"THERE IS A HAPPY-LAND."

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1919, Page 3

"THERE IS A HAPPY-LAND."

Witness laughed at her, but shortly after Pearl Burke came West proposed that they should hold a se'.mce in the bedroom, amd witness raised no objection, and made the arrangements for the meeting at 7.30. She got a three-legged flowei* stand and imt a chair bottom on it. Jessie West put the light out, they began to sing "There Is a Happy Land, Far. Far Away.". . Witness heard three faint Imoelca on the bedroom floor. . One of the table legs was slightly raised as though it had made the noise. Jessie West remarked that the result, was no good as she could not interpret them. On the occasion of the first knock she had said, "Good evening, spirit friend" but as the other knocks were faint she abandoned the eeance. Witness attended no more meeting's, but Jeßsie West and Pearl Burke continued to hold meetings, witness being in bed in the room on one or two occasions. The proceedings were similar. West endeavoured to speak to> Freddy, asking if he were happy, and purported to get replies. These were to the effect that he was not very happy, but happier than he was on earth. Pearl Burke inquired of the spirits about her dead brother. Accused !had rtold witness that she (Burke) intended to drown herself. "SHE'S GONE!" About a fortnight before the -tragedy occurred Jessie West told witness that she intended to drowai herself, so as to be able to meet Freddy, but that she would not drown herself at Whangarei. She added that she would get a few days off and go up to the Waikato. Witness told iher that if she did take a few days off she would tell other people about it, or else follow her and stop her. After that was more reserved towards witness, but she became very friendly with Pearl Burke. Witness was in .the bedroom several times when they had been talking together, and they stopped talking immediately she came in. In the week before the suicide they were exceptionally friendly. At 5 pjn. on June 2 she saw Jessie West and the accused in bedroom No. 13. 'pem-l Burke had Jessie West's costume on, and West told witness in the accused's hearing that she wanted accused to wear the ooatume in order that she could go to Rotoruo. Accused had been talking about going to Rotorua to see some boy there, explained .the witness. "lit struck me at the time that it was strange of her to give the costume away to the accused as she proposed to," continued the witness. "They had been out together, and while Burke wa:s trying on the costume Jessie West asked her if there were any sharks in the Whangarei river. I went to the pictures on the evening of June 2, and at the time I left Jessie West and the accused were holding one of those spiritualist meetings in room 13. I came back to the hotel about 10 p.m. There was then a light in the accused's room. There was no sign of Jessie West in my room, and I asked Burke where Jessie was. She replied, 'She's gone. , "

THE SILENT SPECTATOR. •'I asked where she had gone," continued tihe witness, and accused replied, 'She has drowned herself,' and she also said that she had gone down with her to the town wharf. She told me she waited till she took off her clothes. I asked accused if she saw her in flhe water, and she said, 'Yes, she had atood there for four or five minutes. , " Accused also volunteered the information, said the witness, that West had her nightdress and stockings on, and that sha went down the stepe and dived in. She saw West floating in the water.

Witness asked accused if West could swim, and she replied that she could swim a little. Just before witness left for tihe pictures that evening the deceased was wearing! the coat of the eostuime she was going to give to the accused, but when she returned the coat, skirt and shoes of the deceased were in "tlhe accused's room.

Continuing, the witness said that the accused elept witih her that night, land during tihe might mentioned the subject on several occasions. Speaking of the spiritualist meeting that night she said that Freddy had told Jessie to come to Mm, and for that reason Jessie had decided to drown herself. She did not scream out. when Jessie entered the water because the deceased woman had told her not to do so. She also informed wirbness that Jessie told (her she was to have Jessie's clothes.