SYDENHAM SENSATION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14237, 28 December 1911, Page 4

SYDENHAM SENSATION.

A HOLIDAY TRAGEDY

ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT

J tunes Gibbons appeared at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, on remand, cliarged with having attempted to murder Eliza .Mackenzie, at Sydenham, on December 18th. Mr A. T. Donnelly appeared for accused. Messrs W. Barrett and W. J. Neato, J.P.s, were on the Bench. Eliza Mackenzie, wife of Charles Mackenzie, a furnaceman, o[ 110 Queen street, Sydenham, deposed that she know accused. Ho had lodged with witness for two years. .Since about the eleventh of tho month ho had been drinking heavily, On the lSth he left the 'houso between 8.30 and nine o'clock. Ho returned between nine and ten. About eleven o'clock ho. went out again, with witness's husband; witness believed the two returned between twelve and one. Witness was playing cards with her sister, Ada. Weir, her husband, and Mr O'Flahorty; the game was nearly ended. Accused said, "Come on. I'll givo you a six-hander." Witness, "No, dinner's ready; we'll have it first and play afterwards." Accused said "You won't play with mc, won't you?" Witness thought this was said in a friendjy way. Witness repeated that they had better have dinner first. As accused still seemed anxious to play, ■witness agreed to one game. Accused said "No," and walked out into the washhouse. When witness werifc out there a few minutes later, accused was Kitting on the corner of the bath; his teeth woro chattering, he was frothing at the mouth, and ho was staring upwards. Nothing was said. Accused left tho washhouse, walked round the house, and came- in by tho fronV door. Then he went into witness's bedroom, crossing immediately to his own. He had no business in witness's room. About an hour after, as accused had not had dinner, witness went to his room; the door was ajar. Accused was sitting on the bed. Witness said, "Coino and get your dinner; you haven't had much to eat all day I" Accused said, "All right." Then ho sprang towards tho door where witness was. He threw wftmess to tho floor and jumped on her stomach with his knees. Accused said, '-I'll do for you; I'm mad —mad!" fit tho same time putting his hand in his outside coat pocket. Witness said, quietly, "Let mo get up, and I'll speak to you." Ho brought out a razor. Witness grasped at the handle of the razor. Accused repeated that ho was mad. Witness screamed, calling her sister and her husband. W r hile they were coining, witness and accused struggled, he trying tp cut her throat, and wounding her on the left side of tho neck. Witness's sister and brerther-in-law pulled accused off, and witness fled from the house, bleeding from her wounds. Witness ran to Mrs Henslev's houso, two doors away. She looked behind and saw accused following her. Witness entered Mrs Hensley's by the back door and told her. Accused followed, and witness attempted to keep a door shut against him, but he forced it in. Ho said, "Mrs Mackenzie, lam so sorry for what I have done. I'm mad —will you forgive mc?" Witness said, "les, if you put that horrible thing in your pocket." He was still holding the razor. Ho said, -You will forgive mc, will you?" Witness said •'Yes." Accused then put his left hand on witness s shoulder and raised the razor, bringing re down towards her throat. Witness raised her hand and two ot her fingers were very badly cut. and her chin scratched. A Mr Battye ancJ others came to her assistance. They took accused away. Accused had been drinking at the time. Ordinarily he was quiet, inoffensive, and most kitid. Only when he had been drinkhv did he ■show signs.of insanity: then his eyes woiud roll.

Some haireombr. which she had worn on the day of the ha nooning were exhibited and identified by witness. She y.as shown the razor, and immediately hum into tears, sobhins bitterly. When unified she explained tint it Vns her •jusnand's razor -,rh:c!i sec had put in a drawer In h-f.r bedroom that morning. Mr Donnelly asked no questions.

