ABDUCTED BY MOTOR-CAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14223, 20 November 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

ABDUCTED BY MOTOR-CAR.

Z ~*STRANGE STORY OF A GIRL OF

FIFTEEN.

"LONELY BUNGALOW.

Thk hearing of, a sensational case which alleged an abduction by motor-car and the ; drugging of Frances * Murphy, a girl of 15, •was resumed at Liverpool. ' ' i The prisoners were Maud Horrocks, nineteen : William Green, a sack merchant, of Poulton, Cheshire ; and Thomas E. Francis, of Willaston, Cheshire. The two men were i of some social position. Tho stow for the prosecution, told at the ' opening on the previous day, was that the girl Murphy, who "vru 15 years of age on May 29. lived with her mother, with whom the' prisoner Horrocks also lodged, under

tie name of Wilson. On August 13 the girl, who was perfectly 'innocent and modest, was asked by HorI rocks to go with her to a picnic to WrexI ham. The girl's mother, thinking everyj thing was all right, consented. On the, 1 Saturday morning Horrocks and the girl set out for Wrexham, the former paying the; S railway and other expenses. At Wrexham ■they met the two male prisoners. They ■ crowed, tie water in a .small boat and then got. into a motor-car. , The girl asked Maud Horrocks where the \ rest of the picnic party were, and both men . replied that they were going to meet them Sater on. • They drove for a time, and then came to • a bungalow, which was approached by two l steps into a central room, used for the purpose of a kitchen. On the right and left of this central room there were two rooms, l-which, separated by hanging curtains. The girl noticed there were four port wine ■ \ classes standing on the table, a black bottle, from which the cork had been withi drawn ' and evidently replaced. She was ! invited to take a glass of wine, and she : consented. • Shortly afterwards she lost consciousness, : and when she recovered two hours later the, i woman Horrocks besought her on -her knees '1 to adhere to the story of the picnic. • , ', LOCK WITH XAMK KEY." -* ' Murphv, in evidence, 'said that the door 'of the bungalow did not open withan_ ordi- ' nary key : they had to make a name. with it. -The wine she* drank was more bitter than that which she had on her birthday. . . On the Saturday the girl Murphy was ': recalled bv Mr. Lindon Riley, who appeared for the two men, to be cross-examined on • the point of identification of, the driver, of a I motor-charabanc. ■ ;. Asked by counsel to i look at the i man (who stood up in court), •she was questioned as. to whether she and .; Horrocks did not on August 14 ride with him on the front seat of the car:,; She "■'■/ replied:■'.-: " No." The only time she saw him was at Wrexham, on the day when she went there ;to identify the ; bungalow :; -, Mrs. Annie Broadway, said the girl" was " her daughter by a former , marriage, and i was fifteen on May 29 ; last:' ■ The prisoner Horrocks '< had lodged with ' her for nine '-i months: Horrocks: told her she was a i typist in an office. : Her "daughter had been i oat shopping with Horrocks on several ■ occasions. Narrating the circumstances of the picnic on August 14, she said that Hor- :' rocks was talking, about •it",„ previous ; few davs. and asked witness to let Frances ; go to Rabv Mere." if she was a good girl." Thev left "in the forenoon, and she did not •lee'them again until 11.30 the same night. '■:''"■-■.-■:Witness was veied;.ahd told her daughter 'to go straight to bed. Nothing was . said then about.the? picnic, and the following > , Friday Horrocks left the house, ; taking her luggage with her. .It was exactly eleven ! days-after., the Hdar of the; picnic; that she •was informed of what had happened by a ' ! neighbour ,whonL her daughter had told.

', "' PRISONERS AS IJ"JPK SAVERS; ', j Replying to Mr. Riley Witness said that on the morning after the return of Horrocks . and ..her daughter she asked them, if they j 1 had.eh joyed; themselves at '.the picnic, and j ; they replied that they had. - -* .'.'l V Police Constable David Henry Morgan, of j ;• the- Denbigh County Constabulary, 1 describ- j - '*& the geographicaL position of the bunga'low. . . '■'■'' ".' ■ * - ', By Mr. Riley: He knew Green and Fran-j \ cis by reason of the gallant rescue they some i r time'ago made ;of two drowning men, and he knew Green .before that. i He had never '-' ' seen the defendants either driving or riding '••;in. any .private motor-car. , He had only seen them: in .a railway motor-'bus. , ■ ■"•"> t The magistrate 'said tne ; : girl had mani-' •'■■■■- festedly never seen these men before. She . .went. to a picnic,, as was described by the female prisoner. > ;} When she got there there . was no picnic at- all, but two, men whom she--had never seen before had a bungalow. •She- went to .that. bungalow. ; " That v is," said His Worship, "to my mind very little 'capable.of innocence. Without expressing ; any opinion as to what' the ultimate result - of the case may be I have to rule that legally I should' - send it to the Assizes." Mr. Riley : Of course, then, there is nothing more' I can do. * In answer to the customary question from the Bench as to whether she wished to say anything in answer to the charge Horrocks said, "I am' not guilty." . ' . Green said :—" As Your Worship has stated that I • shall have to go to the Assizes for trial; I' will give my evidence there. I; • am absolutely innocent of the whole" charges '' brought i against ; me, and. hope to prove every question. I also hope the people will • come forward who have written anonymous- - .'■:'< ly saying what they could "prove if they •'dared come forward." • i ■'"'"■, •■■■'. T Francis said:—" Your Worship, 'I am not guilty of this < charge, and . I hope to prove it, at the trial.. I quite endorse all Mr. Green has said." - ■ .

The magistrate ultimately, adjourned the case for seven days': to give Mr. } Duder. an opportunity of ? communicating with ■ the Director of Public Prosecutions. 'Accused were again granted bail;