MUNN ON TRIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 110, 12 May 1930, Page 10

MUNN ON TRIAL.

DEATH OF HIS WIFE. "DUE TO STRYCHNINE." SEVEKAL DOSES TAKEN DURING ILLNESS. CROWN'S CASE OUTLINED. Arthur Thomas Munn, aged 45, a furniture maker, was placed on trial before Mr. Justice Herdman and a jury at the Supreme Court this morning, charged with the murder of his wife, Lillie May Munn, at Northcote on February 11. The limited accommodation for the public at the back of the Supreme Court was well filled when the hearing began. There' were about twenty women in the gallery. Munn was represented by Mr. E. H. Northcroft and Mr. L. K. Munro. The Crown Prosecutor. Mr. V. R. Meredith. had with him Mr. P. McCarthy. At? 10.35 Munn stepped into .the dock. He .carried under his arm a book of papers, some of which he handed to his counsel. In answer to the charge Munn in a clear voice said, "Not guilty." Jurors Challenged. In empanelling the jury twenty-five names were drawn from the box. Mr. Northcroft exhausted his right of six challenges, and Mr. Meredith ordered seven men to stand aside. The following were empanelled: Messrs. Leonard John Keys (foreman), Joseph Simms, Albert Waldemar Temm, James Charles Stewart, Charles Lucas, Frederick Curzon Taylor, Victor Hanley Bell, Frederick Roy Lincoln, Claude Ewen, David William Evans, Royston Douglas Knight, Ernest Culpan. Before the Crown Prosecutor opened his address the Court was adjourned for a discussion in chambers regarding the admissibility of certain evidence. At 12.15 'the Court resumed and on the application of Mr. Northcroft all witnesses in the case were ordered out of Court. "It falls to you to accept the responsibility of possibly the greatest duty placed on the citizens of a community, that of sitting in judgment'on a fellow citizen on a capital charge," said Mr. Meredith in opening his address to the jury. "Before detailing the facts, I feel it is my duty, as an officer of justice, to mention one. matter to you. Cases of this kind invariably create a great amount of public interest." "Prior to the trial a great deal has been published and there has been much public discussion," continued Mr. Meredith; : "The members of the community from which the jury is drawn are prone to have formed opinions or heard them expressed! I sincerely ask you to put out of your minds anything you may have heard or read, or any conceived idea of the. case you may have formed. It is necessary, particularly in a case of this nature, that the decision you ulti-. mately come to shall be based on the evidence heard in this court and on that alone. If the evidence be not sufficient to bring you to the conclusion that this man is° guilty there should prejudice to affect your judgment." .Fatal Doses of Poison. Referring to the death of Mrs. Munn, the Crown Prosecutor said the fatal illness lasted only one week. The charge against Munn was that he poisoned her by administrations of strychnine. There wofrld not be direct evidence of the administration of poison, because it was obvious that no one could be present as a witness; and there never could be direct evidence in such circumstances. Whether the poison was administered by Munn would depend on various facts. It would be definitely established, submitted counsel, that Mrs. Munn died from strychnine poisoning. It was equally certain that she died as a result of havin" taken several doses of poison during the period of her illness. Only three° explanations of that were possible: She took the poison herself, for some reason; or she took it by accident, through food .or-otherwise; or it was her'by someone else. ° When it came to the consideration of whether it was a case of suicide, or accidental administration of poison, it became important to consider the effect of strychnine on the person taking it. It was necessary to consider whether it was' reasonably possible for a person, bavin* once taken strychnine, to be willing to suffer the effects of a: repetition. , - , Three Severe Attacks. Counsel explained the effects of strychnine, administered in one or other of'its two forms,. soluble or insoluble. The soluble form, he said, was very much quicker in its action than the insoluble. . It was suggested that the poison used On Mrs. Munn was soluole. Strychnine was very similar to .ordinary salts in appearance, and was extreniely bitter to the taste. It would be difficult to administer it to anyone not willing to take it, without having it disguised or mixed with something else, also ot a bitter taste. The action of the poison rapidly spread to the spine, ana," 1 much 'less than an hour all parts of tile body were affected. Mrs. Munn, having consciously had one such experience, would never dream of running the risk of another. On the first day of her illness she, had an attack, which was witnessed, fortunately, by a neighbour, whose description of it absolutely.Jitted standard medical descriptions Later in the week she had a second attack, and on the morning of the last dayjhe had the third attack. Both Parties Previously Married. The late Mrs. Munn was married to prisoner on March 12, 1920, at Greytown. She at that time was a widow, having previously been married to a Mr Wcsterbv, who died on a hospital "ship during'the war She had no children. Munn was a divorced man and had three children by his first wi e. After the marriage at Grey town, Munn and his wife and the children by ins first marriage came to Auckland, but since that time the children had lett the home of their father and stepmother. By the new marriage there have been two little girls. On coming to Northcote a house was purchased there, the deposit being supplied by money Mrs. Munn had. "In tho case the three children by Munn's first marriage will be called to c ivo evidence, but it is not proposed to call the two little children of- the second marriage. In respect of the house purchased at Northcote, Munn and his wife have lived there ever, since. It is a Hix-roomed house and underneath there is a basement, this basement being

