ALLEGED MURDER IN WANGANUI.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVII, Issue 125, 10 June 1891, Page 3

ALLEGED MURDER IN WANG AN UI.

- The Chronicle supplies the following particulars of the above case : — Caroline Peyman, wife of Benjamin Peyman, of Bell-street, was arrested at 5.30 yesterday afternoon, by SergeantMajor Anderson, on a charge of unlawfully and feloniously performing an operation on a young woman, named Emily Kate Spicer, with intent to cause a miscarriage. Since the arrest the young woman has died, and the charge against the woman Peyman will be altered to the more serious one of murder. The unfortunate girl Spicer, who has met with such an untimely end, was 22 years of age, strong and healthy, and for the last six or eight, months had been engaged as domestio servant m the family of A. J. Parsons, Esq., of St. John's Hill. She gave every satisfaction m her situation, and Mrs Parsons, on the return of Mr Parsons and herself from Melbourne some ten days or so ago, was very sorry to hear from the girl that she had made up her mind to leave her place. She was, however, paid her wages up to the day of leaving; Sunday, May 24th. On the same day she visited Mrs Peyman, when it is alleged the offence was committed. On the following Sunday, May 31st, Dr Innes received a mesgage from Mrs Peyman, asking him to attend a married woman at her house, who was suffering from diarrhoea, and whose husband was at Waverley. The doctor found that his patient was the young ; woman Spicer, and that she had had a miscarriage, and he was suspicious that it .had been procured by illegal means. As the days went by the patient got worse, and Dr Innes called m Drs Earle, Tripe, and Connolly, to consult them on the case.' Dr Earle, who had his suspicions aroused m previous cases of miscarriage with which the accused had to do, reported the matter to Sergeant Anderson yesterday afternoon. As the day advanced it became . apparent to all the' medical men that the nnf ortunate young woman was nearing her end, and at her own request, between 4 and 5 o'clock m the afternoon, she made her dying declaration, which was taken down by Dr Tripe, J.P., and thereupon the woman Payman was arrested by Sergeant Major Anderson on the criminal charge. The young woman got rapidly worse, and at .about a quarter past eight o'clock last night she breathed her last. The medical gentlemen who were attending the patient placed a married couple (Mr and Mrs Foster) m charge, upon the arrest of Mrs Peyman, and to Mrs Foster the poor girl spoke her last words, expressive of her hope that God would have mercy upon her and forgive her. Sergeant Major Anderson visited the Peyman residence a second time a few minutes after the girl died, and took poss-

ession of sundry books, papers, and appliances, which will probably be produced m evidence as showing the trade the woman Peyman was carrying on. The accused is apparently between 55-and 60 years of age, of medium height, and spare figure with considerable stoop ; hair, iron' grey, and heavy rather square features of decidedly uninteUectual type. She was "very respectably dressed m black. She scarcely raised her eyes while before the Court, but evinced no emotion at the terrible position she occupied. Mr and Mrs Peyman are residents of long standing here, living m a nice house with a vineyard attached m Bell "street, adjacent to the well known vineyard of Mr Soler. They lived by themselves, and have a grown-up son and daughter m Australia. The Peyman's are stated to-be very comfortably off. The husband is an old Ballarat i man, who made a considerable sum of money on the diggings. Before her death deceased attributed her trouble to attending dancing classes, and remaining out at night m connection therewith.