MURDER TRIAL

Evening Star, Issue 18980, 30 June 1925, Page 5

MURDER TRIAL

THE TORONTO TRAGEDY OAKES IN COURT Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Press Association. SYDNEY, Juno 29. Tho trial of Arthur Augustus Oakes on a charge of murdering Mona Beachcr has commenced, tho accused pleading not guilty. In his opening address, tho Crown Prosecutor said tho Crown caso was that there had boon cold, calculated, callous murder, probably without equal in the annals of Australian crime, lie then detailed the evidence as previously reported. Pathetic scones were witnessed when tho father and mother of the dead girl took the witness stand to testify against tho accused. Both broke down badly, but each was able to identify Oakes as tho man who had married thoir daughter. Oakes, in giving evidence, said that the dead girl had known him slightly for over a year. Ho had taken her to parties, and had her visit him at his homo while bis wifo was absent in Sydney. After his marriage with the girl she told him that she was in a certain condition. After they had some wine at tho cottage at Toronto, sho twitted him that ho was not responsible for that condition. Tho accused added that after taking tho wine ho became raving mad, and did not know what he did. Afterwards, when ho woke up in tho morning, ho was lying alongside tho body. When ho saw tho horrible sight ho said: “Oh, God, what have I ’done?” Continuing,he, said be had only gone through the wedding service for the purpose of protecting the girl. Ho (lid not intend to injure her. Ho'sacrificed his wifo in doing 30

On May 21 last the body of a young woman was found in a cottage at Toronto, near Newcastle, with terrible injuries to her head and throat. At first the affair was surrounded by an air of mystery, but police investigations showed that the woman’s name was Mona Bcachcr, aged twenty, and that she had gone to the cottage a few days earlier in company with a man named Arthur Augustus Oakes. The couple had been married on the previous Friday, the girl being ignorant of tho fact that Oakes was a married man with two children. They had been keeping company for two years. Oakes, who was employed by a well-known firm of merchants at Newcastle, was remanded on a charge of murdering tho girl. At the inquest the police produced a statement alleged to have been made by Oakes at the police station after his arrest, in which ho was alleged to have said that lie knocked about with Miss Beadier. She told him that she was in a certain condition, and they agreed to get married. A Her the ceremony they went to Toronto, 'they went to bed together about 9 o’clock. About midnight ho got up while Mona was asleep, and murdered her will) a razor and a hammer. Jio then detailed how lie tried to obliterate traces of the. crime. Ho added that ho took a train to Sydney, and sent a telegram to Miss Beacher’s parents. He then returned home. He, did this as lie know ho had done wrong and did not want to bo found out.