MRS. PRICE'S SILENCE ENDS

NZ Truth, Issue 1272, 17 April 1930, Page 7

MRS. PRICE'S SILENCE ENDS

Youngest Son Knows More Than He Has Told, Says Coroner MURDER THEORY IS ATTACKED

(From "N.Z. TruthV Special Representative.}

I Sensation has followed sensation m the inquest proceedings into the death of Walter Edwin Price, the Palmers- | ton North builder, who. was found shot m the bedroom of his home on March 5. | Conflicting evidence by witnesses, the submission of fresh medical evidence m support of murder instead of sui- | x cide, the Coroner's significant comments on the story told by the son, John Price, and finally the dramatic a-nnounce--1 ment of the family solicitor, Mr. Gr. L. McGregor, that Mrs. Price had broken her silence by intimating her husband had 1 some months ago threatened suicide, have made this case one of baffling complications. | Mr. J. L. Stout, 5.M.,. when stating 1 that he might yet call upon the widow to attend and give evidence, declared | that the easiest way for a solution to be arrived at would be for the boy, John, to tell all he knew. | "We don't want this to be another Elsie Walker case," he asserted, and added that he intended to get to the 1 bottom of the matter if it was possible to do so.

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MR. G. B; McGREGOR opened proceedings by asking the coroner's permission to introduce two new doctors. They were John Miller tend Robert James Boyd who, he said, entirely disagreed with Dr. King's conclusions that death could have been the result of suicide. However, m fairness to Drs. King and Will, who had conducted the post-mortem, he proposed that they also should be present in' order to demonstrate the position of the wound and hear what was |to be soldi The Coroner: I think it would be much better if Mr. J. W. G. Price (John Price) would tell all he knows. As far as I can judge, he has not. You are. entitled, of course, to call these doctors, but I think it is., very, extraordinary, if they knew the position of the wound, that they were not called before. Mr. McGregor said he had been m the dark as to the medical evidence that woufd be called. Eventually it •was arranged that all the doctors (should be present. One of deceased's employees, Guy Brogden; told the court he had been employed by W. E. Price building the house next door to deceased's own residence. TALK WITH LAD Mr. Nagel, shortly after 8 o'clock on the morning of March 5, told him of the tragedy. Brogden said Nagel, the boy and he went inside and one of them rang Dr. King. They then waited at the 'front gfate until the doctor arrived. Detailing a conversation he had had with the lad John Price, Brogden said: "John said to me," '"How do you think mother will be left?' "I replied: 'I don't think you need worry.' "He said: 'There is an insurance ;paper,, here; j wonder if it: is , paidupi?'' '.','.. "I said: M don't think you need : worry, John." At >the, boy's request he had then gone inside arid John had shown him a paper which turned out to be only a builder's risk; .Nothing more had been eaid about insurance. Price^was quiet and easy going. The Coroner: Not the sort of •man who would make an enemy who would come m and murder him m his sleep? — Not to my knowledge. That is- the suggestion of John Price. ,' The Coroner: Do you know anything tibout the domestic relations?— No. You dp not know of any trouble between husband and wife ?^— No. In reply to Mr. McGregor, witness stated that deceased had appeared to be m good' spirits and without worries during; the time they had been .working together on the new house. Mr. McGregor: Can you give the bourt any idea how long Dr. King was Jn the bedroom? — About ten seconds. ARM POSITION And you were m the room practifeally as long as he was? — All but a few peconds. - Your impression was that the arms fcrere outstretched? — I could not swear (to that/...- ' Detective Quirke: You were nervous fend wanted to get out of the room? — I (did. And you were not m a position to fcee things clearly? — No. Detective Quirke: King went m before you and called you ih. He Would be. m the room more than ten Beconds? ' Brogden did not answer this question. . \ .;■. : . Ihle's description of the position of the body differed from that :of Brogden's. He had gone into the bedroom where deceased was lying and the right arm, when he saw it, was across the chest and the left arm straight out at right angles to the body. The Price home had appeared- quiet and undisturbed on the morning of March 5 stated Leonard Charles Lee, a milkman, who called a little after 6 o'clock. He had noticed, however, that the garage door was wide open and a box on the rear of the car sticking out. He had not previously noticed the car m this position. Illuminating details as to deceased's financial position

were given by his solicitor, George Innes McGregor. He had been acting for Price for four or five years immediately prior to his death. : When Price broached the subject of insurance to him it was about October of last year. Mr. McGregor said deceased's

affairs were not involved, and he estimated that the estate, exclusive Of life insurance, was worth slightly over £4000. He considered that. the assets apart from 1920 shares m A. and D. Price, X.td., the car, and the furniture would be sufficient, to mcct 1 liabilities. Witness: He never had much ready money hut he* was never summoned or pressed by creditors. He wasn't m the least worried about it. In the last few years -he bought a car for £575 and actually paid for it out of his pocket. Detective Quirke: He was just about swimming on the top? Witriess: Yes, but' he wasn't worried jbbout it, as he had no cause to worry.

