TAUMARUNUI MURDER

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4811, 20 February 1936, Page 5

TAUMARUNUI MURDER

CHINESE WOMAN ACQUITTED. ON GROUNDS OF INSANITY. INFANT CHILD KILLED. Speaking rapidly in her native language as she was led by a police matron into the dock, Olive May Kung Yow, a young Chinese woman, aged 27, made a pathetic figure in the Supreme Court, Hamilton on Tuesday. She was charged with murdering her two-months-old female child at Taumarunui on December 2 last. Mr. Justice Callan presided. Mr. H. T. Gillies appeared for the Crown and Mr. W. J. King represented the accused. When the accused made no reply to the inquiry to plead, which was put to her by a Chinese interpreter, Mr. King invited His Honour to exercise his discretion under the Mental Defectives Act and direct that a plea of not guilty be accepted in view of the defence, which was borne out by the depositions. His Honour agreed to direct the Registrar to record the plea as one of not guilty. “This is a very sad and distressing case,” said Mr. Gillies, in opening. “The accused was born in New Zealand and went to China at an early age, where she married. She returned to New Zealand with her husband three or four years ago. On arrival here Yow obtained employment with another Chinese at Taumarunui. Apparently they lived there happily and comfortably. One child was born in '1933 and the other last year. While the household was downstairs at a meal a noise was heard and the accused descended the stairs. It was found that the infant child’s head had been almost severed with a chopper in an upstairs room. Although no one saw the blow actually struck there is no doubt that the accused, who was very insane at the time, was responsible for the act.” Suffering from Delusions. Counsel said he proposed to call authorities to show that the woman did not know she was doing wrong when she committed the crime. It would be shown that she was suffering from definite delusions. One of them was that the Chinese, Long Shi, who had befriended her husband, was forcing him to marry a white girl and that the husband had had a child to her. That proved to be pure delusion without the slightest fragment of truth. The accused thought that by killing her child she would prevent her husband from marrying the white woman. The Crown admitted at once that the accused was insane at the time she took the life of her child.

The first witness, Long Shi Chan Wai, fruiterer, of Taumarunui, said he had known Mrs. Yow and her husband in China. She had had two children in China, who remained there, and two after she had arrived in New Zealand in September, 1933. He recalled an occasion shortly before the tragedy in which he saw the accused crying. She charged him with attempting to force her husband to mqrry a white woman. Witness said there was absolutely no truth in such an allegation. Witness explained that the accused and her husband lived in the upstairs portion of his house which also served as a shop. On the morning of December 2, said witness, a party of Chinese were having their meal in the house, while witness was in the office. He did not believe anyone but Mrs. Yow was upstairs when the tragedy occurred. She came downstairs and informed her husband that her child was dead. To His Honour, witness said accused and witness’ wife were the only Chinese women in Taumarunui.

His Honour: Then she had practically no friends, as she cannot speak English.—That is so. Placed in Fruit Case. George Joe Luni, brother-in-law of the previous witness, said he was having lunch on the ground floor on the day of the tragedy. He had often heard the accused talking right through the night. Mrs. Yow was the only adult upstairs and she came downstairs and announced that the child was dead. To Mr. King, witness said he had seen Mrs. Yow on one occasion place the youngest child in a fruit case and leave it there. Evidence concerning the above incident was given by Leslie Logan, baker, of Taumarunui. Emily Amelia Wesch, married woman, of Taumarunui, said she had attended Mrs. Yow at her last two confinements. Her husband had always shown her every consideration. Dr. W. E. Fisher, of Taumarunui, who was called to the premises, stated that he found the dead body of the infant upstairs. Death was due to a severe blow on the neck, apparently inflicted by a chopper which lay a yard away, covered in blood. He had formed the opinion that the action was an insane one. The accused was in a very distressed state at the time. Constable G. R. MacLennan, of Taumarunui, gave evidence of his observations when he arrived at the scene of the tragedy. The accused was talking volubly but later slept soundly. He made inquiries but "could find no evidence to substantiate the allegations regarding a white woman made by the accused. Opinion of Experts. Dr. H. M. Buchanan, medical superintendent of the Avondale Mental Hospital, testified that he had examined Mrs. Yow on three occasions to ascertain the condition of her mind. He had had the assistance of an interpreter. She failed completely to understand the seriousness of her present position. She had no reluctance in admiting she killed the child and attempted to justify it as the only means to prevent her husband from marrying the white woman. Witness stated that in his opinion the accused was suffering from delusions. He considered she was definitely insane and although she knew what she was doing at the time of the tragedy she believed she was dong right. Dr. St. L. H. Gribben, of Hamilton, gave a similar opinion concerning the accused’s condition.

Mr. King, who called no evidence, said it had been proved that the unfortunate woman was suffering from mental disease. On behalf of the defence he urged the jury to acquit on the grounds of insanity. His Honour informed the jury that there was no dispute concerning the killing and the only question was one of the woman’s sanity. Without leaving the box the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insanity. His Honour ordered the accused to be kept in strict custody in a mental hospital at the pleasure of the Minister of Justice.