MURDER ECHO.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 236, 5 October 1937, Page 8

MURDER ECHO.

NELSON MYSTERY.

PATERNITY OF CHILD.

CHALLENGED BY BROTHERS.

DOCTOR'S STORY TO COURT.

Tho first stop in nn fiction which promisee to flgiirn prominently during the next sessions of the. Auckland .Supreme Court wns taken this morning when Mr. Justice falhin heard the evidence of Dr. flernld Jacob Ficngley, medical superintendent of tlie liav of Tsliiuds Public Hospital at Kawakawa, concerning an operation performed on Krne.st Severin Nelxon at the hospital on April 25, IIKSI.

Krnpst .Nevcriu Melson, it will be remembered, was murdered on .June J), lif.'M. at Okaihau. North Auckland, lie had been married on I-Vbi umy lilt of the Ml mo year, and at liis deiilh liis widow wan ll» yearn of iige. On November 10, JlWti, hia widow gave birth to a male, child, since named Krncctt Sevprin Nelson. II is th« paternity of this child that is now being challenged by throe brothers of the deceased. Doctor Leaving New Zealand. Anticipating that the pending action would bo a most important one, and as Dr. I'Yengley is leaving New Zealand for 12 months, application was made to httvn his evidence taken to-day. Mr. Justice Callan agreed, and the doctor's evidence, watt taken. I

The plaintiffs in the action challenging tlio paternity of the infant are William Nigfrkl \elnon, Neil lUulult Nelson and Charles Osoir Nelson, brothers of the. deceased. They ure represented by Mr. A. K. North and Mr. L. A. Johnson. Tho defendants aru Jane Nelson, widow of the deceased, represented l>y Mr. A. lv. Turner, and Ernest ftoverin Nelson, the infant child of the widow, represented by Mr. 11. K. Trimmer. The I'ublic liustee, as trustee of tho estate, is represented by Mr. Kyan.

in evidence to-day Dr. Frengley said the deceased Ernest Seveiin Nelson entered the Bay of Island Public Hospital on April ltt, 11)U4. On April 25 witness operated upon him, removing the proetato gland. The patient was discharged on May 24, after which his condition wae satisfactory. The operation, witness eakl, would have the effect of making the patient sterile, but not •exually impotent. The hospital register thowed Neleon to be 53 years of age, of Swedish nationality, and a farmer.

Remembered Operation. Questioned by Mr. Trimmer witneae •aid he had done about 40 proetate operations. He remembered the one he performed on Nelson because it was one of the easiest he had ever done. He remembered taking out the gland an a ■whole.

In answer to Mr. Turner the witneae Mid he had been in charge of the Kawakawa Hospital for 12 yearn. In expressing the opinion that sterility supervene* upon the operation in question witness eaid he was relying partly upon hie own experience and reasoning. Aβ far ae his own experience went he -would say that came* where he had removed prostates had been eterile afterwards. He would think the wives of all of the patients in whose cases he baaed hie experience would be paet the childbearing age.

Questioned by Mr. North witness said he had just an element of doubt whether in the case of Neleon the gland was removed in one or two pieces.