THE MAREO TRIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22905, 12 June 1936, Page 7

THE MAREO TRIAL

CROWN CASE CONCLUDED EVIDENCE CALLED FOR DEFENCE (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 11. The last evidence for the prosecution in the Mareo murder trial was (?iven this morning. Detective Hamilton corroborated Detective Meiklejohn's account of the interdew with Mareo on the night of his wife's death. The accused said: "I've had a double whisky and have got a bottle of brandy in the car to make me sleep to-night. I feel like doing myself in." Yvhen reading his statement over, the accused said: "Do you think Ihere 's anything in this to hang me?" Cross-examined by Mr Aekins, Detective Hamilton said that while giving his first statement, the accused said quite often, in an affectionate way: " Poor darling " and " poor dear.'' To his Honor, witness said that Mareo was perfectly sober at the time he cave his first statement, although he said he had just had a double whisky. "In the circumstances I expected to see him much more excited than he was," witness ddded. Replying to Mr Meredith, Detective Hamilton said that Mareo showed excitability when he was asked if he had given his wife veronal. The last witness for the Crown Detective J. B. M'Lean, gave corroborative evidence. He added that when the accused was reading the first statement, he said: "Reading this thing through, I would just ae quickly go out and hang by my own hand." After Mr Henry's cross-examination, Mr Meredith announced that the prosecution's case waa completed. Replying to his Honor, Mr O'Leary said he intended to call witnesses for the defence.

Opening the case for the defence, Mr CVLeary asked the jury not to be influenced by the fact that the Court of Appeal did not grant a new trial. There was no new evidence before the Court of Appeal, but the Executive Council had before it new evidence—which the jury would hear—and had granted a new trial.

"There is no doubt thot Mrs Mareo died of veronal poisoning," said Mr O'Leary. " Tlie question is: How did tho veronal get into her body? Did she take it herself? Did Mareo give it to her? Did Freda Stark give it to her? Did Graham Mareo give it to her? From these four alternatives the Crown,selects one —thot Eric Mareo was responsible lor bis wifo's death." Mareo in all his statements had denied giving veronal to his wife. The most likely of the four alternatives was that Mrs Mareo took it herself, either by accident or desire; either by misadventure or with tho intention of bringing about her dertth. The defence suggested that she had a medicinal dose on the Friday, certainly a dose on the Saturday morning, and that on the Saturday night she gi.ti up, or perhaps did not get up, and that she took a dose —all that was available. The defence contended that it was not necessary for her to have a dose on Saturday night, and they would coll Dr Pagett. who would tell of a case in Taranaki where the sufferer had taken veronal und gone into a coma, and later had roused, to lapse subsequently and die without having any more veronal, much to the surprise of medical men interested in the case. Mr 0 Leary said he would call Alexander Whitington. an accountant, of Adelaide, who knew Mrs Mareo (then Thelma Trots) as a member of a company visiting there in 1029. and he would soy that on at least 12 occasions he saw her take veronal tablets. He remonstrated with her, but she said she took them to induce sleep. This witness saw an account of the first trial in the Adelaide papers, consulted a barrister, and later communicated with him (Mr O'Leary). There were also some people named Riano connected with the Ernest Rolls Revue Company. Mrs Riano felt impelled to come forward and testify that Thelma Trott took sleeping drugs. Continuing his address. Mr O'Leary said that two parties had come forward and would be called upon to tell their experiences. Mr Beattie. who was a schoolmaster near Marton. would tell how he was prescribed veronal and took two tablets. He found that it did not have the required effect, and he took two more. He. did not wake next moraine and when he did come round he was in a state of collapse. He was astounded at the condition he was in after t.icing only four tablets. Going to his store of veronal to take two more tablets for the night, he found the store was gone. He came to the conclusion that he must have got up during the night and taken the whole supply. Then Mr and Mrs Meissner. of Havelock North, would tell how Mrs Meissner was prescribed barbitone, which was the same as veronal. She took only one tablet at a time. Mr Meissner took the tablets away unknown to her and hid them in a cupboard* in the bathroom. Mrs Meissner remembered getting out of bed. staggering about in a dazed fashion and eventually finding herself in the bathroom. She recollected getting up on a chair. finding the veronal in the cupboard and taking it in some way, she knew not' how Mr Meissner found the box empty. After he had roused her lip and fed her she went back off into a heavy sleep again. Mr O'Leary went on to say he would call a Wellington doctor to refute the evidence that Mrs Mareo must have had a dose on the Saturday night. The first of the witnesses for the defence, Alexander Peter Whitington, accountant, living at Adelaide, said he had never seen Mareo before. He became acnuaintcd with a young woman named '■'heima Trott towards the end of 1928. She was appearing in a musical comedy at the Adelaide theatre for some months. [le became friendly with her and on occasions he accompanied her to her hotel room in Adelaide. About the first occasion on which he had supper with her at her hotel room he saw her taking white nills from a bottle with veronal on the label. Witness remarked, as near as he could remember: " What are you taking those things for?" She had replied: " I find it hard to sleep." Witness said he thought she was very foolish and should go to see a doctor. He could not say how many tablets she took. She placed a tablet or tablets in her mouth and took a drink of milk. He saw her taking tablets-on at least a dozen occasions altogether. He thought he sawjier take alcohol only once. Thelma Trott was very depressed and worried over those months, continued witness. He saw her again on occasions, but saw no tablettaking until he met her again towards the end of 1931, when witness spent a live weeks' holiday in Melbourne. There Miss Trott was rehearsing for an Ernest Roils production, and again she seemed to be depressed and worried. " The world always seemed to her to be a sort of conspiracy of oppression," said witness. He saw her taking veronal tablets —two he thought—one night with milk. He saw her do this more than once. He told her again she was foolish, but her reply was that she was only taking them medicinally. " I saw her on the mornings after the nights when I knew she had taken veronal," said witness. " She always had a glassy appearance about the eyes. It was most marked and she had a ' dopey ' appearance.'' Witness said he saw those appearances often between June. 3932 and early in 1933, when he was working in Melbourne. He never saw Miss Trott again after she left. Answering Mr Meredith, witness said he did not know that with two tablets of veronal one fell asleep in half an 'ir.nr and stayed asleep for six to eight hours. ' Mv Meredith: If I told you that the operation of 10 grains of veronal would mean the possibility of sleep within half an hour, would you expect a sensible girl to take these 10 grains before going out to supper, at a place other than where she lives? —No, under those conditions I would not. You have spoken of her being depressed. It follows that she was not a cheerful companion?—Yes. Why, then, did you seek so much of her society?—l was interested in her case and I rather admired her in lots of wavs. Were you married at the time?—Yes. Was Mrs Whitington interested in this cast;?— No.

Did you interest her in this case? — No, I was separated from my wife at the time.

jane Kiano Neil, an actress, of Melbourne, wUv "aid her stage name was Jane Kiano, said she was a member of the Ernest Holls Company with Tholma Trott. Just before the New Zealand tour, witness .said. Kolls was reducing the size of the company on the ground of expense, and he spoke of dismissing Miss Trott, who threatened to do awav with herself if she were not taken. She was included in tile company and visited New Zealand. On the vessel during the voyage, witness continued, there was a party, at which Miss Trott became intoxicated. On one occasion when witness visited Miss Trott's rabin she saw a bottle of barbitone there. Witness then described the occasion during the company's stay in Auckland when Miss Trott was under the influence of linuor. She was described as a periodical drinker, not a steady drinker. The hearina was adjourned.