CHARGE OF MURDER

Otago Witness, Issue 3033, 1 May 1912, Page 26

CHARGE OF MURDER

MELBOURNE, April 23. On a charge of the wilful murder of his brother on April 8 Frederick Parker has been committed for trial.

I As the result of aq affray in Greeves street, Fitzroy, on April 8, William Herbert Parker, a labourer, aged 22 years, of Highett street, Fitzroy, received injuries from which he succumbed. There werte deep wounds in the left side of his neck and abdomen, and it is presumed that they were inflicted with a knife. When admitted to the hospital Parker refused to make any statement as to how he came to receive his , injuries. i inquiries made afterwards by the police showed that Parker, who lived with his parents had left home about 8 o’clock. Shortly afterwards he was observed by two girls to be engaged in a fight in Greeves street, near the corner of Smith street. These girls—Ada Carroll and Mary Touzer i —were standing talking on the opposite I side of the street when the affray began, j In a statement to the police, they said ' that they had seen Parker suddenly strike a man of light physique with whom he had | been walking. The stranger fell to the i ground, and Parker fell on top of him. i Parker soon rose, however, and kicked his : adversary on the mouth and on the head. | The girl Carroll then ran towards Parker, and exclaimed: ‘‘You are a dirty cur to kick a man when he is down!” Parker rei plied: “So would you if you were me.” | Parker then ran up Greeves street. The | little man lay on the ground, but soon , afterwards rose, and quietly walked away. | A few minutes later Parker returned to i the spot wher e the affray had occurred, and ! fell on the gound in a state of collapse, j Neither of the girls observed a knife used during the struggle. j Two men who had been attracted by the ! disturbance conveyed Parker to a chemist’s i shop in the vicinity, where his two wounds | were attended to. Parker was then con- ! veyed by Plain-clothes Constable Brown in | a St. John ambulance to the Melbourne I Hospital. Ho had lost a considerable j amount of blood, and little hope of his i recovery was held out. Parker was operi ated upon in the institution, but succumbed . to his injuries shortly before midnight, i Parker died before any depositions were i taken by the police. To his father, who , visited him soon after his admittance to | the hospital, Parker declared that h e did | not know who had stabbed him.

In a statement to the police, the father said that Parker and his brother Frederick aged 26 years, left his house shortly before £ o’clock. Frederick was living at a lodg-ing-house in Lonsdale street, kept by Mrs "Waldron, and she accompanied him to Parker’s house to spend the Easter holiday. The two brothers were very friendly, and departed in the best of spirits. Mrs Waldron visited the hospital soon after Parker was admitted, but departed without having seen him. She informed the police that, after having been told that Parker had been put in a ward, she returned to Fitzroy in order to inform his two sisters of his injuries. Sh e was sitting on the front verandah of the house when a stranger informed them that Parker had been injured. Casually walking into the detective office at Russell street the following afternoon, a tall young man, -wearing a blue serge suit, informed the officer in attendance that lie was Frederick John Parker, the brother of the man w r ho had died from the injuries he had received on the previous evening. Parker stated that he had called in consequence of his having read an account of the tragedy in the morning- papers; and after hearing the reason of his appearance Detective Johnson detainee! him in the city watohhouse on a charge of wilfully murdering William Hughes Parker. Before being placed in the cell the coat which he was wearing was taken possession of by Detective Bear, who gave him another in its place. Frederick Parker, in a statement to the police, admitted that he had had a fight with his brother in the street, but said that ho did not remember its cause. Ho and hie brother had been drinking at his father’s house before the two left home. When they left he was slightly muddled through drink. Ho had a sjaht lip, caused by a blow or a kick from his brother during the fight. He did not stab his brother, and had no pocket-knife in his possession. After the fight lie went to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where bin lip was dressed. Then he went to a cafo in Bourko street, where he slept all night. Parker’s account was given in reply to questions, but he refused to sign a declaration. When hq presented himself at St. Vincent’s Hospital blood was flowing from a wound in hie upper lip. Dr Lee, who attended him, stated that the flesh had boon cut through, and he was obliged to insert five or six stitches in the wound. Ho asked Parker, who was smelling strongly of drink, whether he had received a “clout,” and was answered in the affirmative. Parker, however, did not give any details of the encounter. William Henry Parker, the father, made a further statement in respect of the case. He said that ho was at home on Monday when Frederick and Mrs Waldron, who keeps the lodging-house where bo lived, visited his house. Mrs Waldron was wellknown to the family, as sho was at one time a neighbour. Frederick and she intended to spend the day at his house. Frederick and William went out, and returned to the house with some beer, which was drunk, and he believed that they had a drink each in an hotel near by. All in the

house had tea together, and about halfpast 7 o’clock Frederick and William left the house together in very good humour. They were singing and laughing. Both bis eons had had some drink, and Frederick seemed to have been affected by it.