MURDER TRIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 182, 4 August 1931, Page 8

MURDER TRIAL.

CASE AGAINST RAMEKA. DAUGHTER'S EVIDENCE. "THEY WERE ONLY FRIENDLY" MOVEMENTS OF THE ACCUSED.

The trial of Pahara Rameka Kere (George Rameka), aged 31, on the charge of murdering Mrs. Gwendoline Alice Johnson, at Randolph Street, Newton, on the morning of June 24, was continued before Mr. Justice Smith and a jury at the Supreme Court to-day. Mr. V. R. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, and Mr. F. McCarthy are conducting the case for the Crown, and Mr. Noble is appearing for the accused. At the first day of the trial, yesterday, evidence was given by Miss Queenie Lawrence, daughter of Mrs. Johnson; by Mi's Lucy Mary Keesing, landlady of the house where the tragedy occurred; and by two residents of Randolph Street. Arthur A. Smith, a taxi driver, and Dr. J. S. Moore, who had been summoned after the tragedy, were also called. The Court sat till 5.30 p.m. Continuing her evidence yesterday afternoon, Queenie Lawrence, aged 17, said accused and her mother were ': only friendly" on June 22, when he paid her taxi fare home from Alexandra Park. On the follovying night, after the Maori had been put out of the flat, witness went with Mrs. Keesing to see if they could find hie body on the lawn. When witness was awakened by hev mother's screams the Maori appeared quite calm. Mr. Noble: Had there been any talk of marriage between your mother and the Maori?— No. Throughout the whole time he thought .she was Miss Driscoll ? —Yes. He didn't know she was Mrs. Johnson ? —No. "Reason For Hatred." Re-examined by Mr. Meredith, witness said she did not know what the quarrel was about at the race meeting. The Maori had a look of hatred on his face when he turned to witness after he had struck Mrs. Johnson with the knife. s Mr. Meredith: Was there any reason for the look of hatred? —Yes. . I would never, never leave him alone with my mother. Lucy Mary Keesing, married, arid living at 47, Randolph Street, said Mrs. Johnson and her daughter had occupied the bed-sitting room for twelve months. Rameka's visits had begun two months before the tragedy. Witness would go in and out of the flat in the evenings and the door was always open. She knew of the quarrel at the trots but did not know the cause of it. That night, when Rameka called at the flat he was told that "Gwen" was out. The note he had written was read by witness after Mrs. Johnson had shown it to her daughter. It was then put on the mantelpiece and was lost. "Expected to Fina Him Dead." On the night of June 23, when Rameka produced the bottle of, poison, witness had said to him: "I don't want any trouble here. If you want to poison yourself do it outside." He said: "I am going to do it right here now." She pushed him out through the front door. Ten minutes later she went outside, expecting to find him dead.

Just before witness, heard the screams the next morning someone went up the stairs while she was in her bedroom. When she arrived at Airs. Johnson's door she heard Queenie Lawrence cry out: "He's killed Gwen." She«could not open the door, but she hammered'it with a flat-iron. Rameka suddenly opened the door, and she raised the iron to strike him. He let the knife fall and rushed past. There was blood on Rameka's hands. When witness went into the bedroom Mrs. Johnson was dead. Queenie, who had run downstairs, was bleedin* from one arm and her eyes were smarting from the poison. Mrs. Keesing, continuing under crossexamination, 6 aid that Rameka and Mrs Johnson were friendly, but nothing more! She added: "If they had been any thin™ more, I would have ordered him out of my house. I never heard him use any endearing terms." Rameka never had much -money, ehe said. He borrowed silver from Mrs. Johnson, and she was trying to end her friendship with him.

"Always Decent and Quiet." Mr. Xoblo suggested that Rameka must have been more than friendly when he wrote "Dearest Gwen" in a note to Mrs. Johnson; but witness replied: "If a man wants to write that you can't stop him, can you?" She also said: "I know when a man is courting a woman. I went up to the room half a dozen times some evenings, and always found things decent and quiet." Asked if she had tried to dissuade the Maori from poisoning himself witness said: "If a man wants to poison himself, let him do it. I wouldn't stop anybody." She also said she though*. Rameka was "fooling," and she did not think he would carry out his purpose. The next morning she looked under her house in case he might be there. Mrs. Thelma Edith Williams, who lived opposite Mrs. Keesing's house, said she saw a Maori with a small parcel in his hand walking along Randolph Street about 8.30 on the morning of the 24th. A short time afterwards she heard cries of "Murder, murder," and saw the Maori run out of Mrs. Keesing's gate. Mrs. Keesing called out from the balcony: "Stop him. He has killed Gwen."

* A neighbour, Mrs. Margaret Marsden, said she saw a men, eitfler a Maori or an Islander, half tumble down the lower stairs in Mrs. Keesing's house. He got up and appeared to slip clown the front steps to the path. She thought he was drunk. There was blood on his hands as ho hurried along to France Street. House Smelt of Poison. Dr. Moore said there was a big wound on Queenie Lawrence's right wristj her right eye was closed and her face was swollen. The whole house had a strong smell of poison. Mrs. Johnson was lying dead on the floor with a deep wound in ier right side. Witness did not make a complete examination. Arthur Albert Smith, taxi driver, said ho was asked by accused on the telephone to be outside a Queen Street store at 8.25 a.m. on June 24. When accused came out of the shop he asked witness to drive to a point between Randolph Street and Newton Road. Ten minutes later the Maori returned from Randolph Street and said: "As quick ns you can to Hepburn Street." There was a strong smell of disinfectant on Jiim nnd lie seemed excited, He *nh\ In ler: '"Hurry up or I will ho too late." Witness mi id In* "eteppod on it" us much a* Iho law would allow.

