SAD SEQUEL TO SEANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14985, 12 August 1919, Page 2

SAD SEQUEL TO SEANCE.

SPIRITUALISM AND SUICIDE

CHARGE AGAINST PEARL BURKE.

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, last night. A singular case was down for heaving at the Police Court this morning, m ! the shape of a charge against a young . woman of 19 years of age, named Pearl ! Burke, of Hamilton (who was arrested m Gisborne), of having aided and abetted another young woman, Jessie West, m the commission of suicide. Jessie West was the woman who drowned herself m the Whangavei harbor under such strange circumstances, one night at the beginning of last June, walking into the water m her sleeping attire, from the stepsyof the town wharf, and it was Pearl Burke who accompanied her to the water's edge. The accused afterwards returned to the hotel, where both girls were employed. The proceedings m the court were only formal. Burke is at present m the Auckland hospital, having collapsed on her way tiP from Gisborne, and accordingly depositions only could be taken. The first deposition was that of the cm-oner, J. M. Killen, who formally deposed ! to the evidence given by Burke I at the inquest. I This was followed by the story of i Win. Robert West, farmer, of Cam- ; bridge, who told the court that he had i married the deceased m. January. The deceased was then' 36 years of age. Subsequently she went away to. Auckland on a holiday and thenc c to Whangarei. She wrote to him from both places, her last le*,ter iibeinsr from the Whangarei Hotel. . They had lived on good terms and had | never had an angry -word. The evidence of Ellen Murphy, cook, I of Symonds street, Auckland, and cmj ployed at the Whangarei. Hotel at the ! t'me of the suicide, was read.' She told ; the court that she shared room 13 with | West, and accused occupied the adjoining room. The day after witness commenced work at the hotel, the deceased woman said sh c had a great friend named Fred Potts, a contractor and builder, of Cambridge, of -whom she was very fond, and who had shot himself. He was a widower with several ahildren, and had got uito financial difficulties. In order to assist him. she had married i a man named West, from whom she J hoped to get money to give to Potts. She failed, howeveV, to get any money from her husband. She told witness that her maiden name was Bissett, and her parents had died some time ago. In discussing Potts, continued witness, j West incidentally mentioned, she was a | believer m spiritualism, and had at- | tended one meeting m Auckland. When t deceased discussed this topic, which was frequently, witness laxighed at her and she became very angry; West -was continually^ speaking of Freddy Potts, and declaring that she wanted to join i him ; and could not live without him. She also informed witness that before she went to the sph'itualist meetings she wanted to drown herself, but she had i found that she could communicate with ! him and- did not "want to do so now. i Later, she said that Freddy's spirit wanted her to join him, and that it had communicated with her by .knocking on the table. Witness laughed' at her, but shortly after Pearl- Burke came 'West proposed that they should hold a seance m the bedroom. ' Witness, made no objection, 'and made arrangements for the meeting at 7.30. She got a tliree-legged flower stand and put a chair bottom on it. Jessie West put the light out and they began to sing, "There is a Happy Land, Far, Far Aw&yv" • Witiness' heard three faint knocks on the bedroom . floor. One of the table legs was slightly raised as though it had made a ndise. Jessie West remarked that the result was no good,, as she could not intercept {hem.On the occasion of the .first knock she said, "Good evening, spirit friend," but as the other knocks were faint she had abandoned the seance. Continuing, witness stated that she attended no more meetings, but Jessie West and Pearr.Burke continued to hold meetings; witness being m bed m the room. On one or two occasions the proceedings . were similar, . West endeavoring to speak to Freddy,' asking if he were happy, and purporting to" get replies. These were to the effect that he was not very, happy, but; was happier than he was on earth. Pearl Burke inquired of the spirits about her dead brother. ■"■ ' Accused- had told witness that she (Burke) intended to drown herself, continued the witness. About a fortnight before the, tragedy occurred, Jessie West told witness that she intended to drown herself so as to be able to meet Freddy ; but that she would not drown herself at Whangarei. She added that she would get a few days off and go up to the Waikato. Witness told her that if she would get a few days off she (witness) should tell the other people about it or else follow her and stop her. After that Jessie West-was more reserved towards witness, but she became very friendly with Pearl Burke. Witness was m the bedroom several times when they had been talking together, and they appeared to be talking immediately they came m. In the week before the suicide they were exceptionally friendly. On June 2, wheni witness returned from the pictur^J she asked accused where deceased had gone. Accused replied, "She has drowned herself." ' The statement made to Constable Martin by the accussd was handed m. In this, accused gave a detailed account of the seances. Deceased frequently' said she would commit suicide by drowning herself m the Waikato river, and intimated her intention of asking for two days off for the purpose of going there. Continuing, the statement recorded : "About 7.45 p.m. on June 2 the late Jessie West and myself held a spiritualist meeting m her room. The lights were turned out as usual, and we placed our hands on the table. Deceased said, 'Jessie loves Freddy!" The table knocked three times, which deceased said meant 'Yes.' Then she said-, 'Does Freddy want Jessie ?' and the table again knocked three times. Then she said, 'Is Freddy happy without Jessie?' and the table knocked once, which: deceased said meant 'No.' This seance lasted untit 8.10 p.m., and then the deceased lighted a candle and said she was. going to meet Freddy, and that she would be ever so much happier, too. She, at this time had her costume on, and she told me to go and put my coat on. I did so, and I joined her again m her room. She said, 'We'll go now,' Then we left the. hotel by the back Deceased said, 'We'll go down on to the wharf,' and accordingly we did. Deceased on her way to the wharf kept talking about her Freddy calling her at the wharf. Deceased took off all her clothing with the exception of a nightdress and a pair of white stockings, and after handing them to me, went down the wharf steps and went quietly into ; the water. After she went into the i water I watched her j for three or four ' minutes before I left the wharf Co re~ j turn to the hotel." | The. statement added that the accused did, not tell the truth to the police at first, because West had told her not to say_ anything. I The depositions were then read over to the accused at the hospital before Mr. Hunt. S.M., who committed her for trial at the Supreme Court. In the proceedings at the hospital, Mr. Moody formally objected to Miss Mur-j phy's' 'evidence relating to the conver- i sation, at which accused was not p*e- i sent.