POISONED SWEETS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22193, 21 August 1935, Page 13

POISONED SWEETS

CHARGE AGAINST GIRL EVIDENCE FOR DEFENCE A WITNESS ACCUSED PH«AI: op allegations WARNED BY THE CROV'/N [ B Y TELEGRAPH— OWN CORRKSrONiIEvT] NAPIEH, Tu<sdiy Allegations of attempted murder by means of poisoning chocolates -vere niadf by the Crown against iPbyllis Tui Marshall, aged IS, before Mr. Justice Keed at the Supreme Court at Vipi^ r to-day. Accused pleaded not guiltV to two charges, one of which was attempting to murder Alma Lorraine Keith, at Hastings on May 22 11-st, and the other of attempting to cause Miss Keith to t ake poison, with intent to injure her. The outstanding feature of tod ay's hearing was an indication that the defence would endeavour to show :h it ii was a young man named Masters, who was paying attention both to recused and to Miss Keith, who was responsible f or the chocolates coming into the latter's hands. ' The Crown's caise was conducted by Mr. H. B. Lusk, Crown prosecutor, and Mr. C. G. Harker, of Wi.ipawa, appeared for accused. M:. Lusk recalled Mrs. C. M. Eeith, of Hastings, receiving a paiecl of chocolates on May 22 last. It van addressed to Miss A. Keith, Queen Street, Hastings. Mrs. Keith's daughter. Alma, was not at home at the time.

Finding o! Poison

There wW a note among the c hocolates signed "J." Alma Keith and a man named Jack Masters returned to Mrs. Keilh's home that night, when Jack Masters denied that he ira i the sender of the chocolates to Alma Keith. He took them to the police station. The chocolates were sent to the ■ jovcrnjneet analyst, and some were found to contain grains of arsenic. Masters had been employed ab the Marshalls' farm, where accused lived with her parents. Masters was at the Marshalls 1 on May 21 and 22, which vera important dates in the present could be no doubt, said. Mr. Luak, that from last February Masters and accused were on very ::riendly terms, nor could there lie any doubt that accused fell in love with him. It would be shown in evidence Masters was friendly with Misi, Keith, and used to write to her. On May 18 Masters expected to receive i letter from Miss/Keith. It never came, and he told accused this, then borrowing writing material from her to jvrite to Mils Keith. Posting of Packet On May 21 Masters took a hcrse to Tikokino "tb be shod. On returning to Marshalls;', accused asked hill if he was going to Twyford, whero Miss Keith was working. He said be was not:, but was going to "Wash jool" to hunt. Masters would say he had absolutely nothing to do with the sending of the chocolates to Miss Keith. On May 21 the mail carrier received a packet from accused to post, and he posted it next morning at TYaipa'va. It would be proved that the packet received by Miss Keiti had a postmark on i», wliica was dated May 22. Mr. Lusk added that thiure could be no doubt but th at the packet posied by the mail carrier was the one received by Mjs. Keith on May 28 , . The police interviewed acc isod and asked if she had given a packet to the mail carrier to be sent to Miss Keith. Al/ first she denied it, and then said Masters had given her a pir::el to pest. "Wanted to Frighten Hei" Accused later made a statemunt in which she said Hugh Rochester had sent her some powder which sine had placed in the chocolates to bs isent to iliss Keith. The police had made exhaustive inquiries and it seemed quite ceita.in that there ■was no such person ej;isi;ing as Hugh Rochester. Accused als? said in h;r statement that when she sent Miss Keith the chocolates she did not intend to kill her, but merel.r desired to make her sick and give her a good fright. Before placing the poison in the chocolates, accused said, she j;ave a larger dose to a cat, which was killed. Mr. Lusk then proceeded tc call witnesses in support of the Crown case, and these gave evidence along tlie lines cf that given at the Lower Court hearing last month. Alma Lorraine Keith, cross-examined ly Mr. Harker, said that the morning >fter tine chocolates were taken to the ]iolice station Masters told liter he thought he had: seen the parcel before, on the mail contractor's desk, when he (Masters),was ringing tip once. Mr. Harker: Did you knoir Masters 'vas writing affectionate letters to Miss Marshail?—l knew he was vriting to her. But did you know they Mere affectionate letters:'—l didn't nsli: what •'ort they were, but I knew thi?v were going together. Evidence of Master! The examination-in-chief a:id crossexamination of .Tack William Masters, farm hand at Twyford, kept hint in the witnesis-box for 2\ hours. To Mr/Lusk, Masters 1 said he had been "going with Alma Keith for about two years." While working: nt Marshalls' he had formed a friendship with "uyllis Marshall, who, he siiiil, knew *>f his 'relationship with Ahnn Keith. He denied having anything to tlo with sending -the parcel to Miss Kliith. Mr. Harker produced a photographic copy of a letter which Matters admitted writing to Phyllis Mariihall. It concluded: —"Jyjve, darling.--Jack." Mr. Harker: That letter was written *>>" you in those terms, even t lough you had met Miss Marshall in Afvember, fl nd had seen her rnlv about, three times up till February?—Y ?s. Is that the sort of letter you are "ccustjni&l to write to girls you know °nly casually ?—No. Is that the way you signed your letters to Miss Keith?—Xo. «ete your letters so affectionate? — nevor .put any tonnnvrot in the letters I write to her. Witness Warned P :, t it to you that you have nreaiened her on several ocranions in to a letter she had so lit you?— tlhat is not true. further, Masters denied \r iT,. had K' veM a P«rccl to Phyllis ir rl to or hi"l- - Honor; The suggestion is, then, at fit was Masters who nude up the Parcel and handed it to the i; irl? Air, Harker: Yes, sir. _ M , r ; Lusk: Then I thirk Masters URht to understand that l:e is being rcusnjd of having atten pt;ed the poisoning. His Honor: Yes. Mr, Lusk: You understand, do you. of a V !rf >' that, you are being accused Wiving boon responsible :for the ■itenipted poisoning? Masters: Yes.