occupied by a Mrs. Gill. At the bottom of the garden there is a workshop, prisoner being a wickerworker who did all his work in the workshop, and he was there all the time. The house was in Mrs. Munn's name, and she also had an interest in a section adjoining the property. -J*iM "Bright and Cheerful." "The evidence will show," said Mr. Meredith, "that Mrs. Munn, who was 43 years of age at the time of her death, had been of a bright and cheerful disposition and generally her health had been good. It is important to consider the • relations existing between the parties prior to the incidents with which you are particularly concerned in this case, to indicate what the feelings of Munn were towards his wife before her death. The three children of the first wife will give evidence. Oliver, the son, will tell you that he had seen his .father knock the late Mrs. Munn about. He had also seen his father throw a plate at her, strike her, and once knock her down in the kitchen. The evidence will indicate -that in spite of this 1 treatment Mrs. Munn was always trying to do her best for her husband, and she was always cheerful. Son Sues Father. "Oliver apparently left home about twelve months ago. He had a dispute with his father about money matters and sued him. It may be said that because j of this dispute Oliver may be prejudiced, [ but one could hardly think that if there was a dispute a son would be prejudiced in his evidence against his father in a case of this gravity. Two daughters, Dorothy and Mavis, will give evidence as to treatment of his wife by the accused. A Mrs. Brown, who was a friend of the Munns, will tell you that on one occasion when some linoleum had been purchased for the flooring she heard Munn say to Ins wife, "You can dam well scrub the boards when this is worn out." The Court at 12.50 p.m. adjourned till 2.15. Long before the Court opened again this afternoon a crowd of 200 or more formed a queue, and when the Court orderly threw open the doors there was> a rush for positions. Not all could gain entrance. "A Remarkable Advertisement." At 2.30 Mr. Meredith resumed his address. "I now propose," he said, "to call your attention to a remarkable advertisement which appeared in the 'Auckland Star.' The advertisement read: — Gent, 40, lonely, wishes to meet companionable woman, without means preferable, view matrimony.—Write _ H. 6218, "Star." "That advertisement was put in by Munn. The words 'view matrimony' were not originally in the advertisement, but they were added at the request of the lady who took the advertisement at the counter. It is also signed by Munn. "So now you have a man living with his wife, seeking to get into touch with another woman. He got into touch with a Mrs. Stuck, and she AvilUtell you she deceived a letter signed 'Arthur Thomas.'" It is signified that 'Arthur Thomas' are the Christian names of the accused Munn." Counsel went on to say that Munn met' Mrs. Stuck several times subsequently, and the first time when he took her for a ride in his car he said he had received many replies to his advertisment, some from as far south as Te Kuiti. He also told her lie wanted a friend and that his name Was Arthur Thomas. Next time lie met her they again went to Mangcre. Mrs. Stuck's Discovery. On this occasion, continued Mr. Meredith, she did not ask him for his real name. Mrs. Stuck, however, had a feeling that his real name was not Arthur Thomas, and that he was married. He later told her he was married and that his correct name was Arthur Thomas Munn. Mr 3 Stuck would say that when she found out accused was married she told him that she did not want ! the thing to go any further, as she did .not want to come between man and wife. Munn had told Mrs. Stuck that his wife had lost all interest in her home, and he wanted a friend. Mrs. Stuck had said that she would be a friend. Munn bad then taken her back to Dominion •Road. Mrs. Stuck a few days later had gone to Milford Beach with her brother-in-law and had met Munn at the latter's request. "They met again," said Mr. Meredith, "and drove in Munn's car to Takapuna. She got back that night about a quarter to ten. From that time on, till Mrs. Stuck left for Christchurch on January 31, there were regular meetings between them. Munn would come over to town and have morning tea with her. So that you have over a period of five months you have these clandestine meetings between Munn and Mrs. Stuck, through which ho got into conta ctin October. "A Remarkable Sequence." "Here is a remarkable sequence of happenings: On November 25 Munn purchased strychinine from Johnstone, chemist, at Takapuna. . Mrs. Munn makes her will leaving everything to Munn.. On December 24, Mrs. Stuck leaves for Christchurch on Jan. 31, and Mrs. Munn becomes ill almost immediately afterwards. It is not suggested that the property of Mrs. Munn was of any great value, but by the making of her will it eliminated any chance the children had of participating in it." (Proceeding.)

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