In the last, two months he had taken two contracts to erect houses. Mr. McGregor disclosed that he had first suspected that deceased -■ might have met a violent end at 3 o'clock on the Wednesday afternoon.

The undertaker, Mr. Kells, had mentioned to him that there was a hole m the lip and burns which appeared as

though they had been caused by some corrosive acid. 1 He had not mentioned this to John Price or anyone else, although he had endeavored to get Dr. King to discuss the subject. He had not succeeded m doing this until 7 o'clock m the evening.. „..,.... „. , . ... :.,.„.„ „.,.. ... 'Drr'Huhter Will entered the witnessbox to testify that Mrs. Price was too ill to attend the court to give evidence. The Coroner: When can we get evidence from her? — 'She is simply m a state of silence. CORONER'S COMMENT The Coroner: That is difficult. The son is m a state of silence, too. Dr. Will: I am afraid there is no process of making them talk. . Coroner: Her.evidence may" be necessary, as all we can get out of the son is. that he knows nothing. Dr. Will: She has been like this since she came back to Palmerston North. • Mr. Stout: What is wrong with her? —She lies there; with tears m her eyes and looks at you. -Will that last until'she gets the insurance? Is there nothing wrong? — She has an exceedingly rapid heart, perhaps through nervousness. Does it arise from shock, or worry about something she doesn't want to come out? — I think shock has more to do with" it., She^is worrying about her boy. He is so upset. Mr. Stout; The boy upset! He is not upset. The boy has nothing to worry about if he has given his evidence correctly. We have a suspicion he knows a little more than he has said, although I don't suggest he has not •told the truth. Dr. Will could not say when Mrs. Price would be well enough to give evidence. Mr. Stout: We don't want this to turn into an Elsie Walker case. It should be quite simple. The boy, m the box, doesn't seem to want to help us very much. Dr. Will: Mrs. Price won't talk. Mr. Stout: We want her to talk. When will she be ready? We may have to wait until she will talk. Dr. Will: She has been m bed all the time and is weak. Mr. Stout: Is there any i-eason why she should not get up? Dr. Will: No, there is no reason. Mr. Stout: Well, we might have to adjourn until she does get up. It may not be possible to get to the bottom of this without asking her a few questions. She will have this hanging over her until she decides to come. UNCLE PLEADED . Mr. McGregor said the lad's uncle had pleaded with him to tell all he knew. Mr. Stout: The impression I have is that he has not told us all he knows, although what he has said is probably true. I don't want to call the mother, but my duty is to get to the bottom of this. . A suggestion by Mr. McGregor that perhaps the. coroner might see Mrs. -Price at her house, was not accepted favorably. He added that he did not think it would be possible to get Mrs. Price to the inquest. He thought she was worried about the suspicion on the boy. Mr. Stout: I don't think the boy has anything to do with it. The doctor again stated Mrs. Price was m a weak physical state and for a long time would not eat. £>he was still m. bed. The Coroner: But that state should not now be due to the husband's death. She may know something and perhaps is frightened to come here to say it. Mr. McGregor: .Maybe it is hysteria. She was quite all right until told of the real cause of death. I think the court should have her evidence. , The coroner said he would excuse Mrs. Price for the day, but. would not say that he would not call her. William R. Kells, of Palmerston North, the undertaker who buried deceased, told the coroner that it was ■ deceased's left arm that was flexed and the right one that was straight alongside the' body.

