THE COWED DOG.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE COWED DOG.

QUEER FEATURE OF ENGLISH CASE. i:a.ms(,ate kiddle. William Noel and his wife seemed to be as 11 111j■ 11\ mated as it was possible for r-w n oei Mills to be. They .lined alone on Min-l.iv. May 14, 1803. at their home. :• Ad.-lphi Terrace. Grange Jload. Rams,:.it.-. Phi., was at about half-past one .''cl,,ck in the afternoon. Soon afterward Noel h'tt the house to attend the Sunday si t.ool over which he had supervision. It was about three hours later that Noe! 'hi into the house of a neighbour—a Mr. Maude's imploring him to come to his .i-.-1-tn'nc. He said that the front and I• .*i> k do..rs of his house u ere locked, and that, looking into a rear window, lie had seen his wife on the floor as though in a f.unt. The man responded at once, and Sauder* and Noel climbed through th< sculler;, w imlow. They found the familv dog sitting by the body and exhibiting almost huniar grief. "My (rod"' exclaimed Sanders, af lie knelt by the prostrate form. "She's dead. She's been shot." Noel looked at his wife in frightened fashion. He seemed dazed, and iinallv s.inl: "What, shall T do? What shall T do?" I lie obvious answer was to send for tin police, and that was done. In the mean Ume Noel took Sunders through the house saving that the motive must have bee' robbery, despite the fact that his wife'.* watch and her five costly rings had not been disturbed. The collection money, which had been brought from the church in the morning, was also intact. Tn the sitting room however, a desk had been smashed and the cash box litled. .Noel said that when lie left the house the door was unfastenei arid the key was in the lock. But no Lev was found. The upshot of the investigation was that William Noel was arrested, charged with the murder of hi.- wife. His Story. He was very much upset, and vigorously denied the terrible charge. Asked tn explain his nun emeiits, he said: "After dinner we had tin- usual family prayers • in.l 1 went up I" the lw k sitting i.ioiii. leaving in i wi ie mi the kitchen. I got ■i 1 \ IM"iks read,, for Siiudav school and she .'.line I■l (• ■ the I < ■••111 while I was bundling ! 1,. 111 11 Igetliel . "She wanted t.> get tiie collection money that was on the table. ,iud remarked that it. totalled ins! len shillings. Then she i'.-lit t<> the Hunt sitting room and return ed with a china bowl, into which she put the nioUe.\. and then took it into the other loom. .1 did not sec her slive alt' that. I left the house by the front si., door without speaking to in.* wife, and was at the school at about. 22b." lie added that lie had returned to fie. house ath about 4.20. and, finding the iiont. door locked, had gone to the rear. That, too, was closed, and getting a stepladder he climbed up and looked into the scullery window, and saw the motionless body of his wife on the floor. It was i hen. he said, that he had gone to Sanders and asked his help. But the question on every lip was •whyhe had not immediately climbed into the window himself. The police laid much stress on this point, and also alleged that the robbery motive had been manufactured In Noel in order to disguise his crime. But flu- strangest part of all was the . .liduct of the flog. It was ordinarily a savage beast, much given to barking and ginw ling. Now it seemed utterly cowed. It, was in the house all the while. Could it have remained silent while its mistress waa being attacked? To test this a pistal .-hot was tired in the air At the sound ihe dog glunk away with its tail between if« legs. The police claimed that Noel must hnvn been the murderer, and that the dog had not interfered because it was accus'omed to obey him. In an effort to make v case against him they went into his past life, and dug up a uumber of details iniended to blacken his character. When the case reached the Grand Jury Mr. .Justice (J rant ham vigorously denounced the attitude of the police, say;ug that their work was marked by "impropriety, incompetence and illegality." In conclusion he summed up by saying "Theie is not enough evidence in the upon which I would like a dog to be whipped, much less a man to be hanged.