THE COTTERELL CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 254, 27 October 1898, Page 4

THE COTTERELL CASE.

FATHER CHARGED VITH WOUND.

ING HIS DAUGHTERS.

At the Police Court this -r.rw ■_) Frederick Alien George GfckSSgS charged with .wounding his fltfii^gl Beatrice and Florence, with intent -t_ I do grievous bodily harm. ? Detective Madd'ern appeared forth..' prosecution; and Mr S. Hesketh fort__ ? derence. *• Detective Maddern said it appeared that the accused had had a lot of trouble of late, and -ad, he -ehou-.it taken a little drink as well. He liad been very fond of his children, and the ' detective thought there must have boon something wrong with his mind i at tbe lime ot: the alleged assault. If committed for trial the accused w'otiia bo under the gaol surgeon's observation, ami the latter would be abla $-1 state at the Supreme Court what he ? thought of the accused's mental condition. , Florence Cotterell said she was sit. \ teen years of age. She was adeep iii bed on the morning of th; 19th inst. when she was awakened by a blow on the head. She then saw her father Standing by the bed with a hammer in his hand. Her father struck her twice after that. After the second? blow she cried out, 'Oh, father, -don't! ' don't!' and he replied, 'i must,.. must*' i and struck her for the third time.iSfife got up and ran across the yard. Her rather followed, and putting his arms round her, assisted her back to her "' mother. The blows were on the fore« ? head, and the wounds oled a good a. deal. Her mother took her from the ; father and dressed the wounds, wliiife,/' her brother seized thi accused. She?? could not account for the assault in? any way. -_.er father had always been fond of her, and had never done: or?, threatened anyining of the kind lie-? fore. She had noticed her father ap-1 peared very peculiar for a week before. Up to this time -hey had had no? reason to be afraid of him, and he had? treated them well.

Beatrice Cotterell, the other daughter, aged seventeen, said she wa; sleep- ?'• ing in the same bed as her sister that ? morning. The first thing she remein-- : ?■ bered was her mother coming into the : room. There was no on. else present ; at the time, "he then discovered that . she had a wound on her forehead and ? another on the top of thehesd,-but ' she did not know at the time how?*; they had been caused. She was vomiting blood that day up till three in the.afternoon. ~_ t Vercy Cottereli, son of the accused?! said the hammer was one which hail; been lying about the yard. He saw his sister "bleeding on th.* morning in question, and on asking his father?? why he had done it the latter replied, 'I did it for the best? .? ? Frederick Cotterell, another son, -.: deposed that his father said, T hare A been trying to kill her? when asked by witness what he had been doing, " The accused had,been acting qtieeriy for the last three or four weeks before this, and seemed'to be brooding?\ over some thing. He had been worried a great deal, and witness knew :: he had lost some money. Of late .-■'.. his father had not been a great drinker. '.' Dr. Walker said he arrived at the y Cotterell's house about eight -o'clock ' that morning. Both the children • were conscious. Florrie. the younger one. had a star-shaped wound on the left brow and a slight wound on the other brew. He put five stitches in ? •ihe first wound and one in the second, and bandaged them. Beatrice - had a contused wound'on the top of. the head, and a blackness over both ■'? eyes. She was also vomiting blood.iii neither case, however, was there.a ? fracture of the skull. A hammer. blow on the top of the head would caused the -wounds he found. A light blow on the top of the chad would cause the blackening of the eye's. ; Previous to this he had met Cotter- ... ell one day in Karangahape Road, .; and Cotterell said people were trying • to rob him at his house. Witness '??■ told him he was wrong to entertain such ideas, and said that if they ?:•- were allowed to develop the consequences might be serious. Witness cheered him up, and Cotterell said he felt very much better after the ~; conversation. Witness saw Cotterell on the 19th, after dressing the girls y wounds. He asked the accused why ' he had done this, and got the answer, . T have been very much worriech 'But why did you do it to the girls, asked witness." 'Simply to save therefrom any trouble in the future,' was the reply. Next day witness sa-w him in the police cell. The accused had been suffering from mental aberration and confused ideas about his estate. Y\*itness saw hin- again fins morning, when he seemed very lowspirited and demented. He told witness he had no idea at the time ot - the assault that he was doing **•.-. Witness was quite certain the trouble had not been brought on through drinking. The accused.": condition was no better now than on the 19th, and he would not be accountable for his actons. He was rather worse mentally than when witness saw him before the assault.

Detective Maddern: Do you conclude then that the accused was not responsible for his actions when h& attacked his daughters'.' Witness: 1 feel certain of it. Evidence was also given by James Cotterell, John Henry Pearson, ana Constable Eceles. The accused was committed ior trial at the Supreme Court. Mr »• Hesketh reserved nis defence.