HANDS OFF THIS WOMAN'S GRAVE!

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 9

HANDS OFF THIS WOMAN'S GRAVE!

What Lies Behind Sensational Demand For Exhumation Of New Lynn Murderer's Victim ? RELATIVES STAGGERED BY TELEPHONE WARNING

Is"""""" """""" ""' "'" ' I"""""""'"'"""""""" "i"«> iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiu miiiiiiiuiii mimiiiiH uiiuiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiMtiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiimii i I (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Commissioner.) l! IN THIS WORLD OF OURS, with its humbug and hypocrisy, its treachery and crime, its poverty and affluence, || its joys and sorrows, there is one thing still universally regarded as sacred— it is rarely violated— and that is the last resting place || of human remains, the grave. 1| Yet, with brutal directness and callous' disregard for their feelings, the relatives; of Ernestina Mar}) Nor grove, who was || murderedat New Lynn on March 7'by Alan George Norgrove, have had delivered to them a ghoulish ultimatum. It is a demand |f that the unfortunate woman's body be removed, within three days, from the grave' in which she now rests beside the body of her H husband, Clarence Norgrove, m Wai\umete cemetery.

r»OUL.D anything, having m mind all V^ the circumstances of this ghastly •- tragedy, be more.. diabolical than the cruel, cold-blooded telephone message received by Edward Buchanan, husband of the dead woman's sister?; ' "Were you responsible for placing 'Teanie' m our grave?" asked a voice after giving the name of David Norgrove. "Yes," was the response. What followed left Buchanan burning with an almost overpowering sensation of anger. , With a venomous chill m every word, the voice at the other , end of the telephone continued: "Well, take notice; if the body is not removed within three days, action will be taken. Revolted by the shocking threat of desecration, Buchanan turned from, the telephone to meet the anxious inquiries of his wife and grown-up family. His wife, broken m health over the tragic death of her sister and constantly under medical care, had to be { told. Distressed and bewildered by the wanton nature of the telephonic demand, the family spent a wretched night, awaiting the morning when steps might be taken to prevent the threatened outrage. . Early the following day, Buchanan visited the City Council for the purpose of finding out m -whose name the deed had 1 been taken out for the burial plot. - v Then it was that he heard of a' similar telephone message received by officers of the treasury department of the Council./ . • ' For the first time he learned that the deed to the burial plot, m which the' murdered Ernestina Mary Norgrove lies burled, was m the name of Nprgrove senior— the father of Alan George Norgrove, David- Norgrove and the dead man, Clarence Norgrove. Buchanan's mind went back to the

Husband's Grave

days when his sister-in-law was still alive, mothering her children m the little New Xiynn home. She had often said to him that she could not afford to buy the .burial plot next to her husband's grave, to which, under the laws of the land, she had a prior claim. ....... Buchanan remembered often hearing her say to his wife: "I want to be buried beside Clarrie." She had always expressed the hope that some .day she would be able, to save sufficient money to purchase the burial plot. Too proud to accept this help from her own people, she went her way through life hoping that some day she would be m a -position to attain her wish. . . The hand of the murderer, Alan George Norgrove, struck her down, with that wish still unfulfilled . . . and to-day an abominable insult is offered her memory. It came as a great shock to Buchanan to learn that during the late Mrs. Noi'grove's life-time the burial plot had been sold to Norgrove senior. Someone blundered at the City Council office — and realization came there and then to Edward Buchanan that the dead woman's relatives were to suffer m consequence. The two officials he interviewed expressed their regret that such a certificate had been issued contrary to custom' and regulation. They expressed their utter abhorrence at the suggestion that the City Council, as. an authority concerned In the matter, should support the inhuman 'demand that the mortal remains of husband and wife — whatever, stigma had been placed upon her memory by her murderer — should be separated as a result of a bitter family feud. • Nothing could be 'done to remedy the mistake by cancelling the certificate issued to Norgrove senior, Buchanan was given to understand. Later, from another source, he heard that a letter had 'been sent to the

, Minister for Internal Affairs, asking for authority to have the body removed and demanding its removal on the .grounds that the dead woman's relatives had no right to place her body beside her husband m that particular plot. The activities of the person responsible who gave his name as David Norgrove m these telephonic . conversations,' did not cease witli the ultimatum to Edward Buchanan and the City Council officials. ' .':'-. On Wednesday, July 11, the day ho had telephoned Buchanan, he communicated m the same way with William Morrison, funeral undertaker and builder, of Manakau Road, Parnell. Morrison was asked who gave him. authority tp bury Mrs. Norgrove m the grave beside her husband, to which he replied; "Mr. 'Buchanan." < The answer to this. was: "Well, he had no authority. The deeds were not m. Mrs. Norgrove's name." Morrison intimated that he was not m any. way responsible, as his instructions had come from Buchanan.

