ALLEGED MURDER

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12527, 12 April 1935, Page 5

ALLEGED MURDER

HAWKE’S BAY TRAGEDY. WOMAN'S .BODY IN CREEK. 1 HEAD BADLY BATTERED. MAN BEFORE COURT. ' TWELVE WITNESSES HEARD ! thirty more to give , t . EVIDENCE. L 3 i Press Association). 3 NAPIER, April 11. Twelve cf the 42 witness who will - give evidence in the case in which ; Charles-William Price, Hias Edwards ; is charged that on or about February i G at Argyll, hq murdered Evelyn Mnrya Madden iWevo heard in the s Napier Magistrate’s Court today when - tho Lower Court. hearing of' the - charge began. ' Today’s evidence mainly concerned ; medical 'observations on deceased’s injuries. and the tracing of the movo--1 ments of tho deceased and the accus--1 cd from the time they left together for their employ at Orekn station, Fernhill. Air J. G. L. Hewitt, S.M., was on tlic Bench. A 16-year-old boy, Herbert Bert Monk, a. farm hand, of Argyll East, described the discovery of the body in Ta.hiki creek, about three chains from the junction-of the Nestor, Railkawa, and Te Onepti road;. In January last, witness set an eel trap in a a creek -on Nestor’s property. On the evening of February 14 he visited the trap, walking up the creek for some distance and after, crossing the creek cn a log lie discovered a short dis- ; ance away the body of a woman lying under a willow tree in a hole. The body, which was about 4ft. from the . bank ,was floating face upwards. Witness reported the discovery to hta father, and the police were communicated with. Next morning witness accompanied Constable Dawson, of Ongaonga to the spot. Witness stated that the locality in which the body was found was isolated. He had rarely seen visitors in the vicinity. POLICE ARRIVE ON SCENE, Constable James Dawson gave evidence that when lie proceeded to the spot on the morning of February 15, lie found Miss Madden’s dress and underskirt- up round the waist. Her bloomers, stocking and shoe were removed from the right leg, hut still on the left leg. Witness made a close inspection of the vicinity, and noticed a woman’s stocking close to the bank, while a top set of false teeth was discovered lying on the grass about six paces from the edge cf the water. A woman’s garter lay nearby. On the morning of February 16, witness again went to the scene. Juot as he arrived he saw a man near the hole in the creek. The man walked away, hut witness intercepted him about 500 yards from the creek. They exchanged greetings, and the man said: “I am feeling very crook. I have been on the booze for a fortnight.” He then produced a bottle ail'd took a drink. Witness asked the man his name, end he replied .that it was Edw.vvis. He added that he had walked frc-m the property of a settler named Marshall, a distance of five mites, to fee Bayliss, another settler, about “getting his old job hack.” Edwards said he had had a sleep in some titrec, pointing towards the water hole. They returned to the creek, where Edwards drank dry gin in his possession and tossed the bottle into He water. He then drew from his poo ;c-t, a bottle of methylated spirits, smie of which he mixed with water from the creek, and drunk. Shortly after Detective-Sergeant Biekordike and Detective FarqnVirrso'n arrived. Witness identified Edwards as Price, the accused MEDICAL EVIDENCE The first medical witness was Dr. Rowland Gaidimore, of Hastings, --vho described the examination .f file body carried out on the hank ri the creek on February 15. The woman’s clothing was crumpled round her waist, and the body from the waist down was bare, except for the left log which was clad in a brown silk stocking, held in place by an clastic garter. The foot was encased in a black shoe. Witness and Detective Farquharson recovered the body from tho pool. A cursory examination icvcnled a wound on the scalp. Witness and Dr. Whyte, of Hastings, carried out a post-mortem examination at the Hastings morgue. The body, which was clad in a print dress, two petticoats, and two singlets, was that of a well-developed, well-nourished woman of about 30 years of age. Putrefaction had destroyed most of the facial outline,: and the upper jaw war, ‘toothless.. A scalp wound was found on a line extending directly backwards for 2in. from the junction of the hair and the 1 brow, and a. cut an inch long on I he right ear, extending into the scalp. There were also* long cuts above the left ear ,on the top of the head, and at the back of the head. The vault of the skull was fractured, from the bridge of tho nose over the top of 1 the head, for a distance -of >six inches. Dr. Cashmore added tha th’e examination revealed no sign of pregnancy. Other than the head wound there was no sign of injury about ‘the body. Death, in witness’s opinion, ; was probably due to extensive I‘acsra lion of the brain brought about by the fracture- cf the vault and base nf the skull. Considerable force would be necessary to inflict the injuries. On March 31, witness was present when the body of Miss Madden was exhumed. He .removed the head and saw it placed in a container: and handed to the custody of the 1 p-oli'e. DETAILS OF THE FRACTURES Dr Walter. Gilmduh pathologist at , the Aucldana Hospital, said that after the soft parts had been removed from Miss A Ted den’s skulf.-, the following' fractures were found: (1) there was a fracture on the left. ; Bid's of the skull, commencing , two inches above the external opening of the ear; (2) Extensive fracturing of the front part of the skull from the

