WOMAN ON TRIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26691, 10 February 1948, Page 6

WOMAN ON TRIAL

Made to Oamaru Police

MORE WITNESSES HEARD

A series of statements which the accused had made to the police after inquiries had begun in the case were read to the court during the fifth day of the trial of Phyllis Freeman on a charge of murder in the Dunedin Supreme Court yesterday. Detective Sergeant J. W. Hill, the police officer in charge of investigations at Oamaru, narrated .the sequence of events leading up to the arrest of the accused on September 22 last year. Thirty-three Crown witnesses have now been called.

When the court resumed yesterday morning, the evidence of Mr F. J. T. Grigg, director of the Dominion Laboratories, dealing with his analysis of samples taken from the body of Mrs Morrison after her exhumation was heard and the house surgeon at the Oamaru Public Hospital, who was the first to examine Miss Ina Pearce when she was admitted after an illness at Morrison’s farm, described measures taken to diagnose the case. The court' galleries were filled throughout the day, the spectators being predominantly women. Mr Justice Kennedy was on the Bench. The accused is represented by Mr J. B. Farrell, of Oamaru, with Mr M. C. Gresson, of Timaru, and the Crown Prosecutor, Mr F. B. Adams, and Mr W. H. Carson, are conducting the case for the Crown.

Felix John Theodore Grigg, Dominion analyst,: and director o| the Dominion Laboratories of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, who was present at the ex- \ numation of Mrs Morrison’s body *in the Oamaru Cemetery on July 29, 1947, gave evidence largely along the lines of that given by Mr Keys concerning the analysis of samples taken from the body and the discovery of strychnine. In September. 1947, at Dunedin, witness had confirmed the tests carried out by Mr Keys to show amounts of strychnine in the stomach and liver. The delay between July 29. the date of the exhumation and September ivould not affect the results of the analysis. “I consider that the quantity of strychnine in the body at the time of death must have been considerably greater than that found by the analysis,” Mr Grigg said. Witness told Mr Carson that he had personal experience with some 20 to 30 cases of strychnine poisoning. Strychnine in Body

......The fact- that strychnine was recovered from only portions of the liver and stomach suggested that quantities had been lost from the body, Mr Grigg said. He was of the opinion that the quantity in the body at the time of death must have been many times greater than that found by the analysis.

Cross-examined by Mr Gresson, witness said that a joint analysis had been carried out by himself and Mr Keys. Dr Molly Marwyn Pryor, a house surgeon at the Oamaru Public Hospital said she was the first medical officer in the hospital to see Miss Iha Pearce on May 23, 1947, when she,, was s admitted. “Miss Pearce on admittance 'told me about her experience,” witness said. “She said she had felt giddy and stiffened up. After that she thought she became unconscious for a time. When she regained consciousness Miss Pearce said her vision -was hazy and she felt dazed. At 3 p.m. when I examined her, Miss Pearce said she felt very much better but jittery,” witness continued. “Miss Pearce said she had no similar attacks before. “I examined her, and apart from nervousness, I considered that nothing was 'wrong with her,” Dr Pryor said. “ There was no blueness of the face when-I saw .;her, I:had no suspicion of poisoning.”'® With,ess said that Vat', 5 p.m., when she again examined Miss Pearce in company with Dr Bevan-Brown, there was little change in'her condition. Epilepsy and hysteria were considered as explanations for the case, but neither seemed to be the answer. '“ We were ,-not positive of, the nature of Miss Pearce’s illness,” Dr Pryor said. Mr Adams:' What was the mystery, doctor? ~ I Witness: We had the story from the patient/.and it did not fit in with anj* diagnosis. Mrs Janet Jane Davis, a widow, said Hector Morrison was her son by her first marriage. About June, 1947, witness said that Morrison asked her to go to stay in the house at Enfield to keep the accused company, as she was nervy. “When I arrived the accused seemed rather nervous and upset,” witness said, “The accused said one morning that she thought Ina was a bit of a sneak * because she was trying ‘to beat me . for. my, job,’. Ho. further reference was made to- Ina Pearce at the' time. I had been there a little'over a week when that discussion took place.” Mrs Morrison’s Death Witness said she remembered when Mrs Morrison died in 1942. She remained in the house for a few days or a week—she didn’t remember the exact period. The accused was in the house.