The conversation conpluded, but next morning Morrison was again telephoned, the person at the other end saying: "Norgrove here. I just want to let you know I am going on with the job— she's got to be moved." Morrison communicated with Buchanan immediately and advised him of what had happened. When interviewed by "N.Z. Truth's" representative, Morrison stated _.the facts as outlined above and expressed his disgust over the whole affair. The Council officials also corroborated the story told 'by Buchanan. "Truth" suggested to Buchanan that it was perhaps someone with a perverted sense of cruelty who had telephoned on each occasion. "It is inconceivable," the interviewer told him, "that, any member of the Norgrove family, could be guilty of such an act/ Buchanan -was emphatic m his insistence that the man who telephoned was David Norgrove; he knew his voice, he said. "Truth's" representative promptly decided to put the facts before David Norgrove.

With this object m view, Norgrove was ceiepnunecl at the Farmers' Trading Company, where he is employed. His answer to the allegation was somewhat curt: "You can please yourself what you do!" He was told that "Truth" desired to give him an opportunity of contradicting the statement that his family demanded the removal of Mrs. Norgrove's body from' the grave beside her husband m Walkumete cemetery. "Will you contradict It?" he was asked. "Well, I don't know about that— ' you can please yourself what you do," he replied. Then he added: "You "may get an action against you!" He would neither admit nor deny that a letter had been sent by his family to the Minister for Internal Affairs, seeking authority for the removal of the body. • It is tr6ly a tragic position m which the relatives of the dead woman find themselves. So long, as the title to the burial plot remains m the hands of Norgrove senior, it rests entirely with him whether a tablet is placed above the grave^ — or not. He has the power to prevent the erection of a tombstone to mark the spot m which the murdered woman lies buried. Surely the Minister for Internal Affairs will move m this matter; there must be some provision, to deal with such a distressing and altogether extraordinary situation. A shocking mistake was made m the first instance by the City Council m alienating the wife's right to purchase the plot. '..,'■■ There is not the slightest doubt that had the title never been signed over to Norgrove senior, the murdered woman's relatives would have seen to it that the plot was bought. Violent Quarrel "Truth 1 ' does not Relieve for one moment that the Minister for Internal Affairs, if he has received a demand for the exhumation: of Mrs.Norgrove's body and its removal tp another grave, will grant the request. To do so would be to outrage the feelings of a nation and to subject the murdered woman's children to everlasting sorrow and humiliation. ' Whatever this poor woman might have been to Alan George Norgrove m life, there is no denying the fact that she was terrified of him and completely dominated by his will. The influence of his savage, uncontrollable temper and degenerate mind came over her shortly after her discharge, from a mental hospital, according to relatives. . Is there 1 any man or woman m .New Zealand who will have the temerity to suggest 'that, because of her more or less terrified subjection to Alan Norgrov.e's desires, she has forfeited the right to a place m the grave toe^ side her husband? . In any case, now. that she is resting there — it was her own wish — it would be- a shameful thing to desecrate her grave. . There can be no possible reason to warrant such a step. Ih the whole of the. evidence submitted m his defence at his trial, or- in the evidence ' put forward by the Crown, there was not one word which would even imply that Alan George Norgroye, .brutal murderer of this unhappy woman, had ever helped her m a monetary way. Her life, from the time her. husband died, was one of hard toil to maintain herself and her children, and N to educate them. • It is on record m the evidence at Norgrove's trial that on one occasion a violent quarrel ensued between himself and the late Mrs. Norgrove, concern-, ing a memoriam notice on the anniversary of her husband's death. Not at any time was she m a position either to buy the plot which would ensure for her, after death, a place beside her husband, or to pay the money for a tombstone to mark his grave m Waikumete cemetery. Though he has been dead npw over two years, there Is ho headstone there. Whether the Norgrove family — that is, the dead man's parents and brothers —contemplated erecting, one, when Norgrove senior purchased the plot some time ago," "Truth" is unable to say. • ■ : ■ .