TRIANGLE DRAMA

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3490, 28 October 1926, Page 14

TRIANGLE DRAMA

HUSBAND SUSPECTS FRIEND, FATAL SHOTS IN A STRUGGLE, A child of 15, a girl, awakened from her bed in the early morning hours, to witness a struggle that ended in death, is the chief witness in a murder charge formulated against her brother-in-law. For all intents and purposes the stage set for the tragedy is occupied by throe persons—two men and the wife of one of them. These are: — John Adam Tytler Derb-un (40), the dead man; a noted rink hockey player, of independent means, and married; Alfonso Francis Austin Smith (37) accused of Derham's murder; a former officer of the 4th Dragoon Guards, and reported to have inherited £100,000; Mrs Smith his wife. The scenes shift between Derham’s place in Ixmdon and Stella Maris, a house in St. Anne's Road, Tankerton, Whitstable. The former is important because of what came later. Lifelong Friends.

The whole tragedy revolves round Smith’s allegation that Dcrham, friend at Eton first, and then at Cambridge, had pursued his wife. 'This 1 do know,” he had written in a letter which after the tragedy he had handed to the police, “that his pursuit of you, a young married woman with three babies, was a despicable and damnable thing.”

The prosecution say of the construction to be placed on this shooting drama if it were true that Smith shot Derham while trying to take his own life, then he did so in attempting to commit a felony. But the medical evidence about the shot wound was to the effect that there was no blackening or charring, and that the shot was from behind, downward. Those two facts rendered it unlikely that the weapon comd have been discharged, as Smith said, in the course of the struggle. He went with the revolver in his possession to Stella Maris three days before the tragedy. If attempted suicide were pleaded, the question was why did he wait these three days until Derham came down? Intended Suicide. There in a nutshell is the prosecution’s case —an allegation that murder was commuted. On the other side the defence say: "The very highest charge possible is manslaughter.” To the police after Derham's death Smith said;“l had intended to shoot myself, but in the struggle for the revolver it went off and shot Derham.”

That there was a struggle is not In doubt, and a doctor says Smith bore wounds on head and face which could have been made by the butt of a revolver.

Of Ibis struggle in which these Injuries were received the little girl of 15 referred to, Idlian Alice Wright, said: "I heard a shot and ran downstairs from my bedroom to the drawing room. There I saw Mr. Smith and my sister and Mr Derham all on the floor My sister was trying to pull Mr Derham away. A few minutes later I saw Mr Derham open the front door and stagger out. He was holding a revolver to his stomach. Mrs. Smith heard all these things in the Court before which her husband was arranged. She heard it said that he had entered Derham’s house and had taken two of her photographs from his sitting room.

She heard made known to the public the letter he had written to her addressing her as “My dear, dear girl,” and ending, “If you hold anything sacred in this world or the next, look after the children. They and ..you, God help me, are my only regret. X still love you too much.” At one point she cried hysterically from her place in Court in comment on a witness’ statement, “That is not right,” and she saw' her husband disappear from the dock committed to take his charge on the capital charge at the Assizes.