He didn't care whether 150 policemen said otherwise, he was positive he was right. The Coroner: The more we hear of this, the more I think -the dead man must have been playing semaphorewith his arms. Witness could not recollect telling Mr. McGregor about his suspicions as to the cause of death, but'it was a fact that he thought the burns he saw on deceased's face had been caused by spirits of salts. He had no suspicions of a gunshot wound. Richard Simpson Robinson, who helped to place Price m his coffin, said his recollection was that the right arm was bent at the elbow as the doctors had said. Gilbert George Hancox, director of the Palmerston North Technical School, who lives across the road from the Price house, had been called m the earlier proceedings when he said he was awakened by a shot shortly before 1 o'clock on the morning of March 5. HEARD SCREAM Recalled, Mr.' Hancox stated his impression was that a scream had preceded and not followed the shot. The coroner asked why such a piece of relevant information had only been disclosed at this stage and expressed the opinion that the witness should have informed the police of the fact he had now brought foi-ward. Hancox admitted that he had discussed the matter with Mr. McGregor. The Coroner:; And now you have discussed it, you remember the shriek? — No, I remembered it on the Saturday following the event. Further insurance details were given by C. W. Ennis, district manager of the A.M.P. Insurance Society. On December of last year, witness stated, deceased had taken out two £1000 policies with his company and again m February, a third, £1000 policy. Constable Eric Compton described a conversation he had had with John Price on the morning of March 5. John-had said that he would not be going back to. school and the constable had asked why, to be told: ."Well, you see, Dad's dead." * "That won't make any difference, you will need schooling later m life," replied the officer. John Price's reply had been: "But you see he was well insured and Mum will get the money and I won't need to go back to school." Compton described the boy's de-

meanor as quiet and calm throughout. Price's left arm had been bent at the elbow with the palm facing upwards and outwards while the right ,arm had been straight and lying a little out from the body. Mr. McGregor: You are positive'as to the position of the left arm?— Positive. The Coroner: The first thing the police had better do is to procure a camera. James Haldane Beaton, police constable, who accompanied Dr. King to the Price home at 5.30 p.m. on March 5, said Dr. King did not tell John Price his father was shot until about a quarter to six. Detective Quirke: Between the time Dr. King told him that and 6.40, he had no chance of talking to t'4s Wilson boy or anyone else? — No. ' "What do you think as to the cause of death?" asked Mr. McGregor of Dr. John Miller. Dr. Miller: The wound described by Dr. King could quite still have been homicidal, being ' inflicted at "close range while deceased was lying on his right side on the floor, his head unsupported by a pillow. After being shot he could have fallen over on his back. The stimulus of the shot would be sufficient to cause some spasm or convulsive movement causing deceased to assume any posture after death. It would have been difficult, said Dr. Miller, for deceased to have inflicted the wound himself while lying on his back on the floor. The medical evidence had presumed deceased was shot lying on his back. "The suicide places the gun muzzle m his mouth for the following reasons," he added: To make certain he won't live after the shot; to steady the gun; to have the trigger more within his reach. If the gun slipped out of his mouth the trigger would become more inaccessible and had the gun slipped the suicide would more probably replace it m his "mouth. The Coroner: I don't, think anything you have said is not within the bounds

