DEATH OF A WOMAN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 89, 9 January 1919, Page 6

DEATH OF A WOMAN

SON CHARGED'WItH MANSLAUGHTER S THOMAS ALBRECHT COMMITTED FOR TRIAL A charge of having assaulted his mother, Jean Albrecht, in such a manner as to cause her death was preferred i against Thomas Albrecht in the Magis- ' trate's Court yesterday morning. Mr. P. V. Frazer occupied the Bench. j The accused was represented by Mn | H. F. O'Leary. - i Inspector Marsack, outlining the case ■ for the police, .said that the accused was , living in the same house as his mother, Jean Albrecht. On the ovening of December i accused went homo under the in-, fluonce of liquor and quarrelled with: his mother about the food that he hud ' had for his lunch and was having for his tea. In .the course of the trouble , he struck his mother on the, right arm i , and on the side of the head. The second | blow knocked her backwards. Guetav j Albrecht, father of the accused, picked | up a piece of wood and hit the accused j on the head with it several times. The j i old man then went out to call the police, | leaving his wife, the accused, and aj son-in-law named Newallin. the kitchen together. Mrs. Albrecht and . Nowall bathed the wounds which the father had j made upon the accused's head. Newall i went out to the. washhouse with some |. utensils, and the -. accused and Mrs. j ■ Albrecht remained together. Newall;| heard Mrs. Albrecht call him, arid when i he re-entered the kitchen he found her |' lying on the floor with'her head towards | the door and the ..accused- standing I against the She told, Newall that she was paralysed. The medical testimony would show that she was suffering from a wound near the back of the head and that the wound appeared to be tne result of direct violence. Evidence similar to that which was published in out report of the coroner g j inquest nnon Mrs. Albrecht was called j by the iwlice. ', j Cross-examined upon bis evidence ny I Mr. O'Loiwy, Gustav Albrecht said that ho hit the accused fairly hard upon the j head— sufficiently hard to bring blood. : He had r-evor known his son to be deaf • before the occurrence of that evening. Walter Newall was the second witness. . Hp stated in renW to questions from J r '\ O'Leary that Albrecht wns hit pretty hard by his father, and lost', probably about a: cupful of blood/ He hml two or three gashes in his head. While his wounds were being liathcfl be wnp not nor- I gressive.v-but appeared to "be silly. Witness did not consider it surprising that accused should be deaf after the blows he had received. On le-entering tlin j kitchen from tho washhouso witness sain tn the accused that'lie was no man at all to niish or,J)it his mother, but it was jiinbnWfi that accused did not hear him. Dr. Perkins save evidence'that' when ho saw; Mrs.. Albrecht at. her; residence on December 5 she was suffering f™m severe pains. She We marks of iniury behind the right ear and on tlfe right arm. . , v Dr. 'FibiepraM. house euraeon .at the Wellington Hospital! snid tliat wlipu Mr?. AltiTPC.ht wns .admitted, to the Gcnwnl' Hospital she wns almost completely imrniysed. and her nower of 'speech wns limited. Witness noticed i brliisp, behind the patient's , ri?ht par. Shp'Wnme unconscious about the 18th and died on tho 23rd. i Dr. W. Kington Fvffe. who cmiductofl a post-mortem examination of. Mrs. Albreoht. stated thnt ho discovered a fracture of the , trnnsvprse pr"cc?s of ♦.Vβfourth'cervicnl vertebra in thp body. T'"i cau=p. of death wns that 'fracture, which coiild only Imve bpp'n 'rawsed by direct violptifp. 'A Wot behind the pn*. if very vi'ilent. would ha ,, " been sufficipnt. ,tn cusp the iniurv, Tliprp, wns n eoo<| ,denl of old internal bruising in the region in nuestinn. Mr. O'Lenry rnsHn' -"-lipHw. if tl" , ■"»- jury was causm! by thp. blow which depoased w»s pnid to; have r»ceivpd bef nr e she attphdpd tn the nccusPtl's wounds, th» deceased could have wup about , n.nd criven her f"n Hip nttpntior=- si)i> ' ,:,, . Wifiws renlied thnt it was qnitp possible, thouTh not prolwble; it. dpn«ndpd 'udou vhother liap-mnrrhni" , intn thn'rhrd tonV placp. If it.took ; nlno» ulowlv- it,vo;iM i\r>t inimedintply nrevpnt one from doing what ;leopfir">f! was sl"it n d to h.v" dor*.. SeraPiwt Butler ,stnted' Hmt when' he nrrpsW the ' paused' cm the pWjr e of inni"--la.ughter the latter enid, "It's all lie-!"" . Alln'or-lif: reserved his-defence, unci wos pri'mmittpd for trial nt thp Supreme Court session which opens on February 3 np-rt-. . ' ' ' Mr. O'Leary asked His Worship. to gi'rnit biil. Mr.'lViwer. in wnnttnn Hip iro-plion.f'Oii, observed tint it did not apwar to b» a rase in which the object wns to bnn"; nVmt the tlpatlrof' ttw ppvson awauHecJ. The amount of thp bail wns fixed at .£2OO. to be i" one surety of JG2OO or two sureties of .£IOO. - - -