MAREO'S DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 138, 12 June 1936, Page 6

MAREO'S DEFENCE

AUTOMATISM THEORY

AUSTRALIAN WITNESSES (By Tolegrapli—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, June 11. , Evidence for the defence was given this afternoon by two witnesses from Australia at the retrial of Eric Mareo, charged with murdering his wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo. Mr. Justice Callan is presiding. The Crown case is being conducted by Mr. V. R. Meredith and Mr. F. McCarthy, while the defence is again being conducted by Mr. H. F. O'Leary, K.C. (Wellington) and Messrs. Trevor Henry and K. C. Aekins. Continuing his outline of the evidence to be given for the defence, Mr. O'Leary said two parties had come forward and would be to tell their experiences. Mr. Beattie, who was a schoolmaster near Marton, would tell how he was prescribed veronal and took two tablets. He found that it did not have the required effect and he took two more. He did not wake next morning, and when he did come round he was in a state of collapse. He was astounded at the condition he was in after taking only four tablets. Going to his store of veronal to take two more tablets for the night he found the store gone and he came to the conclusion that he must have got up during the night before and taken the whole supply. Mr. and Mrs. Meissner, of Havelock North, would tell* how Mrs. Meissner was prescribed barbitone, which was the same as veronal. She only took one tablet at a' time. Mr. Meissner took the tablets away unknown to her and hid them in a cupboard in the bathroom. Mrs. Meissner remembered getting out of bed, staggering about in a dazed fashion, and eventually finding herself in the bathroom. She recollected getting up on a chair, finding the veronal in the cupboard, and taking it in some way, she knew not how. Mr. Meissner found the box empty, and after he had roused her up and fed her she went back off into a heavy sleep again.

ADELAIDE MAN'S EVIDENCE.

The first of the defence witnesses, i Alexander Peter Whitington, acccountant, living at Adelaide, said he had never seen Mareo before he became acquainted with a young woman named Thelma Trott towards the end of 1928. She was appearing in a musical comedy at an Adelaide theatre for some months. He became friendly with her and on occasions he accompanied her to her hotel' room in Adelaide. About the first occasion on which he had supper with her at her hotel room he saw her taking white pills from a bottle with "Veronal" on the label. Witness remarked, as near as he could remember: "What ar<? you taking those things for?" and she had replied: "I And it hard to sleep." Witness said he thought she was very foolish and should go to see a doctor. He could not say how many tablets she took. She placed the tablet or tablets in her mouth and took a drink of milk. He saw her taking tablets on at least a dozen occasions altogether. He thought he saw her take alcohol only once. Thelma Trott was very depressed | and worried over those months, continued witness. He saw her again on occasions, but saw no tablet-taking until he met her again towards the end of 1931, when witness spent five weeks' holiday in Melbourne. There Miss Trott was rehearsing for an Ernest Rolls production. Again she seemed to be depressed and worried. "The world always seemed to her to be a sort of conspiracy of oppression," said witness. He saw her taking veronal tablets—two, he thought—one night with milk. He saw her do this more than once. He told her again she was foolish, but her reply was that she was only taking them medicinally. "I saw her on the mornings after the nights when I knew she had taken veronal." said witness. "She always had a glassy appearance about the eyes. It was most marked, and she had a "dopey" appearance."

Witness said he saw those appearances often between June, 1932, and early in 1933, when he was working in

Melbourne. He never (saw Miss Trott again after she left. ACTION OF VERONAL. Answering Mr. Meredith, witness said he did not know that with two tablets of veronal one fell asleep in half an hour and stayed asleep for six to eight hours. Mr. Meredith: If I told you that the operation of 10 grains of veronal would mean the possibility of sleep within, half an hour, would you expect a sensible girl to take these 10 grains before going out to supper at a place other than where she lives?—No; under those conditions I would not. You have spoken of her being depressed; it follows that she was not a cheerful companion?— Yes. Why, then, did you seek so much of her society?—l was interested in her case and I rather admired her in lots of ways. Were you married at the time?— Yes. Was Mrs. Whitington interested in this case? —No. Did you interest her in this case?— No. I was separated from my wife at the time. Jane Riano Neil, actress, of Melbourne, who said her stage name was Jane Riano, said she was a member of the Ernest Rolls company with Thelma Trott. Just before the New Zealand tour witness said, Rolls was reducing the size of the company on the ground of expense, and he spoke of dismissing Miss Trott, who threatened to do away with herself if she were not taken. She was included in the company and visited New Zealand. On the vessel during the voyage, witness continued, there was .a party at which Miss Trott became intoxicated. On one occasion when witness visited Miss Trott's cabin she saw a bottle of barbitone there. Witness then described occasions during the company s stay at Auckland when Miss Trott was under the influence of liquor. She was described as a periodical drinker, not a steady drinker. The hearing was adjourned.