MAORI ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6619, 4 August 1931, Page 7

MAORI ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE

Mother and Daughter Passed as Sisters WITNESS’S OPINION OF HUSBANDS Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Aug. 3. The trial of Pahara Ramcka Ivcic (George Ramcka) aged 39, on a chaigo of murdering Gwendoline Alice Johnson on tho morning of June 24, opened in tho Supreme Court to-day before Mr. Justice Smith and a jury. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. Meredith, and Mr. McCarthy arc conducting the case for tho Crown, and Mr. Noble is appearing for accused. Mr. Meredith, in his opening address, traversed the facts brought out at the lower Court hearing, which began on July IC. lie said that Mrs. Johnson and her daughter, Quecnie Rose Lawrence, passed as sisters. An acquaintance sprang up at a dance between accused and Mrs. Johnson. Later, when she was ill, ho ■ frequently visited her, and appeared to have become iniatuated with her. Mr. Meredith said that the Crown would submit that a letter written by accused would show that he had in mind some injury to Mrs. Johnston, to be followed by suicide. Regarding any suggestion of provocation, Mr. Meredith said there was no provocation to justify reducing the charge to manslaughter. Mrs. Johnson was perfectly entitled to terminate the acquaintanceship. It was an ordinary ease, and not infrequent, of an infatuated man inflamed by jealousy who, rather than accept his dismissal by a woman, would sacrifice her and himself. Queenie Rose Lawrence, aged 17, daughter of deceased, whose arm is still in a- sling, described what happened on the morning of the murder. Cross-examined, she said her mother and accused were not very much in love. Mrs. Lucy Keesing, with whom deceased and her daughter lived, said it seemed to her that Ramcka was a friend of the family and interested in them. Mr. Noble (for accused): A pretty close friendship? “No more than an ordinary man. It was just pure friendship,” said witness in reply to a further question. A reference to her experience of men led witness to retort: “I have had no experience of men. I have only had one husband, and from what I sco of them I do not want any more.” Asked whether she had tried to stop Ramcka poisoning himself, _ witness said: “If a man wants to poison himself let him do it by all moans. I would not stop any man!” The hearing was adjourned.