MURDER TRIAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 220, 13 August 1930, Page 7

MURDER TRIAL

HEARING AT WANGANUI. CASE AGAINST MANLY. CROWN’S ADDRESS TO JURY. Per Press Association. . WANGANUI, Aug. 12. The trial of Herbert Frederick Manly on a charge of murdering Gladys Barrington Cromarty was contined this afternoon. Vera Campbell, of Wellington, said • s k° saw Mmdy and Gladys in Wellington. She was speaking to them. Gladys was wearing her ring on her right hand. Witness knew' of the engagement. Witness next met Manly on May 3. She went to see accused because Gladys had not w r ritten. He told witness he was leaving and said that Gladys and he were finished. Manly said if lie could not have Gladys nobody would. Stanley Cromarty returned to the witness box and continued his evidence. . 'To Mr Treadwell: He did not come into contact with Manly until about taree weeks after the engagement. He remembered when Manly stayed ''Mn. his mother prior to going to Wellington. During that time witness saw a good deal of Manly and thought he was a nice chap. The family enjoyed being in Manly’s company. \v ltness got out of work and accused was anxious to get him a situation, witness later went to Wellington and was met by Gladys and Manly. He went to an hotel and started work there the day after liis arrival. Gladys returned to Wanganui on the evening of May 5. The proprietor paid both Manly and witness off. Mr Treadwell: Why did that happen y Manly was not suitable. He appeared depressed. Witness, continuing, said that there was no objection to Manly taking Gladys to the pictures on the night pnor to the tragedy. On the morning of the murder Manly appeared to be nervous and was shaking all over. Later the same morning both witness and Manly had a game of billiards. Accused later asked where the police station was. All appeared happy at lunch time. On Friday night witness expected Manly to pay a social call at Wanganui East. Detective Walsh gave evidence as to his examination of accused. He asked Manly, to step on a table and Manly replied: “I am not denying it.” MANLY’S ANTECEDENTS. Witness identified a letter which Mr Bain remarked Manly had written to his mother and father. Witness said that he had received it from the inspector of police at Wanganui about a week ago with a file of papers relating to Manly’s antecedents. The enquiries had been made by the Surrey police. Mr Treadwell said that lie would protest against the letter being put in.

His Honour stated that he would not let the contents of the letter go to the jury. Mr Bain said that his object in producing the letter was to establish the date upon which it was posted from Wanganui. The latter was not admitted. Amongst the papers found on accused at the police station was a pawn ticket with H. Manly, New Zealander Hotel, upon it, which showed that he had pawned a five-stono diamond ring for £3. The ring had been, identified by Mrs Cromarty. A letter was then read by witness. He could not decipher the date. Mr Treadwell said that he had worked -it out as having been written on Thursday, May 1. The letter implored Gladys to take the engagement ring back, and. stated that accused’s love for her had preyed on his brain. It was signed: loui broken hearted lover Bert. Mr Bain said that there were a number of other letters but no good purpose could be served by putting Addressing the jury, Mr Bain said that the facts were neither long nor complicated. “This man is in a most unfortunate position, he said. He is in danger of losing his life and it has been the duty of the Crown to bring not only all the facts against him, but also any evidence we could find in his favour. You will have no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that this girl Gladys Ommirtv was murdered. It is loi vou to ask yourselves whether Manly d°d murder her. And the second miestion you have to decide is whether he had anv intention of killing her. You will find no difficulty in determining that she died through a cut throat and you must ask yourseh es whether accused did it. THE BROKEN ENGAGEMENT. Mr Bain briefly reviewed the evidence by the Crown, which, he said, showed the conduct of the accused up to the date of the girl’s death and subsequent to it: “These two people met in January, 1930, and became engaged,” he said. “Then because of something, which at the moment we do not know, she broke off the en rr-Uement and returned the ring, and foS know what he did with that ring. The letters he wrote are significant in themselves. You will have no difficulty in deciding that when the engagement was broken lie was a brokenhearted man. In one letter written to the sister Dora, from the gaol m Wellington he says: ‘The. only thing is I’ve not written home since April. It s been a hard enough fight to write to you what I would really like to. I can’t, but this I can say. What I did was in love and jealousy and not hate. When I was repeatedly told to foiget her and not worry, I could not. “This was a letter written to tne sister of this girl on July 8, two months after the commission of the offence if he did commit it. I suggest to you ’that he did commit it, and that he'was sane, because he says he did it in jealousy and not hate. There is no evidence of insanity in this case and no evidence of insobriety. . His Honour: Of course, Mr Bain, I will direct the jury that according to our law a man is sane until he is m-oved otherwise. 1 The Court then adjourned until ten o’clock to-morrow morning, when Mr W J Treadwell will address the jrn yIt is expected that his address will last two hours.