Mr. Harker questioned Masters in regard to an occasion in June when he went to Marshall's and asked for Noland. Mr. Harker: What was it you wanted him for? Witness: I wanted to toll liim what mv father had said to me. What was that?—My father had been up that day and had said the chocolates were poisoned. Was there ever any conversation between Miss Marshall and yourself concerning poison ? —No. Do you remember a heavy iron gatehinge which was kept in the whare which you and Noland occupied. - ' There was so much rubbish there that 1 didn't see what was there. Mr. Harker: Marshall will say that when he opened the door on the occasion of your visit to the house you Mere holding your hand behind your back. Is that so? —No. Mr. Harker: Marshall is also going to say that he later found an iron gatehinge in the grass near the door. His Honor: Is it going to be suggested that he was going to use the hinge on someone? Mr. Harker: Yes, sir. It is going to be said that Masters told Miss Marshall he intended to use it on her if she came to the door. Mr. Harker (to Masters): Did you at any time accuse Miss Marshall of giving you away to the police?— No. Mr. Harker questioned Masters regarding an occasion when he stayed at Marshall's house when sick. Masters denied that anything improper occurred between him and accused on that night. In the course of his opening address to the jtirv, Mr. Harker said: —"Accused will tell you that she has been betrayed by a man of whom she was passionatelv fond, and for whom she had decided to play the part of a Christian martyr, but for not so worthy a cause." Accused Gives Evidence Accused, in her evidence, said she became friendly with Masters as from August last year, and in December he said he wished to marry her, but her parents did not approve. His parents also did not approve, and he told her his father was anxious that he should marry Alma Keith. "Jack Masters made mention of poison to me, she said. "He said we would never get anvwhere the way we were going, and Alma would have to be disposed of. I did not take this seriously at first. He made further mention of it several times." Accused recalled Masters suggesting on May 17 that he should come to the house because he was sick. He did come, and slept in the room usually occupied by her brother Bryan. Misconduct occurred. Masters would not let her take his temperature on any occasion.

"Gave Her a Parcel" On the Monday after May 17, accused continued, Masters went to Tikokino and brought back some chocolates for accused, and also gave her a parcel to address and post. She did not know what was in the parcel. Masters said it was rather important, so she decided to give it .to the mail contractor. When she put her hand in her pocket to get the parcel it' was not there, and she decided she had dropped*it. She finally found it and gave it to the contractor. The following Wednesday Masters asked her if she had posted the parcel, and when she said she had he said: "Well, you've done for yourself this time." She asked him to explain, and he told her he had posted poisoned chocolates, and that she was now in it as much as he was, if not more. "I did not belief him," said accused, "and he repeated it. Then he took a small tin from his pocket, and said: 'This ought to convince you.' He then told ine he had purchased the chocolates, cut them open with a razor, and put arsenic in them. He said there was not enough arsenic in them to poison anyone. "Would Have to be Stopped" "I told him she would have to be stopped from getting thero>" continued accused, "and that I would ring her up. He told me not to, but I persisted, and he said he would go to Hastings and put the matter right." Accused said she asked Masters on the next Thursday what he had done about the chocolates, and he said Mrs. Keith had insisted that they should be taken to the police station. He denied that he had gone there, too. He also said that in the event of the parcel being traced to Marshall's place accused would have to take the blame for it. Accused said she would not. On several occasions Masters produced a letter written by her to him, and threatened to show it to her father and to send it to a newspaper if she told the police about him. At this stage the Court adjourned until to-morrow.