PATIENCE CASE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1939, Page 6

PATIENCE CASE

MURDER CHARGE HEARING CONTINUED.

{Per Press Association. —Copyright).

CHRISTCHURCH, September 6

On October 3’, Mrs Patience came to her" hpuSe - in.. the; nVofriing - and again in the afternoon, said Mrß McKay. Mrs Patience was not too good in spirits,, but her health was quite all right. The next day Mrs Patience again visited witness, and she appeared to be rather Worried. She, had' not seen Mrs Patience , alive since that day, When Mrs patience did not call ori October 5„ she w;as worried,, and early on October 6 she called at, the hut occupied byjMr and Mrs Patience. The door was locked, which was rather unusual. A letter arrived for Mrs Patience, and witness re-addressed it to Mrs George, Riccarton, and posted it.

On Tuesday, after his wife disappeared, Patience, called for■ the 'mail! She told him about, the letter for Mrs Patience, and what she had done, explaining that' this was the only way «iiei jhad of letting : Mrs Ratfierice’s, people know that Mrs Patience was riot; in camp, “Patience was annoyed, and said my husband, should not have, allowed-me to do it. I told him that I. would dp the same thing again in similar circumstances; f’- ; The: v . next* Frjffay she mqt asked 'him if : it whs true; he SeJlirig his furniture. He saiff ' “yies,” arid'" '#lVen f witness asked liirh riot“ ! to' r sell, 1 ‘‘'and 5 give Mrs PatieWA; a : i ;clra‘nc6( i ■ito'“fc‘6iri%' i back, ,lie said 3 that’ : \vhat'' ; hff' cori'ftT hot 1 sell he would burn. Later he c Galled her back and asked her to keep two pictures' for him. Patience told her that he had not informed the - police off his wife’s disappearance, but that he was going into Kaikoura next day, and lie might; see the constable there-. On July 21 of; this year, she identified the body of a woman as the body of Mrs Patience.

Alice May Vellen worthy of Taratuhi, said she formerly lived at the Claverley camp.' On the morning ol October 5 she did not see either Patience or his wife. Witness went round to see if she could, rouse Mrs Patience, as she wanted to use hW wash-house. She knocked, and when' there was no answer, tried to open the door which was locked. Later in the morning she : returned/ and : as she' thought Mrs, Patience might be ill,: she lobked iri‘ the windows. There was no one in the rooms, ..find a double bed had not been made. After Mrs Patience disappeared, she saw Patience about camp ; but did not speak ’October 16/ witness find tier' 'husVdhtt ■'"AV'bnt' ter Patience’s hut as they heard lie was selling out. They bought certain articles. During, the sale she asked Patience where his wife was, and lie said she was down town on a holiday. Patience lit a fire in the front of' his house at dusk, just a day. or two be--1 fore the sale_ She did not know what he was Mrs D»phirß >-if< tliaid^s ;: of' 'Christchurch, said that for about two years slie,and her husband and their children- had lived at the Claverley camp. Their house was near Patience’s, '• being only '-100 yards away. They were on friendly .termSjWitli the Patiences and exchanged visits on October 4','the day that Mrs Patience disappeared, She saw her several ytimes. Mrs Patience was of a very quiet and reserved disposition, ' and was always the same. She seemed no different from usual that day. She saw her last about 4.45 o’clock that evening. Mr Patience had come home about 5 o’clock. She went over to see Mrs Patience about 7.15 a.m. next - day, and the door was locked; She saw Patience going to work when she went across. She saw him again when- lie came home from work that evening. She asked where “mother” had gone, and he said she had -gojte. ; |o.,t^3i^!^e ( ' evening before. The next time' she saw him, on October 6, he said he would not know . until tlie Sunday when Mrs Patience was coming back. Mrs .Claricg j( Rita Chapin an,. widow, of' ph’ristchpirdlt^Sfhi^j ; band, was .kflled'HtoK'fcfi Public Works at Conway in July, 1938. She bad- known Patience for two years, having first met him at the Claverley camp. She was on friendly terms with * Mr and Mrs Patience and exchanged, visits. The Conway camp, where she and her husband lived then, was five or six miles from Claverley. Mrs Chapman said tliat she and her husband were not too friendjy at times. Just before her husband’s!, death, she was friendly with accused. She had relations with him in November, 1937 ) and relationship continued . till quite recently—-two months ago. Patience, when be came to town used to stay at the house at which she lived. In October of last year, lie moved to Rosy Morn caihp. She had been to that camjp occasionally. After her husband’s death she discussed the future with Patfonce. She told him he should ask to get a separation from Mrs Patience if he intended to go on the way they were. She discussed the matter with Patience several times. As far as she 1 knew, Mrs Patience did not; know o! the relationship between Patience Mid herself. He came on October 7 to the place at which she lived in Christchurch. She asked* liirri where Mrs Patience was, and whether she was at Mrs Geo.rge’s. ■ He said she was not there, hut had left. She asked him what he was going to do about-M rs Patience’s disappearance. He suggested.' the police and she, not knowing what to do. suggested a lawyer. He told her that on October 4, between G. 30 p.m. and 8 pan,, Mrs Patience went, out, and that she had taken £4B with her. Witness lived at-lief mother’s house in Christchurch. lie stayed there

