THE MOUAT CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 65, 18 March 1925, Page 8

THE MOUAT CASE.

RELATIVE GIVES EVIDENCE. SOME PERSONAL DETAILS. STATEMENTS OF ACCUSED. t (3y Telegraph.—Press Association.! CHEISTCHUHCH, this day. 11 The Magistrate's Court was crowded s ! this morning when Frederick Peter c \ Mouat appeared on remand, charged c j with the murder of his wife, Nellie I Mouat, on or about February 20. " J John B. Merrett, a brother-in-law of 'I ; accused, and who is leaving New Zealand I shortly, gave evidence as to the married l " life of the Mouats. '" Witness said that Mrs. Mouat was his sister, and was born near Wanganui in c 1880. She married Mouat in 1910 in l ' England. Later they came to New c Zealand, then went to South Africa, returning to New Zealand in 1920 or *' 1921. Mouat was licensee of the Glenavy s Hotel for about a year. Witness visited the Mouats at Glenavy, and they appeared to be happy and doing well. ° After leaving the hotel they came to "• Christchurch. Witness last saw his sister on Sunday evening, February 15. a when she was at his house. She appeared r " quite happy. 1 Witness, continuing, said that at c Templeton in February he questioned 1 Mouat about his wife's disappearance. => Accused said he had no idea where she a had gone, though he had been instructed c by her that she would like to go to 1 Purakanui, and she asked him to bring 0 some clothes down. Mouat said he had 1 not been able to find his wife at Pura- ' kanui or Oamaru, so he left her clothes c with his mother. Witness asked Mouat 2 why a sheet and blankets had been " washed at Beckford Street on the morna ing of his wife's disappearance. Mouat 7 replied that his wife washed them, t Mouat admitted he was in financial " trouble. 1 The witness said that Mouat denied 3 that there had been any quarrel or that lie had struck his wife accidentally. I- Mr. Donnelly (Crown Prosecutor) ins timated, after Mouat had been remanded s for another week, that the case would i not be gone on with then, as there were - scientific investigations to be made. i