SIMILARITY OF CASES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 November 1928, Page 8

SIMILARITY OF CASES.

—__ —9 - EXTE AOB DINARY ALLEGATIONS. IN SYDNEY COURT. 'Sydney is still talking about, tie extraordinary parallel to tie recent G’OTV poisoning case, which was provided recently by the arrest of a young man on a charge of murdering his wife. In the Gow case it was 'Claimed by the police that Gdw’s wife and the young man Trapman had together been responsible for poisoning the 'old man, so that they could be married after his death. And in the most recent case, police allegations are that a man murdered his wife by slowly poisoning her with arsenic, in order that he would bo able to marry a youn.cn woman with whom he lived while his wife was in hospital, dying. The story was outlined in court on Tuesday, when Allister Jenncr 'Clark, ao-ed 24 years, described as an agent, wag charged with having murdered his wife,, Ellen iMary 'Clark, on October 12. “The dead woman,” said the police prosecutor, “showed every symptom of slow arsenical poisoning. Immediately the charge had been read out in court, counsel for accused applied for bail. He pointed out that his client had been in custody for more than 24 hours, during which he had.no opportunity of obtaining legal advice. In opposing bail, the prosecutor said: “I would like to place certain facts before the Bench. The accused was married, in 192 0, and soon afterwards an order was made against him for the maintenance of an illegitimate child. His wife, the deceased, was taken ill on July 10, .suffering from supposed food poisoning. She was attended by a local medical man at Stanmofe, and when her condition did not improve in 10 days, she was sent to the Coast Hospital. Her health was bad, and she showed every symptoms of arsenical poisoning. On October 12 she died, and Dr. iMelMastcrs, assistant medical superintendent of the 'Coast Hospital, not satisfied with the cause of her death, held a post-mortem examination.

“Portion of the woman’s anatomy was forwarded to the Government am alvst; but, before the result of the analysis was known the body was buried. The accused often visited his wife in the hospital, taking her fruit, cake and chocolates. Her condition in hospital was such that her hands were paralysed, and her husband used to feed the things he-brought her directly into her mouth. On his visits to the

hospital ho was accompanied toy a woman, with whom he lived while his wife was in the institution. While he visited his wife, this woman used to wait outside. Eight days after his wife (licit in liosptal, accused was marred to the woman with whom he. had toeen living. Two Government medical officers, when her body was exhumed, held a post mortem, and established that death was due to slow arsenical poisoning. ’ ’ On these facts the magistrate refused bail.