ony Friday, October 7, and that week-, end. She received a letter from hiui that week, bu't did n6t‘remember what' Whs in it. She. next saw him on October AM;' whkii lie'came to her place. She asked him if he had heard where Mrs Ratlcnch had gone, and kept on asking him to do something about it. She had made arrangements to take a holiday in October. She and Patience went-' to Blenheim. They intended to ;go to Tophouse. They arrived at Blenheim and she bookeil in at an hotel under the liame of Mrs Patterson. At tea time, Patience was interrupted ; ahd told he was wanted,' They finished their tea, and she went up to her room, and ho Went round to the Police Station. She herself made a statement to the police' that ev'enihg. Twice before she and accused had booked in as Mr and Mrs Patterson at the Federal Hotel, Christchurch. After they were interviewed by the police at Blenheim, they did : net stay at Barry's Hotel, where they had been. They left and went to the Criterion Hotel, where they booked in under their separate names:

Mrs Chapman said that her own married life was not happy. The question of her leaving her husband had been discussed between them, but she could not remember if . she had discussed it with Patience. The : question of r Patience leaving Mrs Patience had been discussed in October. She received||;l6thmg arid' teaSpo'dnS'" from patience.’ Accused had. asked her to go away with him v-'A't first s bhe said: she"'Vlruld, ! bu't’ la-ter she refused. She would have married him, 4 but she go away with him.

Mann of the* Federal'-Hotel,' Chfistehurch, said tluvt on the even-; 'ing of 1 December 17, ,1937, a man “aridwoman * booked in under jithe name of MKaridjfMrs Patterson*:;She. produced theShOtei register. She gave them a double room for the night. They stayed there and had breakfast the next morning before they left. On January 21$ Mr and Mrs A, Patterson were booked in, and again given a double room. They left after breakfast the • next morning

Alrthur Henry Hudson ( a porter, at Barry’s Hotel, Blenheim, said that about 5 o’clock on Saturday, October 22,‘ a: man and a woman arrived and asked for' accommodation. They asked for and werb given a double room. The man was the accused.

Albert Edward Fletcher, who knew Patience; at| Clriverley, V said' that towards the latter end of. the time lie Was -there, the'V-e seemed to be a difference between Patience and his wife. Mrs Chapman appeared to be the cause of it. He received for Patience from Mrs Chapman about 12 • lettefSi They-'were'' eihiosed in enyblolies* iaddfesshd ' to-, him.;; .Tins, was done so that Mrs Patience would not know.

. David William McKay, a single man', who used to work at Claverley camp, unit had worked with Patience for the last eighteen months, told of •one day after Mrs Patience’s disappearance, when he and Patience were Agoing fro'in the.cainp to Suicide Point .'where work r was' being.; clone' on the read from Claverley Gate to Happy Vqtlley Gate'. Between a' quarter and half a mile towards Suicide Point he noticed blood spots. He passed a remark to Patience about them and accused said it might have been a dog. Thefb was qifite a number of blood spots. . Just before going down to Happy Valley Gate next; day, when Patience went off work at the end of his shift, at 11.30 a.m. ( he went towards his'home. 7 McKay said that at that time he went to Happy Valley Creek to get water in a billy. He glanced back at Patience, who was going back to the camp, and, at- the spot where he had passed the remark about the blood'spots the day before, lie saw Patience kick something with his boots.' It' was the exact place at which he had seen the blood spots. Hugh J6lm Clark, who was at Claverley camp until October of last 'yria^ morning going to jvork he saw bloodstains on the road between Claverley camp and Happy Valley. He was with Patience and David McKay when lie saw them. bop eft£!rid£d Wffi, : n S; the, «aid it’mU?t have ; bperi;! a dog or a sheep. William McQueen, Public Works labourer, at Happy Valley, near'Claveriey, described the events and discussions after the disappearance oi Mrs Patieifce. He said that on July 2t> of this year, lie went to the beach in the afternoon and there saw a woman’s body unclothed. It was the body of Mrs Patience. He could recognise it. During the three years be had been there, the sea had not wasned away the land at Suicide Point until the day before the body was found. *At this stage the Court was adjourned until iO o’clock to-morrow morning. ,y, -■■ 44 '