Lricigo of the nose backwards for about six. inches. There were indidi- . lions that the blow, producing it -came from the left. From the mididle of the nose the fracture extended down the-middle of the face, separating tho jaw into two halves. From these fractures, witness concluded that they must have been caused' b.v at least two separate blows. The front fracture could have been caused by a right-handed assailant standing in front of tho viet'inn and could have been caused only by a. very severe blow. In witness’s opinion, the fractures were homicidal Dr A. j>. S. Whyte, of Hastings, ga.ve evidence of the post mortem examination that he and Dr Cashmore made. HUMAN BLOODSTAINS ON MAN’S SUIT. , Dr John Mercer, assistant pathologist at Wellington Hospital, who exnniinod a man’s brown suit, a woman’s woo Yen coat and a. womrfn’s small white, hat for human blood, said that on the lining above the right wrist of the suit he found two irregular reddish brown the external appearances of which stiggestedl they were bloodstains. Tests reveal eel they were made by human blood. On the woman’s coat ho found on the lower part. °f the loft lapel several oval reddish stains which were also made by human Hood. On the inside of the crown of the hat he found a stain four inches long also made by human blood. "TIRED OF EVA.” , Audrey Lincoln Jan.ic-son who' with Miss Madden, was employed at Ah' James Lowry’s station at Fernhill, said that Edwards and Aliss Madden were rather friendly, and olten. went out together for walks. On Monday. February 4, Aliss Madden and Edwards left the station together. That day witness had a conversation with Edwards, who said he was going to Auckland) Edwards making a joking remark, that he was "tired of. Eva; sick of her.” Witness identified several articles of dotting and other effects as belonging to Aliss Aladden. LUGGAGE LEFT AT HASTINGS RAILWAY STATION. - James Northe Lowry, by whom Miss Aladden and accused were employed, said he drove the pair into Hastings railway station on Alonday February 4 They left his employ together on that date. He and his wife, Lucy Frances Lowry, identified a number of cheques of his with which both Edwards and Miss Aladden were paid. According to the evidence of Keith Baker, a Hastings railway station porter, a man came into the left luggage office on February 4 and said lie wanted to leave some luggage. This luggage witness identified among the exhibits. Ho coui.d not identify the man who brought them. ACCOMMODATION AT HASTINGS. Ernest- Henry Gardiner said he met, Price in Hastings on February 4. Price said he had 1 a lady with him, and asked if witness knew a epuet place, where she could stay. Witness and Price went to a Airs Higgins’ house. Later Price- told witness that bis companion had not likej the room, and that they bad both hooked in at a Hastings hote?. Similar evidence was given by Mrs Greta V'erosa Higgins. Evidence of booking-in at the hotel on the afternoon of February 4 of a- man giving the name of Edwards and a woman giving the name of Malcolm, was given by Beryl Scan dret-t. They staved two nights and left- on the morning of February 6. The man paid the h-iV with a* cheque which witness identified. Ernest Alitzinau'n'eo, manager °f a Hastings clothing establishment, said that on the afternoon of February 4, accused' bought a pair of women’s shoes explaining that he had left his job at Lowry's, and that since a ,g|irl had been good 1 to him n t the station he would like to reciprocate. At this stage the Court adjourned.