“TO DIE TOGETHER”

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 December 1939, Page 5

“TO DIE TOGETHER”

AUCKLAND HOTEL CASE

ACCUSED SENT FOR TRIAL ' [per press association.'! AUCKLAND, December 7. The hearing of the ■ case against a man and -a married'woman, who were fouTTd' -with their wrists gashed'in a bedroom,. of the Station Hotel ° n November 6, was. ; . concluded before Mr. F. H. Levied, ,S.M.. in., the Magistrate’s: Court, to-day. ' Both accused pleaded not guilty, and were committed to the Supreine; Court for trial. The accused were Francis Leonard Laurie, a storeman, 39, and Josephine Norton Laycock, 34. Laurie was charged with attempting to murder Laycock on November 6, and with aiding and abetting in the suicide of his wife, Beatrice' Florence Rita Laurie, on November 5. Laycock was charged with aiding and abetting Laurie in attempting to murder her.

in a statement made to DetectiveSergeant Walsh at the Auckland Hospital, Laurie said he became friendly with Mrs. Laycock, who lived next door to his home at Belmont, about a year ago. “I became violently in love with Mrs. Laycock,” Laurie continued “We talked things over, and decided that the only ’thing we could do was to go away together, and then die together. Mrs. Laycock agreed to this.

“1 found I could not do without Mrs. Laycock, and told my wife I would see her, and try to get her to go away with me. I went to the Laycocks’ house, and Mrs. Laycock said she would come away with nie. I returned to tell my wife we were going away together, and would end it all. I told her I intended to take with me ia bottle of laudanum, and we both intended to drink some, and that when the poison took effect, I would sever 'an artery in Mrs. Laycock’s arm, and j treat myself in the same way. My wife asked me to give her some of I-the poison, and I poured a quantity into a small glass. “My reason for doing this was because I did not want to leave my wife to carry on alone. When I left home about noon I took the rtemainder of the laudanum, and two safety-razor blades. I arranged for a taxi to call for Mrs. Laycock, and I came to the city to wait for her. We drove to the Station Hotel in a taxi. I booked in as Mr. and Mrs. Laurie. “About 2 a.m. we decided to carry out our pact, k got up and poured half the poison into the glass, and handed it to Mrs. Laycock, who drank it. The poison appeared to have no effect oh Her, and at her request 1 gave her some whisky. This also did not have the desired effect, and I gave her my portion ,of the poison, hoping it would have the desired result. It did not.

“I then asked Mrs. Laycock if she still wanted to complete our pact,” Laurie’s statement continued. “She emphatically answered, ‘Yes.’ I procured one of the razor blades, and endeavoured to s*ever an artery in her left wrist. This bled freely for some time, and then stopped. I again asked her if she wished to carry on, and she said ‘Yes.’ I then made a second attempt by deepening the first cut. This caused intense bleeding, as if the main artery, had been cut. “I then decided to sever an artery in my own arm. I used the other razor* blade, and cut my wrist, which bled, freely for a time, but later stopped. I then deepened the- cut, with a view to reaching, the- artery. It caused intense bleeding, but stopped again, “The next thing that happened was a housemaid knocking at the door,” Laurie stated. “I made a second incision in my wrist. I wanted to hurry things along. I thought Mrs. Laycock was dead, and I wanted to follow her.” “GLAD SHE IS GONE.” Detective-Sergeant Walsh said that when he interviewed Laurie in hospital accused explained that he procured the poison from the medicine chest of a trawler. “He asked me if I could tell him anything about his wife,” said Detective-Sergeant Walsh. “I told him she had been found dead, and he said: ‘I am glad that she is gone.’ He also asked me if I would be seeing Mrs. Laycock. _ I told him she was very ill, and I might be seeing her. He then said: ‘lf she is not dead, give her a push off for me.’ ” Interviewed at the Auckland Hospital, the accused Laycock made a statement to Detective-Sergeant Walsh. The statement detailed the movement of the two _ accused after their meeting in the city until they retired at night. “We went to the bedroom aliout 8 p.m.,” it continued. “Frank placed a small bottle in the drawer of the chest, first scraping off some of the label. Shortly after he got up, and poured about half the contents of the bottle into- a glass. He told me it contained laudanum, morphia, and opium pills. I asked for a drink of whisky before taking the poison, but he would not give it to me. I tried to put him off giving me poison. I asked him to put it/lown the sink. 1 eventually drank if. I lay on the bed, but could not go to sleep. He gave me a second glass of poison, which had no effect, and then gave me a good deal of whisky.

“I did not lose consciousness.” Laycock stated. “My body felt dead. I could not get out of bed. Frank accused me of being a coward, and that I was trying to cheat him. He struck mo about the face. He then got a razor blade and wanted to cut my wrist. I did not want him to do this. He Caught me by the left arm and cut my wrist. I remember him using' the razor blade on my wrist a second time. He said he had to get the cut deeper.” A letter left by the accused Laycock for her husband was produced by De-tective-Sergeant Walsh. In part it stated: “Darling Dave. When you receive this I shall be miles away from Auckland, perhaps dead. Dear Frank has been in love with me for 12 months. He told Rita, and has given me no option but to go away, as he threatens to kill her and himself. _ I can’t face that, so I must go with him.

I “Dave. I have only loved you and David (her son) in my life, and wo have had 15 of the happiest years together. Think of that, and try not to miss me too much. Frank seems tc bo mad. Ho will not listen to any r.-ason. You know I have never wanted any man’s love. It has always I come my easy-going way. I have been so happy. If only this tragedy hadn't happened.” ) Detective-Sergeanr. Walsh gave evidence of visiting the Lauries’ home on i November 6, when Mrs. Laurie was | found dead, with her head lying on a j cushion near a gas stove, five jets of

which were turned full on. Near the body, he said, he found two bank books, in one of which there was £l3 in notes. One book was in her own name, and the other in the names of her husband and herself. He also found a note which stated: “1 leave everything 1 possess, personal and otherwise, to my sister and my brother, to be divided equally. Please cremate me. This is the only way. Love to all. Forgive me.—Rita Laurie.”

Accused were committed for trial. Both counsel applied for bail. It was granted to Laycock, in tao sum of £2si>. witli a surety for £250. a condition being that she stayed with her mother. In refusing Laurie bail, the S.M. said there were peculiar features about the case, which made it undesirable that both accused should be released