CHARGE OF MURDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14144, 20 August 1909, Page 7

CHARGE OF MURDER.

THE POISONING CASES.

■'■■■ '-.' ~ - ■■■■ ■■** ' ' ■' /:"■■'"'"'< * . FATE OF THREE CHILDREN.

Remarkable evidence was given in Perth (West Australia) last week at the inquest on the bodies of three children named Moms, who died from an unexplained throat malady between July, 1907, and October, 1908, and whose bodies were exhumed last month for the purpose Of examination.

Sarah Morris said she had lived unhappily with her husband, The*. Nicholas Morris, in Victoria and South Australia. Constant quarrels occurred after they came to West Australia, and she had not lived with Morris for some three years past. Morris took'' charge of the children, and she ascertained that Mrs. Rendell was living in the same house. Witness did not hear of the death of any of the children until October last year. She questioned her sons Willie and George about the deaths of children, and they said they were going to run away. William Morris, son of the previous witness, said Mrs. Rendell had lived with them for the past three years. He had been sent by Mrs. Rendell to purchase spirits of salts. His brother Arthur, .who had since died, told him that the medicine he had been given by Mrs. Rendell was spirits of salts. He used to gargle his throat and drink a little of it. He burnt his chest, and his teeth seemed to come loose, because he could not bite anything hard. Several times afterwards Arthur said the medicine was spirits of salts.

Geo. Morris, brother ,of last witness, said Mrs. Rendell had twice sent him for spirits of salts, after the death of his sister Annie, and a few days before his sister Ollie died Mrs. Rendell told him to say the spirit* of salts were wanted to mend the dipper, but the dipper did not need repairing. Arthur said the spirits of salts were for his throat. He had never known Mrs. Rendell to use spirits of salts about the house. Some time afterwards witness noticed that his tea occasionally had a bitter taste, and he got a bad throat. He frequently ran away from home, and went to live, with his mother before he left his father. .

Mrs. Carr, a neighbour, gave evidence to having heard the boy Arthur call out Murder'' and "Police" when Mrs. Rendell did his throat. ; , • ■

Martha Rendell, after having been cautioned by the Coroner,..said she did not remember sending any of "the boys for spirits of salts, and had no recollection of any having been obtained, from Martin and Go. She denied having • used spirits of salts for any purpose, and to her own knowledge- she had not bought any recently.. She had used a disinfectant on Arthur's throat. She recollected telling Mrs. Carr to smell a bottle, but Mrs. Candid not say, ■■" Good God, you are not using that stuff!" Witness had no idea of what, the children died of, and could not say how she came to be described as their mother. She might have told Mrs. Carr that she was their mo.ther. She denied having used a pair of scissors wrapped round with wadding for painting the children's throats. She did not-wish to give any explanation as to how the children died.- She ; did not give them anything that was not ordered by the doctor. It was not true that Morris asked • George in her presence whether Arthur said he was being given spirits of salts. When Arthur was ill he never called out Murder and police She never- said to Arthur when he was- on the verandah, Lie there and die When the doctors asked her permission to continue the post-mor-tem on Arthur she said that she thought they Sad' done enough, and that they had had sufficient opportunity, for ascertaining the "cause of death. ■«*■'■■' V" ?•* - ,; V..

Thos. Morris, carpenter, said when Mrs. Kendell came to live in the house in 1906 the neighbours thought she was Mrs. Morris: Mrs. Rendell had control of the children. '{: He used spirits of ■ salts only for mending. He asked one of "the boys if he had seen anyone giving spirits of salts to the children, but did.not remember what answer was given. Nothing had shaken his confidence in Mrs. Rendell's care of the children. He may have insisted on the children calling Mrs. * Rendell "mother." Martin and Co.'s * account was paid in March, 1908, but it was wrong to say it included Is 6d for spirits of salts. He had not bought any at that time. " The evidence disclosed that repeated sales of spirits of salts had been made to Morris and members of his family. The jury found that Arthur Morris died from an irritant poison administered by the woman Rendell, and that Thomas Morris, father of the children, was an accessory to the act. Both Rendell and Morris were arrested on a charge'"of wilful murder. ,