A SENSATIONAL STORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 55, 6 March 1901, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL STORY.

ALLEGED CHLOEOFOKMIXG OF A GIBL.

CHAEGE AGAIKST A YOUNG MAN.

\ remarkable story of a midnight chloroforming and assault was to Id by a young girl named Jto* Kew at the Supreme Court Criminal Sessions today before His -Honor the Chief Justice (Sir EObert Stout) and a jury of twelve. She identified as her assailant a young man named William Fahey, who appeared in the dock to answer to a. charge of "stupefying with intent and with having committed a criminal d-sault upon one Jane Kew, on January 29th last. The Hon. J. A. Tole conducted the prosecution. The accused, who pleaded not guilty, was undefended. Jane Kew, a quiet nice-looking young girl of eighteen, in short skirts, with hair hanging down her back, gave evidence against Fahey. She said that in January she was a, domestic servant ih the eihploy of Mr B. A. Daray, of St. George's Pay Eoad, Parnell. She knew the accused; he worked on Mr Mowbray's property, adjoining. She went to bed about 9.30 on the night ot January 29. Her bedroom was at the (back Of th_ house. About twelve o'clock she woke up, and feeling very thirsty, she Went tb get a drink. She went back and went to sleep again. She heard a noise in her sleep; she could not open her eyes. She thought she heard the cat. A cat generally ■slept at the head-of her bed. She put out her' hand to feel for it. A m» n took hold of her hand and she felt him put a silk handkerchief over her mouth. She smelt a suffocating smell. She turned over and did not remember any more, and did not know anything till she came out of the chloroform. She knew the smell of chloroform; this was the same smell. When she came out of the chloroform she found a man beside her. He told her if she made a noise he would shoot her. He asked her to meet him at the fir-bell on Wednesday night, and then he went out of the room. The prisoner, William Fahey, was the man. He committed a criminal assault on her. When he h. d gone she ran along to Mrs Daren's room, and told her and Mr T_»ai*cy what had happened. They told her she must have been dreaming, and they went and examined her room and the f est of the house. She went on the Wednesday night to keep the appointment, but the man never came. She saw him next day at Mr Mowbray's stables, and asked him why he didn't keep his appointment. Fahey said he didn't have any appointment at all. He asked her if she would marry him, and she said no, because he was a bad man; a girl had told her so. Then foe asked her what good it would dti her if she told on him and he got seVen years' imprisonment. He asked if they didn't srtiell any chloroform next day. and she said, no, they didn't. The eat (had beeh chloroformed too; it was insensibl- when Ml- and Mrs Da rey went into the room. Fahey told her if she hadn't told on him he would keep her or 'else many her.

Cross-examined by the accused, the girl said when she found the rrftui beside her she said to him, "Oh, Ambo, what are yon doing here?!' "Ambo" was.a friend of the girl she khew over the Way; she knew him. She did hot at first recognise who it was; she was 400 muddled. She d-id not think if she had screamed, Mr and Mrs Darcy could have heard her; the room was too far aWay. She was very sick from the effects of the chloroform, after sh'3 went back to her room. She said, when- she met Fahey afterwards, that she had not told on him; and that she wanted to sees what he was going to do for her; whether he was going to recompense her for what he had done.

Te accused: What? To give you tmonev?

The girl: _•_&, not money; whether you were going to get me to keep it quiet, to tnapy. , Continuing, the girl said when she went out on the Wednesday evening _o the _t_ebell, there were two detectives in a garden near by. No man -urned up. She told accused that if Mr D TArcy hadn't found the sideidoor open; near her room, she Wouldn't have said anything about it. [Accused at first denied being the man, but afterwards he confessed to her that he, was the man.

To His Honor: She was examined by Drs. Marsack and Sharman next day. To the tfnry: She was eighteen years old last January.

Archibald E. D'Arcy (secretary to the Australian Widows' Fund Assurance), ih whose employ the girl was as domestic servant, stated that the girl ca_ne to his room about three o'clock in the morning and called out: "Oh, Mr D'Arcy, there's been a man Tn" _riy bed "and he's chloroformed me." On going to her room he noticed a very strong smell of chloroform. An outer door leading on to the back verandah was open. His wife exclaimed as she got near the room, "What an awful smell of chloroform!" * The girl's pillow smelt of chloroform. There was a cat in fbe.room. His wife also said, "Why, the brntfe's even given it to the poor eat; it's lying behind the curtains." The cat was in a very stupid state; somethnig seenfed to have been done to it. Subsequently in the presence of the girl and the detectives, the prisoner said it could not have been liim, because he had a girl sleeping with him all that night in Mr Mowbray's stables. There were sign? that -omeone had gained access to the house by a back window. The girl 'said she was sure it was Mowbray's man who had assaulted her,, by 'the. voice.

Cross-dgfohined by . the prisoner the witness said that at the interview between Fahey and the detectives one of the detectives told Fahey that if he' didn't quit this country Tery soon he (the accused) would end on the gallows, of some such remark. Mrs D'Arcy gave corroborative evidence. She said there was a strong smell of chloroform, in the girl's room; the cat also seemed very stupid and dazed, as if it .had. been chloroformed. The girl told her the man had committed the full offence upon her. All the doors of the house were locked that night.. The -side-door was open, when, she went to the girl's room. The girl!was very frightened when she came to witness's room.

John Mowbray (in whose employ Fahey had been), also gave evidence for fhe .prosecution.

The girl with whom the prisoner

said he stayed the night of the alleged crime g-ave evidence in denial of the statement, as also did Mrs Brigg.. After other evidence was given, the accused addressed the jhry on his own behalf. (Proceeding-)