ALLEGED MURDER

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12089, 31 October 1933, Page 5

ALLEGED MURDER

grey lynn tragedy. LABORER CHARGED WITH KILLING WOMAN.' : y “"QRrPss Association) AUCKLAND Oct. 30 Charged with the murder of Mrs. Christian Cunningham, ai her home ja Grey Lynn, oh August 16, John Hubert Edwards, 41, a laborer, was placed on trial to-day before Mr. Justice Herdman. Hr. V. R. Meredith, for the Crown s ai(l til© Cunningham family had known Edwards for about six years and at one time had lived, under the same roof. Subsequently, when the family moved Edwards called on them occasionally. On the night of August 15, Dora and Joyce Cunningham I'ftU&O 0 a c ' ance ’ an d when Joyce re--turned a, f about midnight Edwards c ame along and said he wanted to see her father, who was on relief work, about a permanent job. He was admitted, and went into the bedroom, where he told Cunningham he was .feeling sick and faint. Cunningham told him to sit on the bed, and later dropped off to sleep-. Oil waking in the morning saw Edwards lying across the foot of the bod. Cuningham left the bedroom at about- 6,30 a.m. Edwards apparently then got into the bod. He had pyjamas on, which lie must have been wearing under his clothes wheit he arrived. The daughter, Joyce, heard her mother say to Edwards: “Don" vou think you had a nerve to come hare like You did and stay all night?’ Cunningham then came into the house and heard Edwards say. ‘‘Won't yoP forgive mo this time?’’ Later in the morning, Cunningham and Edwards left the house together, and as they walked along Cunningham said: “Look, Edward's, it's not convenient to have visitors to the house just now. I am on relief work, and we c-ftimot afford to have visitors’’ A&f Meredith described the return to the house'of the daughter Joyce Cunningham, who found her mother and accused lying on the floor injured. Assistance was obtained and both were sent to hospital, where Mrs. Cunningham died, and accused later recovered.

Mr. Meredith said there were no signs of a struggle. When Mrs. Cunningham was attacked she must have been first struck on the head by some blunt and round instrument. In Edwards’ hand was tightly grasped a razor. No doubt it was the razor with which Mrs. Cunningham’s throat had been severed. It was quite clear that the unfortunate woman had been struck several severe blows on the head by a round blunt instrument, but a search of the room and the neighborhood had failed to discover the instrument. On a writing pad, found on the gas meter in the hall, said Mr. 'Meredith, was a message in the handwriting of Edwards. The message read: “Lovers. We die together. The death pact.” The note was signed “ Jack Edwards” and “Mrs Cunningham,” but the signatures wene- boihujritten by Edwards. No rio-uhtWßfc Mr Meredith,' the defence the question of insanity, b law upon the question was t person who committed a crime was deemed to be sane until the contrary had been proved, and this was for the defence to prove. Edwards was apparently a man of fairly violent temper, and it was quite clear that pn the morning of the tragedy Mrs. Cunningham had given him a good dressing down. The only suggestion there could bo was that he lost his temper, lost control of himself and then committed the murder, said Mr. Meredith. Evidence on the lines of counsel’s opening was given and the hearing was adjourned.