SUPREME COURT TRIALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 July 1938, Page 3

SUPREME COURT TRIALS

HENLEY MURDER CHARGE JURY’S LONG TASK [pm pbesb association.! DUNEDIN, July 18. The trial commenced in the Supreme Court, this morning, before Judge Kennedy of Eric Sandagger Parks, 28. charged with the murder of Frances Amelia Lee, at Henley, on April 14. Accused, represented by Mr C. J. L. White, with Mr J. B. Thomson, pleaded not guilty. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr F. B. Adams, is conducting the case. Twenty witnesses are to be called. It is expected that the case will occupy four days. The jury was empanelled after .10 challenges, the Judge then adjourning for 10 minutes to enable the jurymen tc make, through the police, the necessary home arrangements, since they will be kept together through the trial. Opening the case for the Crown, Mr Adams said that it was not for him to foretell the line the defence would take, but ho expected that the controversy would ultimately he found to be whether Parks committed murder or manslaughter. The Crown Prosecutor outlined the alleged facts. He said that the body of the murdered woman was found on the morning of Good Friday, by the farmer who employed her as housekeeper. The daughter of deceased, ■whose engagement to accused had been terminated, also slept in the house, and was awakened by accused shining a torch in her face, but she heard nothing of any happenings in her mother’s room. Accused was found, next day, in a boardinghouse in the city, almost at. death’s door, from gas poisoning. The case was narrowed down by a statement made within the last few days by accused, with his counsel's knowledge.

ACCUSED'S STATEMENT. The Crown Prosecutor read this statement, which related to the history of accused’s acquaintance with and engagement to deceased’s daughter, Frances Lee. He stated that he was very much in love with her, and thought that she was with him. He described the money he spent in buying furniture for the future home, and in opening a banking account for Frances, also paying her board. He spent over £3O on 1 rental cars and taxis, taking Frances about. He mostly got on pretty well with Frances’ mother, but lately he knew that she was interfering to get Frances to break the engagement. About mid-January, Frances went into hospital, with an abscess on her back. Some trouble arose over something he was supposed to have said to her boss, about the abscess not being caused by accident. It was Mrs Lee and the other daughter who imputed this statement to him, and he was very hurt, for he had not made it. After her discharge from hospital, ho noticed a change in her, and in March, she said that she had decided to break the engagement. He was terribly upset, and could tell that she was being forced into this action. Later, they made it up, she saying that it was all her mother's doing. Again, later, she wrote breaking the engagement. Accused then described how he hired a truck, on the night of the charge, to go to Henley, to try to get Frances to come home with him. He tapped on the window pane, and Mrs Lee answered, allowing him to go in. She was in bed. lie asked if she would allow Frances to go with him. She lost her temper completely, calling him all sorts of things. She said that Frances had broken the engagement because she made her, that he was a big. jealous, over-grown schoolboy, that he would not see Frances then or at any other time. The statement then proceeded: "She said, ‘You are always trying to cause trouble, and make the girl’s life a hell.’ She said that Frances would never get any pleasure in life, married to a thing like me. I remember she also said that I was a damn mis-chief-maker, and a lying crawler, and said, T won’t have a dirty crawler like you about the place.’ The statement proceeded: “1 don’t know what happened to me, but my head seemed to burst. I don't remember clearly what happened. Everything seemed to be a muddled-up haze. I remember suddenly realising that Mrs. Lee was bleeding a lot. I was panic-stricken. I remember rushing out and trying to electrocute myself on the switch-board, but couldn’t do so. I remember in a dazed way going in to see Frances, but not exactly what happened in there.” Later, the statement continued that he drove to Hemsley’s factory, where he tried to electrocute himself by throwing a wire over power-lines. He got a severe shock, but not fatal. He remembered returning to his room, but not turning the gas on. It was some days after he woke up in hospial before he was able to remember anything of what happened. He remembered police officers asking questions, but could not remember what was said.

The Court adjourned for luncheon. WELLINGTON’S LIST WELLINGTON, July 18. Four charges, one alleging murder, one negligent driving causing death, and two obscene exposure, comprised the criminal calendar at the quarterly session of ' the Supreme Court, which began to-day. The Chief Justice is presiding. True bills were found in the cases of Patrick George Kubler, and Henry Arthur Cooper, ach of whom was charged with obscene exposure, and in the case of Douglas Alexander Armstrong, who is charged with murder. No bill was found in the case of Charles Grindle Baker, charged with negligent driving, causing death. Kubler, who pleaded guilty, was remanded for sentence until to-morrow.