Mr Carson: During the time which you 'were there did she make any reference to Mrs Morrison’s sudden death.;.:. ’ Witness:'No. She didn’t seem inclined ,to speak about it. Constable J. D. Farquhar described pumping operations at the dam at Morrison’s farm on July 1, 1947. A tin containing a jar of strychnine had been recovered on a bank. Witness also described the exhumation of Mils Morrison’s body at the Oamaru Cemetery. Inside’tile .tin recovered from the dam on Morrison’s farm was a jar wrapped in a newspaper dated July, 1942, and a church-magazine dated August, 1942. Evidence dealing with the preliminary investigations by the Oamaru police in the case and particulars of statements which had been made by the accused on various dates between May 27, 1947, and July 1, 1947, was given by Detective Sergeant J. W. Hill, stationed at Oamaru. who entered the witness box at 12.15 p.m. The accused called at the Oamaru Police Station on April 3, 1947, and, giving the name of Rose Hill and requesting that a message be broadcast recalling Miss Pearce and others from the North Island, the detective sergeant stated.. A statement was taken from the accused, and the message was subsequently broadcast. Police inquiries later revealed that the real Rose Hill, at Wright’s Bush, Southland, knew nothing about the broadcast. Detective-sergeant Hill said that a search of the accused’s room at Morrison’s house was conducted by the police bn June 18. No strychnine was found, and a general search was also made •of the house and washhouse. “We did not have any evidence but a suspicion.” the witness replied to the Crown Prosecutor. On June ’l9, witness had inspected the sale of poisons book at the U.F.S. Dispensary and found the signature “ P. Freeman.” Accused’s Arrest

A warrant for the accused’s arrest on a charge of murder was obtained on September 22 last year, Detectivfc-ser-geant Hill said, and the police went to her married sister’s home at Kia Ora, where she. was staying. . “When the warrant was read to the accused, she exclaimed: ‘Oh no, sergeant. Oh, but I did not do that, sergeant!’ Later she started to cry and said: ‘ This is terrible.’ ” During Detectiye-sergeant Hill’s examination by the Crown, five statements made by the accused on dates between May 27 and July 1 were read to the court. Witness told Mr Adams that each time he had taken a statement from the accused she had been warned that it might be used in evidence against her. The statements were sighed by the accused in his presence after she had read them through. “I admit that I am the person who made a statement to the Oamaru police on April 3, 1947, causing a false message to be broadcast,” said the accused in a statement made on May 27, 1947.

Purchase of Strychnine

“ I don’t know what made me do this,” she said. “1 suppose that I was just being silly. The idea came into my head when I was in Oamaru that day. After I had done it I was worried about it.”

In a further statement, the accused said that another woman asked her to put a false broadcast message over the air requesting Miss Pearce and her party to return to Southland, owing to the illness of a relative. The woman, who was of medium height and build, with dark hair, told the accused to use the name Rose Hill. Question of Marriage

“ I was engaged at one time to Alexander Gibson, but the engagement was broken off before Mrs Morrison died,” the accused said. “Mr Morrison has asked me once or twice if I would marry him and I have been expecting Mr Morrison to marry me. I was not jealous when Miss Pearce came about the place and I am not aware that he was friendly with Miss Pearce other than corresponding with her at times. “ On May 22 last Miss Pearce cams to stay at Mr Morrison’s place. The next morning Miss Pearce got up about 9 o’clock and I remember making a cup of morning tea. Before she had the cup of tea I remember handing her a bag containing jube lollies, which I had bought in Oamaru,” the accused continued. “Mr Morrison and I had some of the lollies the day I bought them. Both Miss Pearce and I had one of the sweets and a cup of tea afterwards. It was while we were having the tea that Miss Pearce said she felt funny. I told her that I felt giddy, too. She appeared to get worse and seemed to be unconscious for a while.

“After she came round I helped her into bed and she asked for Mr Morrison to call a doctor. I was going to go down to the paddock to get him. but Miss Pearce kept saying ‘Don’t leave me.’ I felt giddy for about an hour, my legs were shaking and I felt that I could not move them. On the next day I was very sick. I attended to Miss Pearce until Mr Morrison arrived back at the house and he sent for Dr Fitzgerald, who ordered her removal to hospital.” The accused described how she had been ill the next day, saying that she had first felt ill after eating the lolly. On the following morning she ate some more of the sweets and again felt ill. They had a bitter taste. The accused finished the lollies on May 24, the day after Miss Pearce had been taken to hospital. Mr Morrison had not complained that the lollies tasted bitter.

