THE KINGSLAND MYSTERY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15715, 7 September 1911, Page 2

THE KINGSLAND MYSTERY.

■ ; CHARGE OF, MURDER. < ' A [Pin Press 'Association;] 'AUCKLAND, September 6. ,Vj The, hearing of the charge of murder p; preferred againct Martha . Jano O’Shaughnessy in connection; with the i. death of •'Elsie Alexandra Holland- at ; the rosidofice': of . the accused, Kingshad, oh or about .June' 13. last, was . j continued at the Auckland Supreme , Court to-day. . 'ln-. Waiter. Scott Brockvay, mho was telephoned tor early on tiio morning of • '' Wcviueodayv June IT, and visited the v ho.uW oi • the accused, stated that the ! ' young, woman was dead when die arY rived. lie inquired why a doctor had not 'been! sent ior-earlier,; and accused l- replied that she was not aware the deceased was so ill. Sir.'Told said .that the next witness to be called-was in a delicate state of health", and. suggested that the Court should be cleared while her evidence ' was’icing taken. His Honor: 1 am not prepared to do that in a murder trial., The witness, a , woman about thirty , years of age, said that on July 13 ac-. ; cased performed an operation on her. Uudpr cross-examination, the Witness, said her husband was a plasterer, and j> they had one child, five years old, hav- :. I iug'beeia married seven years. They ;.•{ came direct from London and landed at IVellington in November last. . film had j; bceil recommended by a neighbour to |j. go to Mrs O’Shaughnessy, -whom she W liad never previously seen. It was the % first occasion on which an illegal operas';, tion had been performed on her. A Why .did you want the operation pery formed? —Because we haven’t got a | heme, .and I wanted to work to help my y husband get .on. 1 ? Have- you told your huslipnd about j| tile operation?-—No. The witness said Y she was first seen by Detectives Qunrtermain and Cox’ about a month ago, the morning after she left the hospital. t She gave them a statement. It was in | the morning, and a neighbour was in • | the room with her at the time, hut jtlie | latter left upon the arrival of the de- ‘ ¥ teqtives. She made {mother statoment $ about a fortnight later. r :.-' ; ; | I * Mr Milson,. who, in conjunction with' { Dr Bull, carried out a post mortem exd maination, gave detailed evidence as % previously, qn the result of his fir Klin ih'gs and pronounced that death was due to blo.od poisoning,' the- outcome , *4 of 1 ari illegal operation. He declared % that the presence of the Tcrchlorido.of S mercury tabloid in the deceased’s 'j mouth had nothing to do with, the 5 young woman’s death. The corrosive j poison had been put ii\ the mouth || »immediately after.death or just before 4 ( death. . n j Under cross-examination witness was ij f arkecl, Have you formed any estimate | j of how long the original infection of -j the, germs which caused blood-poison- | j ing tctok place before the death o:f the | 1 woman ?—TUffre was a wound as recent as within forty-eight hours beforo b death. The wound was trivial. ; j Did you fay previously that the 4 wound 'in question occurred not less it; than forty-eight hours before death? H —I noticed that in the depositions, if but, it was never my opinion. I cbfih reefed that in t-bo .Lower Court. !j Did you niako the statement at tho )| inquest?-—it was either a slip 0 f my -j tongue or of tho Coroner s pen', p? But yon said in evidence at the irl Court that you niaae the statement?— 4 Yes, but I explained to you then. 4 But when; you added, “I think, it. 4 would have been moro correct to say ‘ j that the wound occurred not moro than : y forty-eight hours before death, I ', that is !• a guarded retraction and not a correction p_Thev arc your own -words. - You sighed' -the depositions ?—Yes. IVell then, wo arc with the position that there has been an exf,*..,ordinary and dangerous mistake in tho Coroner’s depositions. T think you are aware of the fact that if the 'I Wound was caused within forty-eight •| hours before deatlm it could not have been inflicted by airs Oahaugnea.gr? Haven't von.' discussed the matter. .with tho others in 'the prosecution ? T!io case has been, mentioned, but not ] reconstructed. i ' You see the importance of the. ques-1 ' tion of the forty-eight .hours?—-Yes, j ! . j That is why tho matter hap been j ) “ Dr* Stanley' Arthur Bull said that on) jj June 14 last,- in company with the last 9

I witness, lid made ..a post-mortem e'x- | animation'of the body cf Blsfe Alexafij d.ra Holland. He found. no oxternbi I marks of violence,: except" ai corrosion; j near tho mouth .caused by'.seme urlifi-' cial. dye. This cerrodoa could have been caused, by the tabloids produced. It was ■ limited to the mouth and a small portion cf the upper part of the gullet.' There was no.’ traco of this poison in the stomach. . ! Mr Tola; What are these 'tabloids used for?—For antiseptic purposes. Tllev are highly poisonous. When' was * the corrosive matter placed in tho mouth?—Either after death or immediately bofore, when the patient'was unconscious. And wliat whs tho cause of death P Septicaemia, as the result of violence. The Court then adourned till tomorrow. ■ ■ ! ,