A CONTEMPTIBLE CRIME.

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 72

A CONTEMPTIBLE CRIME.

YOUNG MAN CONVICTED. TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. HAMILTON, February 26. A young man named Roy Charles JDorn stood in the dock of the Supreme Court today charged with attempting to murder Muriel Tetzlaff on January 7, and counselling her to commit suicide. The major charge was withdrawn before the case went to the jury. When asked to plead, the prisoner, who wore a worried look, in a firm voice answered “Not guilty." He followed the proceedings with keen interest, occasionally flushing as the more sordid parts of the evidence were adduced. Muriel Tetzlaff, who appeared in court loking very frail and ill, told her story in a weak, nervous voice. She was attended by her mother, but Mr Tomkins, who appeared for the prisoner, objected to too close attendance by her parent. In the lower court, he said, the mother had noticeably prompted her daughter with certain answers. The mother was permitted to remain, but at some distance from the girl. The girl told her story along the lines of the evidence given by her in the lower court. She said she was pregnant to Dorn, but the latter told her he could not marry her, as the only girl he loved lived in Gisborne. A letter which she wrote to Dorn to the effect that she was going to leave him free and get out of the world was read as at the original proceedings. Two others she wrote were as follows: “Dear Mrs Dorn, —I promised Roy that I would not write to you again, but I think he will forgive me under the circumstances. When you receive this I will probably be where I will be no further bother to anyone. I know you practically hate me dear, but I learned to love you as dearly as if you were my own mother, and you have no idea how it hurts me to know you disliked me so. My father was going to force Roy to marry me, but I love Roy, and I thank God my love is not selfish, so I am taking the only way out to save Roy. So this is goodbye and God bless you and Roy.—Your broken-hearted friend, Muriel." The letter to her mother was as follows: “Mother, when you receive this I will probably be beyond recall. I only hope to God I am. Roy went with dad yesterday and got the thing fixed up, and yesterday afternoon he got a letter from that girl in Gisborne, and owned up to me that he had been down there at Christmas. So last night he same and told mo he could not go on with it. He said he would rather die than tell her anything. He said that it was either ho or I that would have to do it, because he would nevei marry me. So, mum, I can’t bear it. I told him I would. Mum, I love Roy better than life itself, so I can’t go on without him and bear the shame. As soon as it’s over ring him up and tell him, dear. Give my love to all.— Your broken-hearted daughter. Muriel." The girl stated in another letter that she wrote her letter to Dorn in her sound mind, and added that she could not ruin the man

•lie loved by letting him marry her. She knew he loved someone else. Under cross-examination, the girl said she had on more than one occasion threatened to take her life, hut this was only to frighten Doin into marrying her. She had no intention, however, of committing suicide. Dr Martin, of Ngaruawahia, said that when he was called to Tetzlaff 6he was vomiting voilently and was in immediate danger ol death. Dorn gave evidence admitting intimacy with the girl. He always intended to marry her, but was unable owing to his financial position to do so at the time. On one occa eion, when she was pressing him to marry her, she put several moth balls in her mouth. He seized her by the throat and forced her to eject them. She threatened to commit suicide on several occasions. On the night before she attempted her life she said she knew he did not love her, and the best thing was to end things. She asked him if ho had any poison. He tried to persuade her against attempting her life, but she seemed determined to commit suicide however, and, merely to frighten her, he gave her cordite, thinking it would give her a headache. The ammonia was weak, and he did not expect it to kill her, or even that she would take it. So contradictory was the prisoner’s evidence, compared with his statement to the police when arrested, that the Crown Solicitor was given leave to attack the prisoner’s credibility. The prisoner was questioned as to his previous convictions for theft, which he admitted. After a retirement of 15 minutes, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty. Mr Justice Stringer, in passing sentence, said the prisoner was found guilty of a cruel, cowardly, and contemptible crime. It was very fortunate for the prisoner that the law allowed him to be charged with the minor offence. The maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment was passed.