MURDER TRIAL

Grey River Argus, 30 July 1935, Page 6

MURDER TRIAL

OPENS AT GREYMOUTH Blackball Poisoning Case A charge of murder and two charges of attempted murder were preferred against John Skikelthorp Page, miner, 36, sing e, a native of England in the Magistrate’s Court, Greymouth, yesterday afternoon, signifying the open ing qf the first murder trial to be held at Greymouth for almost two decades. Page was charged that, at Blackball, on September 24, 1934, he murdered Margaret May Smith, and also that .it Blackball, on September 22, 1934, he attempted to murder Jean Kennedy Clark and Ethel Annie Bragg. Mr. JI. Morgan, S.M., was on the bench. Inspector Donald Cameron, of Greymouth, prosecuted, and Mr. A. H. Paterson appeared for the accused. Much public interest was displayed in the case, and a queue of people had formed outside the Courthouse half an hour before the case was ca’led. When ne doo s were opened all the available seating accommodation in the rear of the Court was occupied. The accused stood in the dock between two constables. At the com mencement of the hearing he was informed by the Magistrate that he might be seated in the dock, but replied. “That’s all right, thanks.’’ He was given a pad and pencil, and wrote throughout the afternoon. Th accused is a big man, and wears a small moustache. Accused has been under observation at Hokitika, and will be returned there each night, while the trial is in progress. The hearing is scheduled to extend until Friday afternoon, there being fiftyeight witnesses to be ended for the Crown. The Magistrate said that inquest proceedings into the death of Margaret May Smith would be resumed at the same time.

Inspector Cameron said that he did not propose to open the case for the Crown, but briefly, he submitted that the evidence would be sufficient to set out a strong prima facie case against the accused. Principally the evidence would deal with a question of what he might refer to as disputed handwriting. Two experts had gone care fully into the question of the writing on the package, which contained the poisoned chocolates and the note, and on other envelopes and letters, which might also be referred to as the disputed handwriting and had compared it with the admitted writing of the accused. These experts would swear that the writing was one and the same. Further he said there would be an admission by the accused that some of the disputed handwriting was written by him. Three would be quite a lot of evidence to be dovetailed in, concerning movements of accused before and after the death of Margaret May Smith. Detective Sergeant Holmes had numbered the exhibits from A to Z, and then from Al to A2O, and any other exhibits would be referred to only by the expert witnesses. Allen Ashley Wilkinson, engineer, and qualified surveyor, employed by the Public Works Department, Inangahua, said that on June 6 last, accompanied by police officers he took measurements of three shop fronts in Hilton Street, Blackball, plans of which were produced by witness. Witness said I he also took measurements of a winding track which connected Stafford ■ Street with the Moonlight-Atarau road. I Constab e John Bainbridge Kearton, official police photographer for the I Canterbury district, Christchurch, said that on October 3 last he received a wrapper containing an address in pencil. “Misses Clark and Bragg, Blackball’’; a note on half a sheet of note paper, also written in pencil, reading “Will I see you and Tommy at Ngahere dance on Saturday next. (Signed) Jim’’; an envelope addressed, “Postmaster, Blackball”; and in the top eft-hand corner, “To post please.” On various dates between October 3, 1934, and April 4, 1935, witness received documents, one of them being n note.

The Inspector asked that the note be not read in open court as it was rather an offensive thing, addressed to one of the witnesses. Witness continuing said that the envelope containing the note was addressed, “Chief of Police, Greymouth.” Witness also produced a sheet of paper containing handwriting and block printing; also another sheet of block printing, and another two sheets bearing a nMe written in pencil and reading, “Form at Bob’s, care Barrytown P.O. Wallet. Books for library,” and an undecipherable word, and then, “Tent and fly dry.” Witness produced further samples of handwriting, including a sheet of brows paper, bearing an address in blue pencil, “Mr. T. Moore, Stafford Street, Blackball”; a letter to Inspector Davies, Labour Department, a map drawn in ink, two letters written in ink to Inspector Davies, Labour Department, Greymouth, and Mr. S. W. S. Strong, Grey County Council dated 6/8/33 and a further letter dated 5/4/34 to Mr. Davies. The Inspector said the handwriting exhibits would be referred to by handwriting experts. The most, of tl/e exhibits were to prove handwriting contents. and had actually nothing to do with the case. Witness said he had photographed the exhibits produced to the Court, and had supplied copies of these photographs to Messrs. Collins and Moore. From these photographs Mr. Collins prepared charts of words and letters, in the handwriting, photographs of which were produced. Witness also produced an index showing where each word or letter on the chart, could be found on the exhibits of handwriting.

Senior Sergeant Edmund Walter Dinnie, senior officer of the Criminal Registration Branch, Wellington, said that on November 30 last, he saw certain documents, copies of testimonials of accused, each of which were written in ink; also an application for enrolment in the New Zealand police force by accused. Witness received documents on February 22 last, one being headed “Barrytown areas”; another a letter to Mr. Davies, dated 1/2/33, and signed “John S. Page,” and another dated February 4, 1933, signed “John S. Page.” Exhibit Y, was a letter to Mr. Strong. Further letters to Mr. Davies were produced, one being an application for boots on September 9. 1933. On April 15, witness received a writing pad and two pieces of blotting paper, also an envelope addressed to Mrs. G. Clark, Moonlight Road; sheet of celophane paper, also a sheet being Post Office cancellation stamp marks which were Impressed in witness’s presence on Oc-

tober 15. 1934 in the G.P.O. Wellington: also rubber stamp. Witness photographed exhibits of handwriting which he had produced- He also produced 19 photographs of the writing pad and blotting papers. Sydney William Samuel Strong, mining engineer to the Unemployment Board’s gold prospecting scheme at Greymouth, said that he knew the accused. who was for some time engaged on the gold prospecting scheme under his supervision and witness had had correspondence from him. He was acquainted with deceased’s handwriting and could identify it. Witness examined exhibits put in and identified the handwriting on a number of them as that of accused. To Mr. Paterson: He had seen accused writing. He had written many letters personally to witness. Mr. Paterson; How is it only two n’-o produced? Witness: They will all be on the file there. Exhibit N was printed in block letters. Witness was not, a handwriting expert! but concluded the letters were written by John S. Page, as thev were signed such. The Inspector: Was there any other “John S. Page” in your employment. Witness: No.

Mrs. Agnes Sarah Smith, of Main Road. B’ackball, mother of the dead girl, said her daughter was born in Blackball in 1912. She was unmarried and lived with her parents. For four years her daughter had worked for Mr. Dumpleton in a shop at Blackball, and enjoyed good health. She left home at 7.45 a.m. on September 24 last, in her usual spirits and good health. About 11 a.m. witness received a message and went to her daughter’s place of employment and saw her at Mr. Dumpleton ’s residence. She was lying on a bed in a bedroom with her eyes closed. She asked for a drink of water and this was given to her in witness’s presence. Dr. Hutson, of Blackball then arrived. Whilst there her daughter’s body was twitching and she seemed to be in convulsions, and she had her face all screwed up as if she was in pain. Witness remained with her until she died a short time afterwards. Her daughter always appeared to be good friends with people about Blackball. and was very popular. Witness at no time had reason to suspect anyone would have reason to do her harm. The body of her daughter was removed to witness’s home. This concluded the evidence available before the Court, and the Magistrate adjourned the hearing of the charges against accused and the inquest proceedings until 10 o’clock this morning. ________