MAREO RE-TRIAL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12887, 13 June 1936, Page 7

MAREO RE-TRIAL

CASE FOR THE DEFENCE. EFFECTS OF VERONAL. MEDICAL EXPERT’S EVIDENCE. EXPERIENCE OF 20 YEARS AGO RECALLED. PATIENT WAS IN COMA FOR 36 HOURS. (Press Association). AUCKLAND, June 12. The Supreme Court this morning resumed the hearing of evidence in the re-trial of Eric Marco, aged 45 years, musician, rivho is charged with having murdered his wife, Thelma Clarice Marco, aged 29 years, by administering a hypnotic drug. Keen interest is evinced in the defence of Mareo and the court was crowded. .Dr. T. L. Paget, of Wellington, inspector of private hospitals under the Health Department, said in evidence that he had not practised for the past 12 years, hut he previously had practised at Stratford and at Palmerston North for 30 years. A statement he had read during the Mareo case had caused him to offer yesterday to give evidence. The statement was that if a patient lapsed into unconsciousness through an overdose of veronal and recovered, the patient would not relapse and die. The - statement reminded him of a case which came under his notice 20 to 25 years ago. A woman who lived near Hawera had been a patient, or his at. Stratford. When ho was called in, she had been in a fairly deep coma. The history of the case given him was that she had been given veronal two nights previously. Tho witness thought that 10 to 15 giains had been' given on medical advice. The first dose was not effective, and a. similar doss was adminis-. tered the next evening. The cumulative effect of those two doses was fn cause a state of coma. When witness arrived, the woman was in a comatose condition, but while he was there silo roused. She recognised him and talked and seemed to be recovering. Witness said he could not remember that, treatment had been given to the woman, but tie thought they had prescribed strychnine for her heart. They thought tho was recovering, but she relapsed into unconsciousness and, although under constant medical attention, the coma increased and she died from veronal poisoning.

“T. was satisfied that she was in a state of coma because, of veronal,’" continued Dr. T’nget. ‘-'She may havebad the, limit of 40 grains in 20-grain doses, but X cannot remember exactly. I think it was impossible for her to have a third dose. Her husband was very fond of her. and there was no question of criminal intent. The veronal was given on that occasion hypodermically.” HAP ID ACTION OF DRUG CONTRADICTED. Replying to the Crown Prosecutor. Mr V. R, Meredith, the witness said bo agreed that drugs of the barbituric acid group acted fairly certainly, but be did not agree with the statement that they acted with rapidity. He would recommend that a dose ho taken an hour or two hours before the patient desired to sleep. The patient to whom ho had referred was between 50 and 55 years of age. Her general health had been good, but he had not seen her for itymo time before the fatal illness, cfcnd sho may have deteriorated physically during the interval No post-mortem examination was carried out. and he was unable to tell the court of the woman’s organic condition. The patient was in a condition of coma—with a brief intermission in which she was awake—for about 3G hours. Her appearance was dusky and her breathing was laboured. The witness roused her, ho thought Ttv speaking to her, anil probably moving her. He thought it Possible that tho othe’r doctor might have given her strychnine before the witness arrived and this might have assisted her to awake. Re-examined, Dr. Paget said that when roused, the woman did not ho*, come at all lively. She was drowsy and spoko in a drowsy way. ALLEGED VERONAL TAKING IN AUSTRALIA. Ireno Alice Riano, widow, of Melbourne, questioned by Mr. Trevor Henry, said she met Thelma Trott in 19.31 with a variety company. The daughter and , granddaughter of the witness joined the company. Site saw Miss Trott . .again . in. Melbourne in 1933 when her family joined tho Ernest Rolls • Company. Witness remembered Thelma telling her that she could not sleep without sleeping powders. One night she had a bottle of veronal, which she said was the best thing on tho market for sleeplessness. She had once said %he would kill herself, hec-aUse life 4as not worth living. The . witness discussed with her books dealing with certain aspects. Mrs. Riano said she remembered Thelma saying that if the Ernest Rolls Company did not take her to New Zealand, she would kill horse!l, end they decided to take her. While in Auckland, Thelma came to the flressingrooni occupied by the witness and asked if the witness could give her some powders or something. Mareo was standing in the doorway, and said: “I wish you could try to convince Thelma to he a homeopatn, iiecauso something will happen if she does not stop taking so many sleeping draughts.” [ , The witness remembered I I henna drinking at tho Crmt’s Nest cabaret ir Wellington, and being under tho influence of liquor.

