ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12356, 28 January 1926, Page 5

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE

YOUNG GIRL TELLS STRANGE AND PATHETIC STORY REFUSAL OF MARRIAGE WITNESS ALLEGED THAT ACCUSED GAVE HER POISON A strange and pathetic story was told by a girl who was the iehief witness in an attempted murder case which was heard in the Magistrate’s Court at Hamilton yesterday. She alleged that the accused refused to marry her after she had become pregnant, and had given her poison to take. This she had swallowed, end it had been almost fatal in its effects.

(By Telegraph.—Special to “Times.”)

HAMILTON, January 27. T>ooking pal© and worn, and speaking in a voice scarcely above a whisper, a girl named Muriel Tetzlaff, aged 19, slight, and possessed of a wistful'face, appeared in the Hamilton Court to-day as the chief witness in a charge of attempted murder preferred against a man, 19 years of age. Hoy Charles Dorn, formerly an assistant at the Auction Mart, Hamilton. Miss Tetzlaff, whom it is alleged Dorn attempted to murder, is still an inmate of the Waikato Hospital. At the court she was closely attended by her mother, and she was obviously far from well. Muriel Tetzlaff gave evidenoe in a .very feeble voice. She had been keeping company with Dorn for the past two years, she said. About three months ago she discovered that she was pregnant. She appraised Dorn of the fact, and the accused made no offer to marry her at that time. She went to stay with her sister at Manawaru, near T© Aroha. The accused paiji a number of week-end visits. She told him not to remain there unles* he married her. He persuaded her to come to Hamilton ■where he bought her a wedding ring, which he asked her to wear. She did, and went under the name of Mrs Dorn. AGREEMENT OF MARRIAGE About January 6th her father inter viewed the accused, and together they went to the Registry Office, got the marriage form, and the consent to marry form. She filled in the marri age form. It was agreed that they shpuld be married the following Saturday at the Registry Office, Hamilton. During a subsequent conversation that night Dorn asked her if she still loved him. She replied she did. He then said he did not care for her. There was' only one girl he loved, and she was at Gisborne. He could not go on with the marriage. She tried to persuade him otherwise. Dom took a bottle of poison, and said ho would take it. Removing the cork he applied the bottle to his Tips. When she thought he was really going to take it she knocked his hand away. He then declared that if he didn’t take it she would have to, or they would have to take it together. She said that she would rather take it than he should. He then gave her the bottle. She asked him if it would bum her throat. He replied that it would not, but might make her cough. He asked her to .write a note saying what she was about to do of her own free will. This she did. She later tore up th* missive, Baying that she would think it over. BLACK STREAK IN HER He fold her she had “a black streak in her,” meaning that she was afraid to take it. She said that she would take it, and asked him to give her till the following day. He showed her a larger bottle, and said that this also oontain-

| ed poison. He stayed with her that night, and several times she asked him to change his mind, and go on with the marriage. He replied that nothing would make him change his mind. He left, early the following morning, and ■asked her to call round at the Auction Mart where he worked to get the bottle She went round about 9 o’clock, when he handed her the bottle and some small sticks cf cordite. He told her to take three or four sticks with the poison to make sure of it. He asked her if there was anything he could do for her. On her replying that there was not, he asked her if she would keep her promise about taking the stuff. If she would not he would take the contents of the large bottle. He then shook hands, and thanked her for what she was going to do for him. “MY DARLING BOY" Before she left the hoarding house she wrote the following note: “My darling boy, after what you told me last night I can’t go on. I love you, dear, better than fife itself, and for that reason I am going to leave you free. Please say in years to come that vou do not altogether forget the little fo'ol who loved you not wisely but only too well. I know you would never he happy if you married me, when you loved someone else just as much as 1 love you, so, good-bye, and God bless you, dear. Your loving and brokenhearted Muriel.” TAKES THE POISON In further evidence the girl said that she went to Kgaruawabia, where she tcok three or four sticks of cordite. She did not take anything else with it. Then, after leaking the cordite, she had a terrible headache, and dizziness, am) that day went to see Dr. Martin. Iri consequence of what the doctor told her she returned to him in the afternoon, and obtained a prescription which, however, was never made up. About 4.30 o’clock witness took the remains of the cordite and the remains of the ammonia in the bottle. Her throat felt terribly burnt. She had terrible pains in the chest shortly afterwards. Witness, in answer to Detective Sweeney, said that she took the poison because Dorn had told her that if she did not he would. She took it because she did not want him to take it. When the accused gave her the cordite he said it was out of .303 cartridges. He saTiT that he knew that men had taken ft to get out of going to the war. The aocused added: “Cordite stops the' heart.” Dorn was committed for trial. The berich refused bail,,, the charge more Serious ih»n attempted murder by violence. Dorn was then cMarfii(L l w)t)i stealing a quantity of cutlery,,:, valued at £3, the property of Fow and 'Coj, proprietors of the auction mart whejfe he was employed. ,