COURSE OF JUSTICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20366, 21 September 1929, Page 14

COURSE OF JUSTICE.

MAN CHARGED IN COURT.

ATTEMPTED PERVERSION CASE. i

ACCUSED SENT FOR TRIAL.

; 'A letter which was alleged to have 7 /boon written in connection with a

charge against Jessio Morris of unlawfully using an instrument resulted in tho appearance of William Bobbett, aged 36, labourer (Mr. Elworth). in tho Police Court yesterday. Ho was charged with unlawfully attempting to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice by attempting to persuado Ivy Mary Moselon to givo false evidence.

Arthur Roy Moselcn, carrier, of Wha-

ngaroa, husband of Ivy Mary Moselen, who recently gave ovidenco at the prose- / cution of Jessio Morris, said that early

in August he received the letter concerned , through tho post, addressed to himself. His wife was then in the Whangaroa Hospital suffering from septicaemia, awaiting a charge to attend tho Magistrate's Court in Auckland to give evidence in a case against Jessie Morris of unlawfully using nn instrument. He knew Bobbett, who formerly lived at Kaeo, and tho accused knew witness' wife. Ho

could not say whether accused know his wife's Christian name was Ivy. On August 29 ho handed tho letter to Constable Dale, of Whangaroa.

Question of Recognition. The letter was as follows: "Dear Roy,—l imagine you will bo surprised to receive this from mo, but when you read it you will understand. Of course, I do not know your feelings in the

matter, and it is rather a delicate matter .. to write about. The lady (you know 1 who I meaii) is very worried, of course, as she does not know what course of j action you and Mrs. Moslen are point; to take, whether to help her or against her. I know her fairly well, and found her to bo a good sort, always ready to give a help in trouble. "Well, Roy, the position is that if you ' are going to try and help her the best, the only thing, to do, is for Ivy not to be able to recognise her. In the course /> of the proceedings the lady will be in a room with several women, and Ivy will be asked to pick her out and if she makes up her mind net to recognise her it will squash the wholo business and end it, as far as Ivy is concerned. On the other hand it means seven years for the woman. The reason I am writing this is because I am sorry for her. She did me a good • .turn when I was in a mess.

Interview with Detectives.

"Well, lioy, as I have already explained I do not know your feelings about this matter, but I sincerely hope it all ends without trouble and worry for you. I know for suro this can happen so long as Ivy is positive that she does not know

her and cannot recognise her. Wishing you all the best of luck.—Yours sincerely, Bill (of Kaeo long ago)." Constable Dale, of Whangaroa, said that

j/Jie knew Mr. and Mrs. Moselen, who resided at Kaeo. On August 29 he received the letter from Mos,elen, which was then opened and forwarded to the police in Auckland.

Detective-fergeant Doyle said that he • interviewed accused at his residence in Carlton Gore Road on September 9, with Detective O'Sullivan. Asked whether ho had been a resident of Kaeo, accused replied that ho had been there many years ago. When asked whether' he had known Moselen arid his wife, accused said that he knew the family, but had no interest in tjieir business. lie said that tho letter had some bearing on a case against a

woman named Jessie Morris, who was charged with unlawfully using an instrument.

Wrong Spelling of Words.

Witness requested accused to write ,idown certain words which ho dictated to him. He first asked him to write down "Mr. Roy Moselen, Kaeo, Whangaroa," and then dictated a sentence from the letter produced: "I know her fairly well and found her to bo a good sort." Following this, he asked accused to write, ''"lvy, wishing yon the best of luck.— [Yours sincerely, Bill." In tho letter tho name Moselen had been spelt Moslen and another word had been spelt wrongly. Accused made the samo

errors in writing tho sentences dictated to him. Witness drew accused's attention to 'the two errors and said to him that in

his opinion the letter was in his handwriting. Accused said that he knew the 'woman Jean, which was the name Mrs. Morris was known by, but that ho had no interest in. her. "It does not matter to me whether sho gets seven years or gets off. I gain nothing by it. I did not write tho letter for her," ho said.

Accused then made a statement admitting •writing the letter, which was in accused's handwriting. Witness arrested accused. ! ot Approached by " Jean."

In tho course of his statement accused said: " I have had a great desire to seo that no Court caso resulted in connection with tho matter between tho woman Joan and Ivy Moselen, as J. did not like tho publication of tho names. I mean an ordinary feeling to see that Mrs. MoseJen's name was not published, but I have no interest in the woman Jean, who is charged with the offence. I have not been approached by Jean and asked to write a letter to Mrs. Moselen : s husband to stop tho Court caso, and I have not been asked to do so by Mrs. Moselen's sisters or any members of tho family. . /' I have rgad the letter produced, " he continued. < It is in my handwriting and was written by mo with tho object I have stated, and not in the interest of the woman Joan, who is nothing to me. I admit that tho contents of tho letter suggest that I am interested in Jean, but I want to make it clear that I havo not been reproached by hor in tho matter." Reserving his defence, accused was committed to tho Supreme Court for trial. Bail was renewed as beforo, in one surety of £IOO.