MURDER CHARGE

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 140, 13 May 1930, Page 2

MURDER CHARGE

TRIAL OF ARTHUR MUNN.LENGTHY HEARING. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 12. The trial of Arthur Thomas Munn on the charge of murdering his wife, Lillie May Munn, at Northcote, on February 11, opened this morning and is expected to Last a week. Munn, who is a furniture maker, aged 45, was represented by Mr Northcroft and the Crown Prosecutor Mr Meredith, had with him Mr F. McCarthy. Sir Alexander Herdman is on the bench. Mr Northcroft exhausted his right of challenging the jurors, and Mr Meredith stood seven aside. Following the empanelling of the jury, the Court adjourned for close on two hours while argument was heard in Chambers on the admissibility of certain evidence. On the Court resuming, Mr Meredith opened his address, which is expected to occupy the greater part of the day. The earlier part of his address was devoted to remarks on the effect of strychnine. The Crown Prosecutor said that the charge was that Munn poisoned his wife with strychnine. There w'ould be no direct evidence of the administration of the poison. There could never be in such cases. It was certain that the wife died as a result of several doses of strychnine. There were only three explanations possible:— (1) She took the poison herself for some reason. (2) She took it by accident, through food or otherwise. (3) That it was given her by someone else. Mr Meredith submitted that it was not reasonably possible for a person having once taken strychnine to be willing to suffer the effects of another dose.