THE STYCHE CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11537, 23 November 1900, Page 5

THE STYCHE CASE.

VERDICT OF GUILTY.

SENTENCE DEFERRED.

[BT telegraph.— ASSOCIATION.]

CnßtSTcmmcH, Thursday. The hearing of the case against Henry Vincent Styche, charged with attempting to procure the murder of his wife, was continued at the Supreme Court to-day, when counsel addressed the jury on behalf of the accused. He spoke for an hour and a-quarter. ■ Counsel laid stress on the position which accused had held, pointing out that for seven years past he had been chief of the financial department of Mr. A. E. G. Rhodes' business, and that on his employer's visit to England he had appointed accused joint attorney, and also given him separate power of attorney. These things, counsel thought, spoke more loudly and more emphatically in favour of Styche from the point of view of his honesty, trustfulness, ability, and good conduct than •anything else could have done. He contended that the whole of the evidence as to the capacity of the accused, his honourable and straightforward conduct and relations with his wife, gave the lie to the suggestion that the accused had written the letters. Counsel then criticised the ' evidence in detail.

Mr. Stringer, speaking on behalf of the Crown, said that counsel on the other side had nob suggested that the letters had been written as a hoax, but the only other theory open to the jury was that they had been written by some devilish-minded person with the object of inculpating the accused. They must consider whether that theory was consistent with the facts. Whoever that person was he must have had knowledge of accused's affairs. He must have been familiar with the typewriter, and he must either have had access to it or been aware that accused had beer in the habit of using the machine that produced the results referred to. Such a thing -was possible, but it was for the jury to consider whether it was reasonable or probable. A hundred possibilities might be suggested. His Honor, in summing up, said that it was hot suggested that the < letters were intended for a joke, because it was impossible to imagine that anyone would be guilty of such a particularly senseless and idiotic thing. As to the suggestion that the letters had been written with the object of injuring the accused, supposing that were so there must have been an opportunity to use the accused's typewriter for the purpose. The caretaker, and the woman who cleaned out Mr. Rhodes' office, had told them that on numerous occasions the doors of the office were left open, so that anyone had an opportunity of getting into the offices and using the typewriter. If, again, the letters had been written to injure the accused that person must have had an intimate knowledge of the accused and his family affairs. The accused had, however, not to prove that he did not write the letters. - It was for the Crown to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that he did write them. If the jury were confident that the letters had been produced by the machine, and that Styche had written them, there was no other verdict than that of guiltv, kit if they were not satisfied on either o? those points they should acquit him. Ho asked them to put from their minds anv rumours that they might have heard, as'they might be quite satisfied that had there been anything in them counsel for the prosecution would have placed before the jury the inquiries that had been made in that direction. The jury retired at twelve minutes past one p.m., and at a-quarter to seven p.m. brought in a verdict of guilty. Mr. Jovnt asked for an opportunity of applying for leave to take the case to the Court of Appeal, on the ground that the verdict was against the weight of evidence. His Honor said that in order to give that opportunity he would defer passing sentence till 10 a.m. on Saturday.