ONE TREE HILL CASE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25345, 19 November 1947, Page 5

ONE TREE HILL CASE

WOMAN CHARGED WITH MURDER EVIDENCE GIVEN §Y RUSDEN (P.A.) AUCKLAND, November 18. Before the resumption in the Supreme Court to-day of the trial of Pansy Louise Frances* Haskell, aged 49, who is charged with the murder of Mrs Gladys Ruth Rusden, the jury inspected the house in Horotutu road where Mrs Rusden was killed Resuming his outline of the Crown’s evidence, the Crown Prosecutor (Mr V. R. Meredith) said that to enter Mrs Rusden’s home unawares a person would need a key. Mrs Haskell had one. Mrs Haskell had openly and repeatedly expressed her hatred of Mrs Rusden and of desire for her death. Mrs Haskell had previously attempted to arrange Mrs Rusden’s destruction. Mr Meredith added that if two witnesses were correct, Mrs Haskell was in the vicinity of the scene of the murder at the crucial time. She was seen leaving the vicinity disguised as a man and with a white face which was a possible result of mental reaction after the storm of passion, and just after the probable time of the murder. Added to this was the burning of rubbish in Mrs Haskell’s backyard and her later attempted suicide while the police were inquiring. Evidence of Rusden After formal evidence had been given, Richard Alfred Rusden, husband of the murdered woman, entered the witness box He began his evidence with his hands in his pockets, but withdrew them when his Honour had remarked: "It may be nervousness, but it is hardly the right thing to stand with your hands in your pockets.” Rusden said he first met Mrs Haskell two or three years ago. She was then Mrs Frost, an* living at Howick, though not with her i’asband. Relations with his wife up to then had been friendly. Illicit conduct between him and Mrs Haskell started at Howick and later continued at "Liberty House,” in Queen street. His wife first got to know of this through receiving an anonymous letter, said Rusden. He had his suspicions who sent it, but when he showed it to Mrs Haskell she denied all knowledge. When he told Mrs Haskell he was making out an agreement to transfer his property to his wife, she “nearly went mad.” He lent Mrs Haskell £l5O. Mrs Haskell offered his wife money to divorce him. His wife was horrified when Mrs Haskell told her they had had illicit relations. Witness said he and Mrs Haskell left together and he stayed with her at "Liberty House.” At the end of the week he returned to his home. His wife agreed to take him back. When his wife was to have an operation early this year Mrs Haskell said she hoped she “would never come out of the chloroform.”

Witness said he was in ramp when his wife was assaulted one night. He did not know the man named Rix. When Mrs Haskell was living at Newton road she asked him to go and live with her, said witness. He told her he wodld never break up his home. He later told her he would not live with her if she was the last woman in the world. “She told me she had a good mind’ to kill me for saying that,” witness added. Night Before Tragedy He last saw Mrs Haskell the night before the tragedy. He told her he would not yield to her request and that he was quite happy at home. He had lost the key to his front door. Mrs Haskell denied she had seen it. Rusden said Mrs Haskell told him she had prowled aboyt his house with her shoes off. .Witness denied that he had ever threatened to cut his wife’s throat. He had never said anything about giving her sleeping tablets or placing a pillow over her head to smother her. He stayed at home with his wife the night before the tragedy. On the morning of the tragedy his wife was well and in good spirits He left home at 7 a.m., clocking in at the brewery where he was employed between 7.35 a.m. and 7.40 a.m. He returned home at 5.20 p.m. Cross-examined by Mr M. Robinson, witness said he was given two keys to the front door when he first went into the house at Horotutu road. His wife kept one and the other he lost about July, 1946. After meeting accused he spent about half his off-duty time from Cornwall Park camp with his wife and half with accused. He never ever mentioned to accused that he was not happy with his wife. Mr Robinson: Could it be inferred you were separated?-*—lt could be, but accused knew all along that I was not parted from my wife. Since 1938 there have always been, other women in your life?—Not always. Is it not a fact that until 1941 you were constantly going out with a Mrs Moore?— There was nothing more than friendship between us. I had been the subject of quite a lot of gossip, but there was no justification for it whatever. Was there any discussion between you and your wife toward the end of 1944 about a divorce?—No. We had never discussed divorce in our home. Association With Accused Witness said he had at no time said that he wished to marry accused, and he had told her he would never break up his home. Accused knew that he had promised his wife he would not again associate with accused, but his conduct had continued. Mr Robinson: Did not accused suggest your affair should come to an end?—No. not at any time. Did she not say she wanted to go back to her husband. Frost? —No. She said she had someone offering to marry her. Witness said it had been his suggestion that the association should come to an end, but he had no option at that time but to carry on with it. Accused had never told him to go back to his wife. Accused had been very persistent and would not leave him alone. “It was one of accused’s threats that if I did not see her she would tell my wife about us,” continued witness. "I did everything in my power to make my wife happy. It was unwise to keep up this association, but what would anybody do under the circumstances. I was never afraid of accused, but I was afraid of her worrying my wife. In that way I tried to keep the peace.” Witness said that so far as he knew no one saw nim leave home for work on the morning of the tragedy. Witness said that in the bedroom at the front of the house there was a window seat and cane chair. He noticed on the day of his wife’s death that red and blue cardigans were lying over the back of the chair. The bedroom curtains were of rose colour. Witness said he had heard a key to his front dopr was found in the drawer of a chest in’accused’s bedroom. He had never gone to the drawer Lionel John Peter Flashman, aged 13, who lived opposite the Rusden house, said he was returning from Mass at Ellerslie Catholic Church between 8.25 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. on the day of the murder. He glanced over at the Rusden house and saw the head and shoulders of a woman with her back to one of the windows. She was wearing a red dress. He thought it was Mrs Rusden.

To Mr Robinson, witness said he knew it was a woman. He saw her hair. It looked as if she might have been smoking by the way she- was standing. ( The Court adjourned until to-morrow.