A CHARGE OF MURDER

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 185, 5 August 1913, Page 6

A CHARGE OF MURDER

THE HENDERSON CASE. FRESH EVIDENCE PROMISED. •Alice Sarah WilHanifwin. aged :TT years, a married woman, who had rasid-ed for some time at -Henderson, wais oharged at the Auckland Police Court to-day, thai on Jury 17. at Henderson, she mtirdered Elien Ahlgren. a woman who died at the Auckland Hospital on duly 18. a.s the result of injuries received from burns. The accuspcl way by Mr ■I. R. Lundon. ami Chief Detwtive McMubon conducied the prosecution. In outlining Uie case, the Chief Detective stau-ii itiat oil July 17 a ship's cook named LambaTil William Vun-dela-er, ot-berwise known as ''Billy Brown." went to Henderson to see 'Mrs Ahlgren. Tlwy ha\i some drinks together, and went on to Mrs Williamson's place and had more drinks. During the course of'riie afternoon, Mrs AbJgrcn gave Alns Williamson •two sm'llingß 10 look after for her. and later they 'had a quarrel over the money, during the course of tvhio'n Mns Wi]liampon -fcbTew a bucket; of water over Mrs AWgren. who went home. Va.mleUier 1 wetrt airay, but later, t-hinkinor to patch Up the quarrel be.tv.-nrn tho two women, he started for Ahlgren's place. On the way there he came across Mrs Alhjrren lying near a small cree-t; very badly burnt, and she sa'td: "Billy. I've been burnt to death." He went away foT help, and called a srrard from the railway station, w.ho found that Mrs. Ahlgrpn had struggled from where Vandelaer had seen he-r lo her bouse, where she was sitting very badly injured from burns as the result of tho dallies having been burnt off ber back. was taken to -the Auckland Hospital, and in her dying depoaitvonri I.hfl'P.. ttcdised bein«r present, she said that Mrs Williamson had deliberately set flrr- to her clothes. Thi6 was denied by Mns Williamson, who also denied tha-tshe had thai, day quarrelled with Mrs Ahlgren. Mrs Ahlgren died next day. and an inqwst vras held. Tn ad-dition to the pyidpnee c.tUed at the inquest, be would call evidence to show that accused h-a-d threatened both to burn and to scald Mrs Ahlgren. Evidence would further be called concerning fragments of burnt cloth found just out-side accused's house, at the spot between -the two houses -where Vtindelaer saw Mts Ahlgren lying injured, and outside Mm Ablgren's home. Cross-exajntnnd by Mr. Lundon, Ahlgren said he knew Mrs. Churtcm, a neighbour, and if she had found anything having an important bearing on the case it would have been easy for her to tell him about it. Up to Saturday last she had not mentioned any discoveryshe had made. Witness ,had personally made a thorough search of the gronnd in the vicinity of the two houses, and nothing had been found excepting some burnt clothing on deceased's side of the creek. He saw no footprints to indicate that deceased had walked from accused's house to ber own, and no marks to show that she had fallen. Replying to the Chief Detective, the witness considered that the ground was too dry to show marks such as he ha-d been questioned about. Lambert William Vandelaer. the ship's cook, commonly known, as "Billy Brown," gave evidence along the same lines as at the recent coronial inquiry. Tbe case is proceeding.