The accused said that she hacl never tasted strychnine nor had she ever seen it. She had never bought strychnine, at any time. “I did not send a cake to Miss',lpa Pearce, of Otahu, Southland,” the .accused said.-' “It is said that this -cake was sent to Miss Pearce last winter and that it tasted bitter.” _..

“On the day, on which Mr 3 Morrison died—October 3, 1942—Mr Morrison was away on. Home Guard duties,” the accused went, on, “When I arrived at the house, I gave Mrs Morrison a letter which was in our letter box. We had nothing to eat together that day and I did not give her any lollies or anything else' Mrs Morrison said she felt tired and had a nasty pain up the back of her neck. When we got into the house she sat down in a chair and complained of a pain at the back of her head. She looked tired so' I put her to bed.

“ She did not ,have anything to eat or drink. She seemed to get worse and after I had come back inside after looking for Mr Morrison she was lying on the floor and was gradually becoming worse. She was too heavy to put back on the, bed and just collapsed and seemed to be sinking. Later I spoke to her but she did not answer me. She appeared to me to be dead. Dr Fitzgerald arrived later and said that a clot of blood had caused Mrs Morrison’s death.

“ Mrs Morrison and I were good friends and I had been in the habit of visiting her quite a lot,” the accused said. “If strychnine or other poison was the cause of her death I do not know how she got it. I did not give her any myself. If strychnine or other poison was the, cause of Miss Pearce’s illness I do not know how she got it. I did not put any poison in the jubes or in any of her food. If Miss Pearce received a cake that was poisoned I do’not know anything about it.” 1

In a further statement to the police on June 19, the accused said that she had purchased strychnine, but not for herself. She had signed for an ounce of strychnine at the United Friendly Societies’ chemist’s shop on August 27, 1942. The accused stated that Mrs Morrison had asked her to obtain some strychnine to poison rabbits. The accused signed the sale of poisons book at the U.F.S. Dispensary arid the attendant in the shop said the strychnine would be posted when a stock arrived. “ I did not receive strychnine from the girl in the shop, nor afterwards through the posy the accused said. “I have been told that the U.F.S. had a large amount of strychnine in stock at that time, but I still say that I was told by the girl that they had none in stock. I have also been told that if the shop, had' stocks, they would not post strychnine. The accused could not account for the fact that Mrs, Morrison never said anything to Mr Morrison about her getting the poison. The next time she called at the Morrison’s home was the day on which Mrs Morrison died.

“In regard to the statement I made to the police in which I alleged that a Miss Scott, of Rangiora, had asked me to go to the police station with the request to have a message broadcast recalling Miss Pearce and her party from Auckland, I now wish to state that I made this story up about this woman. I never met such a person that day and I went to the police station on my own accord. I don’t know why I made up this story. I was frightened. On the Sunday before I told the police about this Miss SCott I had told Mr Morrison about her. I told him this because he was cross with me and I thought he might send me home to my father to look after me. The accused said that she sent a piece of cake to Miss Pearce last year, about September or October. “I do not know why I told the police a lie about this matter,” she continued. “ There was nothing dangerous inside the cake and I did not put any strychnine in it. “After Mrs Morrison died I was cleaning out the washhouse and inside an old tin there was a small jar, on which was written ‘ strychnine,’ ” the

accused went on. “I left it there for a while—l do not know how long—and then I threw the tin containing the jar into the dam. I threw away the strychnine prior to Miss Pearce’s illness and I never saw it before Mrs Morrison’s death.

“I put the strychnine in the dam because I thought it would be out of the way there,” the accused said. “ I was frightened of strychnine. There was an old bench in the washhouse and the tin was underneath amongst a lot of old boots. I never brought the strychnine home from the U.F.S. Dispensary in Oamaru.” On more than one occasion during Mr Farrell’s cross-examination of Detective Sergeant Hill, his method of procedure was questioned by the Crown and was the subject of rulings from the Bench. At’the time of her arrest, witness said, the accused did not know about the exhumation of Mrs Morrison’s body. Mr Farrell questioned the witness concerning police procedure in taking statements from the accused. Witness said that he asked suitable questions to keep the statement in a logical sequence of events.