/ ’I .To Mi-. Henry, the witness said.she was very fond of Alias Trott. There had been a difference between her •laughter and Mareo over the latter playing music too fast, but no difference with Miss Trott-

WITNESS’ INTERVIEW WITH POLICE IN MELBOURNE. Cross-examined By Air. Meredith, r,he witness said that when interviewed by the police in Melbourne, she may not 'have mentioned Thelma showing her a bottle of veronal. The policeman just came to the door and asked some questions and took notes in a book. “Ho-took us by surprise, and I did not think it imnorta-nt to tell him everything j. knew,” said the witness. Mr. Meredith: I put to you that he asked straight out whether Thelma Trott took veronal. Tho witness: I do not remember that. He was not asking me questions. I was telling him. Mr. Meredith: Do .1 understand that lie stood there mute, while you told him about Thelma?—He asked soma questions; a lot, particularly about dates.

Then you purely and voluntarily brought out these tilings about her drinking?—l did it out of my love of justice. I thought it my duty. Did not your love of justice and duty impel you to tel! the police about that bottle of veronal?—-I am not suro I did not teil them. Continuing, the witness said that Mareo had said to her before be marlied that Thelma- was taking too many drugs and lie asked the witness to break her of it. Mr Meredith: If what you say is correct, it follows that Mareo knew bis wife took chugs? Tho witness: Yes. I suppose so. Would you be surprised to know that when his wife was unconscious and a. doctor asked him whether his wife ever took drugs, he said “No.”? —Perhaps dope and drugs are two different things Would you be .surprised if lie said, in answer to the police, that his wife did not take drugs to make her sleep, but took alcohol?—T don’t know whether I would be surprised. SCHOOLTEA C'HER ’ S EXPERIENCE WITH VERONAL. •Tohn William Beattie, school teacher, of Hunterville, said that in November of 1931, while he was in Dunedin suffering from a nervous breakdown, he consulted-two doctors v. ho prescribed veronal to induce sleep. Ho took veronal for about a year. For a time one tablet was enough., but later lie had taken two. He used to take thorn about half an hour before he went to bed. Occasionally they did not have any effect, and after tossing for some time, he got up and took two more. At a time when ho was suffering from a duodenal ulcer, he remembertu one night taking two tablets with his tea. About 10 o’clock he escorted some visitors to a tram. Kc retired about 11.15 o’clock, The veronal had not had effect by about midnight, and ho took two more tablets. Ho remembered distinctly that there were eight tablets left in the box. He went to sleep and did not remember anything until the morning. Then lie remembered his wife trying to awaken him. but he just sagged and went into a deep sloe]). At dinner time, his wife again tried to rouse him, out ho sagged again and v-cut into a deep sleep.

FOUND NO TABLETS' LEFT. About 7.30 o’clock that night my wife was ablo to rouse me with difficulty,” continued the witness. “I was just like a drunken man. We went for a walk. My speech was very thick. When I retired at 10 o'clock, f decided to risk one tablet. They were kept in the bathroom. I found the box with the lid on, but there were no tablets. I con eluded that I had taken them myself on the Saturday night. My wife lias never taken veronal in her life.”

Mr. Justice Lallan: “You conclude then that between 10 o’clock on the Saturday night and the Sunday morning, you took 60 grains—l2 tablets? The.witness: Yes. The effect wore off' on the Monday.

On another occasion, said the witness, he found Himself in the bathroom. A bottle fell into the washhand basin and roused him. He was satisfied that he was after more veronal, but had enough will power to force himself away from the bathroom where it was kept. On his way back to bed ho entered the wrong bedroom. " , The witness said he had never soeu Mareo until to-day, but thought his experience of veronal might he valuable, and had therefore written to the court.

EXPERIENCES OF VERONAL. . EVIDENCE BY HAVELOCK WOMAN AND HUSBAND. STILL ANO THER WITNESS FOR DEFENCE. HEARING ADJOURNED TILL MONDAY. (Press Association;.. ■vU OK LAND. June 12. Mbira Esme Messissner, married woman, of Havelock North, said .that, in September 1930. she had collapsed Sho had been sleeping badly fm six months before barbitone was prescribed for her by a doctor and the pills were otained. Witness described tho taking of the pills. luring the night she remembered vvilinig up as though in a drqam and feeling P r 1 bo pills, which, she thought, were on a pedestal b\ the bed. She remembered getting up and searching the room. The next she remembered was

humping-into the telephone and then she found herself in the bathroom. She remembered getting on a high stool to reach the medicine chest. She opened the cupboard and searched .for tho pills which sho eventually found. She did not know that the pills had been shifted to the bathroom. Witness could remember taking them, but could not remember how, many. Franz Messissner, husband of the previous witness, described tlio putting of tho pills in tho -bathroom r-.n‘d later finding, the box .empty. He bad given his wife only two pills. Witness said his wife had been asleep about four. days.

Tho Court adjourned until (Monday after having heard tho evidence ,of tho Wardrobe Mistress in “The Duchess of .Danzig” operatic production, Alice Frances Smith, who said that, on tho fnlal night, Mrs. Mareo smelt of liquor. Tho last witness for the defence, a medical man bom Wellington, will he heard on Monday,