ELSIE FRAIDER'S DEATH

NZ Truth, Issue 882, 21 October 1922, Page 5

ELSIE FRAIDER'S DEATH

Case Against Accused Collapses

What promised to be one of the most interesting- criminal cases heard m Auckland for some time suddenly collapsed on Thursday last. "Triith" readers will remember reading of the sudden death at 75 The Drive, Epsom, '.< of Elsie May Fraider, a young married | woman, who had a few days previously arrived m Auckland from Whangarei. Following the death of Mrs. Fraider, | the police arrested Martha Jane I O'Shaughnessy and her*> daughter-in-law, Kathleen Imrie. This happened subsequent to the holding- of. -an inquest, and both women were charged with failing to discharge a legal duty towards the deceased. Several ■ times I the case was mentioned m Court, but each time a remand was granted on account of the illness of Mrs. Imrie, one of the accused. A fortnight ago Mrs. Imrie died, and Mrs. O'Shaughnessy was left 'to face the charge alone. On Thursday the case was again called, when Mr. V. R. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, who was to appear for the prosecution, said he would ask leave to withdraw the information against Mrs. O'Shaughnessy. Mr. Meredith I pointed 'out that there had been a joint charge against her and Mrs. Imrie, but I as the latter h»d since died, 'the whole i aspect of the case had changed. He had carefully considered the evidence i and arrived at the Conclusion that.there was not tho evidence against Mrs. O'Shaughnessy to warrant him seriously submitting 1 that a case for committal to the Supreme Court could be made out. Mr, Singer, appearing, for the accused, said he would go further than the Crown Prosecutor and say that not only was there insufficient -evidence, but that there was none at all. He had furnished the police, soon after the charge was laid, with certain information, to show that every possible endeayqur had been made l]>y the accused to obtain a doctor at a much earlier hour than that at which a doctor was secured. The charge was one of neglect, meaning that a doctor was not called prior to a quarter of an hour before Mrs. Fraider's death. He. (counsel) had furnished the police with information to show that effort's had been made to get a doctor at nine o'clock that morning. Mrs. Imrie had even taken a taxi and gone to three doctors before she succeeded m securing- the , services of Dr. Abbott. Neither of the. three doctors could render assistance owing to having other engagements. The doctor's evidence at the inquest was that if he had been called an hour earlier there would have been a chance of' saving Mrs. Fraider's life, and m view of this, counsel thought it only fair to those concerned. that the facts should be made known. Mr. Meredith said the police were satisfied assistance had been sent for much earlier than the time when the services of Dr. Abbott were obtained, but the point was how many hours earlier should medical assistance have been secured? However, evidence, which could have been obtained was not now available owing to the death of Mrs. Imrie, and this was the reason leave was asked to withdraw the charge. His Worship granted the request, and the charge was withdrawn.