WHITE SLAVE WIFE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1918, Page 7

WHITE SLAVE WIFE.

ACQUITTAL OF MURDER.

After hearing' her painful story of her life with her husband and of how he was shot, an Old Bailey jury stopped the murder trail of a French woman, Bertha Carbuccis ao-ed 23. For some time she had lived with a City merchant, Oliver Richard Goodman at Staines and her husband invalided from the French Army, had lived in the house as her brother.

Mr. Goodman who was unaware of the real relationship, in crossexamination by Sir E. Wild, Iv. 0. the woman's counsel, said she seemed to be in the man's power. Sir E. Wild: In fact a white slave? —So it would appear.

Mr. Goodman sometimes gave her £3O or £4O at a time as well as jewellery. Were you aware that the money and. jewellery went to Xavier (the husband's name) ?—No. Hortense Bianchi, the woman's sister, said she had received a letter from the dead man's brother Jules threatening both her and the accused with the Corsican vendetta if she gave evidence. Xavier used to get money from Ids wife. .

Sir Archibald Bodkin (prosecuting) : He lived on her yon mean —Yes in London and America. The defence was that the wife shot her husband in defence of her own life. "At the age of 17 this girl," Sir E. Wild said, 'came under the influence of this man, who first ruined her and then kept her for his own interests. He was a moral vampire battening on this woman and others. When in Buenos Aires he kept fourteen women in a house and took half their earn-

lllgS. Mrs. Carbuccie, in the_ witnessbox, said that sbe was the cTaughter of a Boulogne butcher, and came to London when 17. She met Carbuccie, who induced her to go to music-halls to meet men. On the night of the tragedy there was a quarrel. Suddenly he jumped at her and struck her. She screamed for mercy, and he went to the bookcase as if to get a knife He attacked her, and she picked up a pistol lying on a shelf close to her chair and it went off. Inspector Haig said Xavier was of Corsican origin. The police had received letters signed by Jules and the family demanding that justice be done or they would do it themselves. The jury intimated that they had heard enough. Mr. Justice Coleridge: If you think that the act of the prisoner was necessary in her defence, that is excusable homicide and your verdict sliould be, Not Guilty. i The jury said that that was their verdict. The woman was discharged, and as she left the dock weep ing, the judge observed, "I wish something could be done for this poor woman."