, bottle of veronal. A policeman just came to the door, asked some questions, and ‘ took notes in a book.

“He took us by surprise, and I didn’t think it important to tell him everything I knew,” the Witness said. ‘ Mr Meredith: I put to you that he

asked straight out whether Thelma Trott took veronal? The witness: I do not remember that. He was not asking me questions. I was telling him. Mr Meredith: Do I understand that he stood there mute, while you told him about Thelma Trott? The witness: He asked some questions, particularly about dates. Mr Meredith: Then you purely voluntarily brought out these things about her drinking? The witness: I did it out of my love of justice. I thought it my duty. ‘ Mr Meredith: Did not your love of justice and duty impel you to tell the police about that bottle of veroual? The witness: lam not sure that I did not tell them. Marco had said to her before he married that Thelma was taking too many drugs, asking witness to break her Of it, the witness said. Mr Meredith: If what you say is correct, it follows that Mareo knew his wife took drugs. The witness: Yes. I suppose so. Mr Meredith: Would you he sul“prised to know that when his wife fivas unconscious and a doctor asked him whether his wife ever tool: drugs, he said “No”? The witness: Perhaps dope and drugs are two different things. Mr Meredith: Would you be surprised if he said, in answer to the police, that his wife did not take drugs to make her sleep, but took alcohol? The witness: I don’t know whether I would: be surprised. 1 School. Teacher's Evidence.

John 'William Beattie, a. schoolteacher, of Hunterville, said that in November, 1931, while in Dunedin, he suffered a nervous breakdown. He consulted two doctors, who prescribed veronal to induce sleep. He took veronal for about a year. For a. time one tablet was enough, but later he had to take two. He used to take them about half an hour before. he went to bed. Occasionally they did not have any effect, and after tossing for some time he got up and took two more. At the time he was suffering from a, duodenal ulcer. He remembered one night taking two tablets with tea about 10 o’clock. He escorted some visitors to the tram, and retired about 11.15. The veronal had not had any effect. About midnight he took two more tablets. He remembered distinctly that eight tablets were left in the box. He went to sleep, and did not remember . anything until morning. He then remembered his wife trying to awaken him, but he just sagged and went into a deep sleep. At dinner time his wife again tried to rouse him, but he sagged again and went to sleep. ' l “About 7 .30 that night my wife was able to rouse me with difficulty,” the iwitness said. “I was just like a ‘drunken man. \Ve went for a walk. ‘My speech was very thick. \Vhen I iretired at 10 o’clock I decided to risk one tablet. They were kept in the lbathroom. I found the box with the rid on; but there were no tablets. 1 concluded that I had taken them myself on the Saturday night. My wife lhas never taken veronal in her life.” ; His Honor: You conclude then that between 10 o’clock on Saturday night land Sunday morning you took (30 [grains—~l2 tablets?

Witness: Yes. The effect wore ofl on the Monday. On another occasion, the witness said, he found himself in the bathroom. The bottle fell into 1L washhand basin, and roused him. He was satisfied that ho was after more verona‘l, but he had enough willpower to force himself away from the bathroom where 1t was kept. On his way back to bed, he entered the wrong bedroom. _ ‘

The witness said he had never see-n Mareo until to—day, but he thought this experience of veronal might be valuable, and he had therefore written to the Court. . Woman's Experience With iDr-ug. Moira, Esme Meismer, a married. woman, of Havelock North, said that in September, 1930, when she :had collapsed, she had been sleeping badly for six months before barbitone was prescribed for her by a. doctor and pills were obtained. The witness described taking the pills. During the night she- remembered waking up, as though in a dream, and feeling for the pills, which she thought were on a. pedestal by the bed. She remembered getting up and searching the. room. The next thing she remembered was bumping into the telephone, and then she found herself in the bathroom. :She remembered getting on a high stool to reach a. medicine chest. She opened the cupboard and searched for the pills, which she eventually found. She did‘ not know that the pills had been shifted to the bathroom. The witness said she could remember taking them, but she could not remember how many. Franz Meissner, husband of the previous witness, described putting the pills in the bathroom and later findin the box empty. He had given his wife only twu pills. The witness said his wife had been asleep about four days. The Court adjourned until Monday, after having heard the evidence of the wardrobe mistress in “The Duchess of Danzig” operatic production, Alice Frances Smith. who said, that on the final night Mr‘s Marco smelt of liquor. The last witness for the defence, a \Vellington doctor, will be heard on Monday.