I of homicide, but what about the surrounding circumstances?. ■Counsel (to witness): What do you consider the circumstances show? Dr. Miller: Homicide. The Coroner: Very unusual grounds. There is no suggestion of a 'struggle. Dr. Miller: There would be no struggle after he was shot. The Coroner: It malces it very coldblooded. I would be very sorry to hear it was homicide, because there was only one other person m the house. Detective Quirke: Do you think a man about to be murdered would place, himself on a blanket and sheet?- — No. The Coroner: Do you think a man would sleep on the floor with his head under the bed and. without a pillow? — No. If a person came m to murder a man would he draw half the shot from the cartridge? — There is no evidence to show it. The Coroner: The evidence of '.he expert is that there was very little shot m the cartridge. Dr. Miller: Perhaps it was an old one refilled. The Coroner: What is the natural position for a murderer to shoot .at? The mouth is the only position for a suicide. — Probably the victim's head. Or heart? Don't you think scuffling would have awakened another person m the house ?— One would have expected the shot to have awakened him. Anyway, I am here .onty to explain that the wound could have been homicidal. The Coroner: We want more than that. Dr. Miller: But that has nothing to do with me.' A DEMONSTRATION The Coroner: It has a lot to do with me.. In a case of homicide it is the probabilities that we have to look at with all the surrounding circumstances. Here is a man m a prepared position, and m a position a suicide uses. He is more likely to put his head under the bed to shoot himself than to sleep. Dr. Miller admitted that it would have been difficult to prove homicide if deceased was lying on his back when shot. He then left the box and, lying on the floor, on his right side, allowed Dr. Boyd to demonstrate the position the murderer would have assumed. His ''attention was drawn to the fact that th'e rail of the bed was only W/2 inches from the floor and a^.man on his side could not have got under. The next witness, Dr. Robert James Boyd, went into the witness-box to support Dr. Miller's contentions. "My opinion is that it would be almost impossible for a man to commit suicide m that position (on his back)," he said. When Detective Quirke recalled that the bed was only 13% inches from the ground Dr. Boyd admitted that it would be difficult for a ■ murderer to ahoot a man lying underneath as deceased was, but added the victim might have moved after the shot. Detective Quirke: Presuming the homicide theory is correct, why would a murderer pass Price's body and fire at his mouth?— lt is best to shoot him m the head, isn't it? Don't you know as a medical man that the/ mouth is the place for a suicide to shoot at? — I don't know. The Detective: Well, I will just read you somo authorities on it. To the evident enjoyment of the other medicos present the seniorTdetective proceeded to quote Smith on Suicides to Dr. Boyd. The Detective (after he had finished his reading) : Do you think he was shot away from the bed and fell underneath? ' Dr. Boyd: I don't know how he was shot. . .-• . ' Detective Quirke: Then you don't know anything about it. (Laughter.) DR. KING ARGUES "They^ have attempted to explain death 'by homicide from a wound, the nature and direction of which is notoriously that of selection by a suicide," stated Dr. King- m opening his oriticism of the murder theory. "The wound in> the present instance is that produced by ■a. suicide m an attempt to blow out his brains by way of the mouth m the only conceivable way permitted by such an unwieldy weapon as a shotgun.' "I would quote F. J. Smith, formerly medical referee for the. Home Office. His words are: There is one situation which it is almost impossible for a murderer to imitate — that is inside the mouth! "My three colleagues, and myself are unanimous that the fatal wound was self-inflicted m the position m which the body was discovered. Drs. Miller and Boyd, apparently realising the extraordinary improbability oE homicide with the body on its back, assume a problematical position of the ibody m order to secure the known direction of the missile." Dr. King pointed out that Dr. Miller had repeated the position described by himself even to the flexion of the head with the exception that he put the victim on his side instead of on his back. He had conveniently rolled the body on to its side to make the dh-ectlon of the missile accord with that of a shotgun held' by an assailant. He further pointed out that as Drs. Miller and Boyd had placed Price (on his side) it would be as manifestly difficult for the victim to see his assailant as it w_ould be for the murderer

to shoot his victim at point blank range. , N The heart was within easier reach, he said, especially when one remembered that it was dark at the time and the head was partially concealed. A sensation was caused on Saturday morning when Mr. McGregor, counsel for the Price family, entered the witness-box and said Mrs. Price had authorised him to make a statement. "It appears," he said, "that since -deceased's accident about Christmas, 1928, on certain occasions he has suffered from periods of depression, and on several occasions he mentioned, to Mrs. Price that he thought of shooting himself. ■■ "It is rather difficult to get details from Mrs. Price as she is practically m a state of collapse. She states that his only worry appeared to be the state of his health and the injuries he had received m the accident." . Detective Quirke: Did you get any indication as to the dates he made the threats? Mr. McGregor: Apparently the threats were mostly made some months ago. She also stated that he always insisted that John Price,, the younger son, must not know anything about it and he apparently wanted to keep everything from him. She stated further that until last week she -hadn't realised that this could have- any connection with the tragedy, because it had been her husband's practice very often to sleep .on the floor. "The remark I made to her last Saturday as .to no pillows being: on the floor convinced her that he would not be sleeping on the floor." THIRD PERSON The Coroner: Have you had any discussion with John Price since then? Mr. McGregor: Yes. Immediately after I saw John Price and told him what his mother had said and I asked him, m view of this, if he could tell me anything further, but he still maintained to me that he knew absolutely nothing between shortly after 9 o'clock and 8 o'clock next morning — that he didn't remove anything at all. "I should make this remark m view of the suspicion attaching to John Price that there is the possibility that ,it was arranged with some third person to remove theevidence." The Coroner: The third party m justice to John Price should come forward and say so because a certain amount of suspicion will rest on the boy for life. It is the duty of the third party to remove .the suspicion froni the boy. From tlie inconsistencies of his evidence, however, ■he may still know something. The coroner then suggested that perhaps the best thing to do would be to get a full report from' Dr. Laurenson, of Matamata, who had attended Price. Then the Palmerston North doctors could say whether the injun would be likely to cause fits of depression. Counsel agreed and the coroner instructed that this should be done. Mr. Stout also thanked Mr. McGregor for giving the evidence, saying it was a very proper thing to do.