Thomas Alfred Weir, of Spreydon, labourer, a brother-in-law of the last ■witness, deposed that on tho 18th he was at Mackenzie's house. Accused was in-the house when witness and his W'fe arrived. Accused went out with :\''" 'Mackenzie. They returned about 1-..30. \\itncs<s corroborated Mrs Mackenzjo s statements as to the, conversation regarding a six-handed game. Accused did. not rome in to dinner. Jjater Mrs Mackenzie said that she would ask accused to have his dinner. She went to his room. Next thing she heard was Mrs Mackenzie calling for heln. He went to her and lotind her on the floor with accused on top of her u i t }i one knee on her chest. Accused had a razor in his hand and there was ,1 gash in Mrs Mackenzie's nock. They nulled accused off. Nothing was said. Mrs Mackenzie got "P ai:d ran out. The" accused broke away Imm them, still retaining tho razor, and nursneel her. Witness and Mrs Weir followed them to Mrs Henslcy s. two doors away. Witness did not into the house. Next he saw was when accused was nut. out of t!»o house.. Mr Hensley following him. Mr Hens ley nut him out. Accused and Mr Hensley fought outside the house. Witness was of opinion that accused was mad with drink. To Mr Donnelly: Witness had not seen accused before. -Ada Weir, sister of Mrs Mackenzie, j said that she agreed with her husband's I account, but said that she wished to add that, sh' , had heard accused saying, "I will do it —I will do it!" as he'pursued Mrs Mackenzie the passage as she was living from the house. Dr. Gerald Warren Russell gave evidence that he had l>een called by telephone at about o o'clock on the after- | noon of December lSth to Mrs Mackcn- [ zic. "Witness found her sitting in a : chair holding a blood-stained cloth to i the left side of her neck, where the j blood was flowing from a large wound. There was a cut on her right hand, and a superficial cut on her chin. The cut on her neck was about 0 inches long ; and 3 inches deep. Tha carotid artery v.;is exposed. Several vessels were bleeding, and witness stopped them. Witness cleaned the wound in the neck mid 'nit in six stitches: in the finger ho nut ono stitch. The wound was now healed almost In his opinion tho victim had had a very narrow escape. Had the wound been .onesixteenth of an inch lower it would have severed the carotid artery. Elizabeth Hens'.ey, wife of Henry Honsley, of Queen street, cave evidence that she knew Mrs Mackenzie and accused by sisht. On December 18th, at tea time, Mrs Mackenzie rushed to her back door, crying, "Save mc; my brother's murdering mo!" "Witness said, "Hush into the front part of the house.' . Witness could not lock tho door, but she set her foot against it. .Accused pushed the door open, saying. "I'll do for the!'' Accused carried an open razor. Witness screamed to wake her husband, and then ran to tho gate to seek help. Mr Battye came to hely. Accused's hands were smothered in .blood. Henry Hensley, of Queen street, labourer, denosed that on the day in question he was .awakened by Mrs Mackenzie rushing into his room calling "Murder." Witness went to the door of the room, where he met accused with a razor! Witness said. "Get out of this!" Accused said, "Yon , I'll do the same for you." Witness saw no more of the razor. Battye came along and finally got him into the backyard. There accused .said, "Lot mc back—l'll settle her." They had another tight jn the backyard. They had difficulty in getting him out of tho place. * Witness did not notice bloou on accused's hands; he was busy looking after himself. Accused was steady on his feet, and witness could not say if thero was any sign of drink about him. Accused seemed to be mad. Witness had not seen accused before. Ernest Battye. labourer, residing in Durham street, said that on the 18th ho went at about four o'clock to the house of a friend in Queen* street. There he saw Hensley in the back yard, where accused had Mrs Mackenzie-by the throat, and had the razor upWitness-' liavinjj " knocked accused out, carried him to tho back yard, and thence to tho street. He -wa6 pretty quiet. Accused said nothing'to witness —ho hadn't time. In' the back yard accused said that ho wanted to get back to Mr Honsley and Mrs Mackenzie. Constable James O'Connell gave evidence that while he was on duty in Colombo street on December 18th, a little girl told him that two men were fighting in Queen street. Near No. 104 he saw a man lying on tho footpath. Thero was blood on his hands, and he was unconscious. Witness entered tho house to enquire, and there he saw Mrs Mackenzie covered with blood. Her husband and two women -were, attending to her. Seeing the case was serious, witness cent for a doctor. When wit- ; ness got oufe on to the street again accused was beginning to Teoover, and when he had recovered sufficiently witness arrested him. Accused resisted so that he had to be thrown. In searching him witness found a blood-stained razor in his coat pocket. Senior Sergeant Reimer, of Sydenham, deposed to having seen the victim and inspected the scenes of the various incidents detailed. Returning to the station, he charged accused with attempted murder. Accused did not answer. To Mr Donnelly: Witness had formed no opinion as to accused's sobriety. Hto seemed quite normal, calm, and collected. This closed the case for the prosecution. On behalf of accused _Mr Donnelly entered a plea of not guilty. Accused was committed for trial. Sub-Inspector McGrath, -who had conducted the case for tho police, objected to bail being allowed, and this was not granted