SERIOUS CHARGE

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1936, Page 5

SERIOUS CHARGE

WOMAN’S DEATH

RESIDENT OF GREYMOUTH.

\ (Pei Press Association, Copyright).

CHRISTCHURCH, May 6. i An inquest into the death of Catherina Maria Hill, a married woman of Greymouth, was opened before Mi* Reid, in the Magistrate’s Court this morning.

hi conjunction with the inquest Ruesen Shirley, of Alpha Avenue, was charged with unlawfully using an instrument on Catherina Maria Hill. Mr Sargent appeared for Shirley. -(' ' Edward John Hill, commission agent of Greymouth, husband of the late Mrs Hill, said he asked Mrs Shirley what she would charge to perform an operation, and she said £ls. Witness said he would call on her one day the following week. The telephone conversation had been at the end of February, or beginning of March. Witness' had been worried, but Mrs Shirley had said there was nothing to worry about,; On Saturday March 14, witness had come to Christchurch with his wife,' and the following day they had gone to Mrs Shirley’s place where they had discussed the price of an operation. Witness described what happened at Mrs Shirley’s place, and said that he, had given. Mrs Shirley,three £5 notes. Witness then repeated the conversation he had with Mrs Shirley. iC*>At this stage Chief Detective Dunlop asked that a provisional order, prohibiting the publication of telephone numbers, should be made. It was his intention to produce certain toll cords. He submitted they were private documents, and it was only in exceptional cases that they were available.

In objecting to the order Mr Sargent said that if granted, it meant that the right of newspapers to publish anything at the time, could be stopped. He submitted that the Court had not the power.

The Magistrate said he would make an order in the meantime. Hill stated that at Mrs Shirley’s when anj operation was dismissed witness suggested the danger of blood poisoning; Mrs Shirley referred to previous jqperations in which thiife was no fear of ceased then went to thlr£atifrobni and ' a few mjihnte slater, the two women wfent into a bedroom. A short time afterwards, Shirley came out and said ••'de.ceased| was ready . and, she (Shirley) , wanted the monjey,.[{witness handingi over‘three-five jplound notes,*/ j ■ Witness and' deceased were on' t'ho lawn for a while, till the boy Shirleytold them lunch was ready. They went; into lunch aud soon, afterwards left.-; They ret urned’ ini the evening. Witness told Mrs Shirley deceased t^as,still ,j|i the same;Condi|}.phi an|t appeared* * unsu'ece|sful Mrs ' said; 'they ;-mus|| wait ||r •.rpui|s, ’liwiil if vthere j•: were*/,ally s/iripthhis l - during the night; to send for her. • Witness i with his wife went to Shirley’s 'house on the afternoon of Mon-; day, 1 March 16; Mrs v Shjrlev complained that witness haddiscused the affair .with” a Christchurch ichemjst' named ; Howell. She said .she would’ now have : to pay Howell £5 as commission. Witness said; he. could second rqasofijj that, as he had not consulted 4 Howell about his wife’s condition. Mrs Shirley said she Was worried because “it was Howell who had first put her in the position she then was.’’ Shirley said that as there was nothing doing she would have to use her instruments, again. The two women left the room for five or ten minutes, and Mrs Shirley returned, saying everything would be all right. Hill and his wife left Shirley’s ihouse a few; minutes later. The first witness after lunch Was John,. Barrett Bluett, partner in the chemist firm of Parkinson and C 0.,. Taiuui Street, Greymouth.,, He said that he had known Mr and Mrs Hill for about four years. About March last, Hill came and told .witness that Mrs Hill was pregnant’, and he asked witness to assist him. ! Witness refuetl, but he referred him to Airs Shirley. In reply to witness’ letter to her, Airs Shirley had written witness a letter which he (witnes) had since burned. He also had telephone conversations with Airs Shirley on hie firm’s telephone. As the result of one message, he gathered that Airs Shirley was upset, as she had had a row with Hill, who had taken this, wife away from Mrs Shirley’s place. In reply, witness said, he .w’rote to Airs Shirley. What he said was more or less an apology for Hill’s behaviour. Replying to Air Sargent, witness said that he burnt the letter from Mrs Shirley because it was one not

very desirable to have about. He admitted that the letter he wrote Mrs Shirley, asking her to do a certain job for Hill, was not a proper letter, for any chemist to have written. He said that he had sold Hill cough mixtures and ordinary prescription medicines.

James Aldred, private detective, said that lie had called, with Hill, to Shirley’s residence. He could not definitely swear that Airs Shirley met them at the door. Hill asked for his wife’s clothes, and then he said: “I p'nve you £ls for a job, which you did not do, and'l would like you to return it.” Airs Shirley, witness said, agreed to this, and handed over £lO, telling Hill to return next morning for the balance. Hill said he could not come then, so witness agreed to call for the money. Hill then told Airs Shirley that his wife was dangerously ill, uon which AXm Shirley - expressed re-