GOLD COAST MURDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20113, 26 November 1928, Page 10

GOLD COAST MURDER.

ENGLISH ACTRESS KILLED.

DEOEPTION ON HUSBAND.

LOVER CONDEMNED TO DIE.

'Australian and N.Z. Presß Association. (Received Novenibor 24, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 21. 'A story which outrivals fiction lies behind a tragedy of the Gold Coast colony, Dr. Benjamin Knowles to-day was sentenced to death there for the murder of Harriett Street formerly Miss Madge Clifton, a prominent English music-hall artist and pantomime favourite.

The bungalow in which the couple had resided together as man and wife is in a native town 25 miles from Ivumasj, tho capital of Ashantl. Tho Colonial Office has learned that deceased was the wife of Mr. George Street, formerly a successful actor-manager and now » theatre proprietor in England. During the time the woman wa3 living in West Africa as the wife of Dr. Knowles her husband and her relatives in England understood slio was on a tour of the musio-halls in Africa and Australia. They were amazed to learn she had been living on tho Gold Coast. Her husband had received frequent affectionate letters from her telling of her supposed experiences in Australia. Woman's Amazing Double Life. These letters were not posted abroad. They always bore a London dato-stamp and were enclosed in envelopes addressed to a third party in London and reported to the husband for the purpose of concealing the fact that the woman was living on the Gold Coast. Mrs. Street spoke of the hard times she was enduring on her theatrical tour and expressed a longing to return to her husband in England.

Mr. Street, who was deeply attached to his' wife, intends to go immediately to the Gold Coast to ascertain the story of his wifo's amazing double life. 110 said to-day he was horrified to read that deceased hud been murdered. They were married in London several years ago. They were together in the profession for a while and then they encountered hard times. His wilo told him she had been offered a good contract for a single act in Australia and ho advised her to accept it if she wished to do so. She went away toward the end of last year and on her return to London told him of her experiences abroad. Always the Best ol Pals.

Mr. Street said he and his wife lived happily j,ogethcr until early this year. Then sho told him she had been offered another contract for Australia and China. {Sho sailed again. He had not the slightest knowledge of Dr. Knowles nor how his \vifo met. him. The husband said ho had not been worried by the fact that tho letters from his wifo had been addressed through a third person. Deceased was so Bohemian, so happy-go-lucky and so casual til at ha could easily imagine her enclosing a letter to him in ono addrosseil to flno of her many women friends. l''or whatever bad happened on tho Gold Coast ho did not blamo his wife. SI)Q was tho best WPU! a » hi tho world to him and they had been the truest aJifl best of pals. They had had good times together and hard times, but had always been pals. At that Btage Mr. Street broke down and sobbed.

Dr. Rnowles' mother and sister aro tragic figures. They were sitting at the fireside in their homo at Aberdeen awaiting news of the trial. When they learned the verdict from a reporter the mother &aid sho could not believo her son Was guilty. She would sparo no effort to save him and would lodge an appeal if that had not been done already.