Thirteen Wounds. Dr. D. X , . W. Murray, wlio conducted the post-mortem examination, was the first witness called to-day. He was assisted in his examination by Dr. Walter Gilmour. Full details were given. Death, he said, was due to hemorrhage of the lungs, following a penetrating wound of the right lung by a sharp instrument. Mr. Meredith (holding a knife): Could the wounds have been made with thifi knife ?—Yes. How many wounds were there? —Thirteen. To Mr. Noble: They could have been made by a man in a frenzy who had lost control of hie temper. Dr. Gilmour also said the appearance of the wounds suggested that they were the wounds of a man in a frenzy. After the Crime. Rona Andrew, single, of 87, Hepburn Street, said she had known the accused since the beginning of the year. He had visited her home. She was in her kitchen at 9 o'clock on June 24 when accused arrived. He asked where Mrs. Murphy was and witness said she was still iii. bed. At the time witness was bathing a baby and her back was turned to him. He went into another room and then came back and washed his hands at the kitchen sink. There was blood in the water afterwards.

Rame"ka then went into the dining room, and witness next saw him standing near Mrs. Murphy's bed. She heard Mrs. Murphy crying afterwards. Accused was also crying. "When I went into the room the accused was lying on the floor." said witness. "He looked very' ill and there was froth coming from his mouth. He could hardly breathe." Witness asked Mrs. Murphy what had happened and she told witness he had killed someone. Witness and Mrs. Murphy had lifted the accused on to a couch. A cork, with a strong smell of poison, fell from his pocket. He said it was "a woman" when witness asked him who he had killed; and he asked witness to him to her mother. A doctor was then called and the accused was taken awav in an ambulance.

"Girl Turned Me Down." Mrs. Kura Murphy, of 87, Hepburn Street, eaid the accused was her cousin. He came into her bedroom at 9 o'clock on the morning of June 24 and witness spoke to him. He did not reply, but stood near the door. He next pave witness a letter, which was produced in Court and asked her to send it to his father at Tauranga. Rameka said to witness: "My frill has turned me down, after I gave her £24 and my last £7." He also said that was the end of his life. "I have killed someone,"' he said and collapsed. His hands were bleeding. Before he collapsed he took a ring from one finger and told witness he would give it to her because he was giving up his life. He was sick and witness noticed a strong smell of poison. From his pocket he had taken some papers, wliich witness later gave to the police. To Mr. Xoble: Rameka was one of 17 children. Only two were still aliva. When he arrived at her house on the 24th he appeared drunk. Witness did not think Mrs. Johnson had ever come to her place. In reply to further questions witness said she had heard that Wiki Pouriri, a relative of the accused in Taranaki, had killed a girl with a tennis racquet and that another relative, Pouri Nareka, in North Auckland, had committed a serious offence, but she did not know the fact-.

Accused's Letter to Father. James Rukutai. interpreter, gave an interpretation of the letter written by Eameka on June 23 to his father, in which accused said: "I ask you, in the event of anything happening to m-i (death by other than natural means) please go'to the Returned Soldiers' Clu'-. Heme will understand. He will take ma back to Tauranga. lam tired of thi* world. Have regard to my child , * lands." To Mr. Noble: There was no suggestion in the letter that Rameka intended to kill anybody. Dr. D. P. O'Brien, of the Auckland Hospital staff, said the accused was unconscious and in a state of collapse when he was admitted to the hospital. Afte> 48 hours he made a good recovery but he showed signs of depression for four or five days. He showed no mental abnormality. Purchase of Knife. Ruth Constance Pinson. shop assistant, said the first customer she served on the morning of June 24 was a man who handed her a knife from the counter. The price was 1/. She did not tak ■ any notice of the man. Another assistant, Clare Dunster, eairi she saw a Maori walk along to the cutlery department at 8.30 a.m. on June 24 He" picked up a knife, looked at it and handed it to Miss Pinson.

"A Maori bought a bottle of poison from me about 4 p.m. on June 23," said a Queen Street chemist, Frank Dea< Menzies. Wini Anaru, a young Maori, of 40, Brighton Road, Parnell, eaid he knew accused and Mrs. Johnson. He had seen them together and he had been wit.i Rameka to the house in Randolph Street. They had spent an evening at witness' house.

Accused's Restless Night. The day before the tragedy witness met accused at a billiard ealoon. Rameka said: "Go home and get tea ready at 5 o'clock." He arrived home at 0.30, but would not have tea. Half an hour later he went out again and came back just before eight. Next morning, June 24, Rameka told witness he had not slept well. He got up and left the house at daybreak. Witness produced several snapshots of Mrs. Johnson, which had been among Rameka's possessions. When he saw the accused with Mrs. Johnson they appeared good friends. To Mr. Xoble: They were making love at my place. When witness visited Mrs. Johnson with Rameka while she was ill, she said to him: "Jimmy, take care of my husband." Who did ehe call Jimmy?— She said that to me. To Mr. Meredith: I had seen Rameka and Mrs. Johnson kissing. How of ten ?—Three times. Frequent Taxi Rides. The first witness called when the Court resumed this afternoon was a taxi driver, William George White, who said he had driven Rameka, Mrs. Johnson, and Queenie Lawrence on a number of occasions. A week before the tragedy the Maori and Mrs. Keesing, Mrs. Johnson, and her daughter went to Mangero in witness' car. Rameka paid. On June 22 accused told witness he had lost liis money at Die races. 'I'ii Mr. Noble, witness snid accused fi't'ijuciitly engaged him at night. (Proceeding.)