CHARGE OF MURDER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 124, 18 February 1908, Page 7

CHARGE OF MURDER.

WOMAN AND CHILD. , ' (BT TBI,EOttAI'U.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, Februaiy 17. i' The' charge of murder preferred against , Florence Farndale, a young married woman* ; was commenced at the Supreme Court to-day. .r. i Throughout i the proceedings the ' prisoner \ ' kept up a continual sobbing in tho box. Mr. | Tble, .K.C., Crown Prosecutor, in' opening the), case,'said the : charge was one preferred j • against Mrs. Farndale for tho, murder of aui. . .infant' child- only, a ; fqwweeks; old. . Tlitt prisoner, Jio said, .was tho wifo of a medicaf- - ;;man/' whO); for-tho -last. iw ■. years; had beei .*,> absent in, South Afi'ica,v Eurly Jn 190/. prisoner;.came "to- Auckland' district, aildj.i ; . after'living for'a whilo in tho AVaikato with lier parents, caiiie to Auckland. She took ii£ her residence at a boarding-house known -as? Sunnysido. She was expecting motherhood J at the tiiue, and on Novombef 11 went into' a hvfttornity' 1 homo kept by Nurse WestThere she gavo birth to a healthy child, bpfc t-herb couki bo no doubt. it was illegitimate, jIt would appear, said 'Mr. I'ole, that she 'displayed' nqne , 0f,.: that; attachment' which) might bo oxpecied 011 the part of a mother./ Moreover, she seemed anxious to-get rid o?> tlie child, and to liavo it i>ut. into a home-; On. one occasion ; she . got into a cab, and ' went 1 to : three: different homes, but failed to V have the child taken in. Later, she went ! to Mrs. M'Doriald, the polieo matron,and told )' lier tliat : the, child belonged to.a woman, wlio j Hv'asidead, and .she (accused) was desirous ofj ; getting it■ .into.. a home. . This' statement the; . evidence would; prove to bo untrue.. knights afterwards accused left tho boardinghouse with' the child. I/ate.at night she re-; : . ■turned.' ■ ~ She remained • at; tho chouse; for. some time, but: the, baby had,' disappeared. Her demeanour was just,the samo as usual,. !though at.-all times there was a mysterious quiet'reserve about lior. Accused was asked, onco how tho baby was getting on, and sho | : replied: " Oh, it is getting 011 finely." 1 ; : ... The next 'development; said the Crowil Pro- . seQUtor', : was 011 December G, when a lad found', ai dead buby at the high-water mart, Poiisonby. • Evide'noe j would .bo produced t'q show that tho body was that of Mrs. : dalo's baby. Mrs.' Farndalo,'--indeed,.! ad-mitted.-tho fact. and had tola tho polieo a story that wlion she was travelling in a ferry . boat tho boat gavo a lurch and the. baby, fell overboard, but sho told 110 one about it at thb ; t-ime.--- * . " •; j . : Tho case stands partly heard. :