CHRISTCHURCH, September 7. With the case nearing its close, nearly two thirds of the police witnesses having given their:evidence, the hearing of the* .murder, charge against Arthur John Patience, a'; labourer,, agedAS^";entered, its .third day. | Mrs Alwyth Gwendoline-Mclntosh, of Riccarton, said that in April 1938, Patiience spent the week-end at her place, .while liis wife stayed with Mrs George. Soon after he arrived on Friday, Patience said he would sell his car because ‘Mrs Patience was chipping him for not taking her in the car where he went. He had known Patience since 1936, said Thomas Joseph McGuinnes, a labjourer, of Conway. Before Mrs Patience arrived at Clavexiey, Patience was in tlie habit of taking various women out | for {jpy-rides in his car. When Mrs ipatiehce arrived it did not stop completely. Patience was of a fairly even it'”".' v Sbnior-Sergeanfc James Bickerdikc 5(,... v ... k « fc - ......ic in, usugalions on Ot;

lober 20, 1938, at “Claverley. He in.specieti tne house occupied uy Patience unit Iris wife. There ’were three’rooms unci no furniture, 1 here was nothing, lound (if a suspicious nature. On October 22 he went lo Blenheim and interviewed .patience, He lust met mm oil me street and tolcl niin be had received a complaint that his wife was missing. He louiul accused aud Mrs unapluan had booked in under the name oi air and Mrs Patterson. Yvitness asked Patience il Ins wife was with him. d'atience replied: “No. 1 am stifling vviLii iuis Ciiapman." Witness usKed n iio was npt rather early,-for accused to be staying with another woman, soon alter tne disappearance of his wile. iPatieuceMgfccd 'ihat at was. Patience volurttebtcd; and accompanied the detec!tiye To/tlie Poiict Station, where he %iade a statement, which Witness produced.

In the statement Patience said his wife disappeared on the night of October 4. On that day he started work as usual and at that time he and his wife were oil the best of terms. He returned at 4.20 p.m. and his wife was at home with the dinner ready. Next morning he found his wife had gone and her bed not been slept in. He made no further inquiries and mentioned it to other men. He thought she would turn up later. On October she found a note from his wife which’,read: “Lain.sick of the camp. 1 jam sick of J’du. >L donjfr want anything from you. /Jane-Puti-‘ent’e.” 1 -” ■ ' . vV, 4vV> : V Patience said he destroyed tlfe note #itll- other papers. He" he had not reported the master f.td" the 'police as he expected her to;returh’i On October 20 he visited solicitor and fold him to ste'if he could "firidihisi wife; A few day||ih|lf4}e:|cft for Blenheim With Mrs Chapman, where they-; stayed at Barry’s*’ ILdteL 4 ; ;:> : ;Arfurther:.-: statement "'was' made by Patience on April 2R-1939* He said that lie was married about 2(> years ago. He was later separated. About 2$ years ago, he went on to public works; His wife accompanied him to Claverley camp. On two occasions he stayed with Mrs Chapman at the Federal 'Hotel, Christchurch, as. man and wife. When his wife was not at the hut he thought- she had got sick of the camp, and cleared out. He made no effort to find her, but realised he should have informed the police. He said he should have organised a search for her.

Senior-Sergeant Bickerdike said that on July 21 he went ,tp Rosy Morn teamp: and'there saw Patience. Witness-said-the body of a; woman had been foUnflon the beach. Patience Went to K»ikoura to see the body and said it was not his wife’s body. On July 24 lie .called on Patience and toid him an inquest was to be'held at Christchurch .anil that . tel at>iv es ha did e rit i fie d: tkeb o dy4u kth af , of his wife. Accused said he was working and was not going to bother to attend the inquest. On August 3, to-. *gether with Detective-Sergeant Herron, witness arrested Patience. Alter hear, ing the warrant read, Patience replied: ‘i didn’t.”

Police records showed no woman had been missed from Kaikotira district wlio hqd not been traced fpr -the past. 3 ) years..

COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. ... CHRISTCHURCH, September 7. After the submission of corroborative evidence, the accused was' committed for trial to the Supreme Court at Christchurch on October 17. y« ri