The Christchurch Sensation

Southland Times, 10 August 1900, Page 2

The Christchurch Sensation

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASK. (By Telegraph.) Christciiurch, Aug. 9. The trial of Harry Vincent Stycnp, on a charge of having, about June 4, attempted to procure Dr Clayton to murder one Mrs Elizabeth Styche, opened at tha Police Court, before Messrs Lawrence J. Thompson aad W. Langdown, Justices of the Peace. Mr Stringer appeared for the Crown and Mr Joynt for accused. Stating the facts of the cisc, Mr Stringer quoted fmt the letter received by Dr Clayton which was type-written aad ia which the writer, after stating that he knew of a lady who had a repugnance to dectore, but might be persuaded to see Dr Clayton, said if as a result of his attention the lady did not recover, the doctor would receive £200 on receiving a certificate of death. The money would be found within three months afterwards as the writer would have to sell his property to raise it. The doctor was adviaed to put an advertisement in the Pre^s if he acoepted the offer. The letter was signed "To you and for ever unknown." Dr Clayton banded the letter to the Inspector of Polioe next day, and on June 12th reosived another communication, also typewritten, cemptaining that the writer had not Been the advertisement aad stating " I am desperate. For God's sake do wh&t I ask you." This letter was also handed to the police, and it was decided to insert an advertisement in terms given by the writer in his anonymous letters, and on June 20th another anonymous typewritten letter was received by Dr Clayton, which stated that there was a young woman in a south-east suburb of Christchurch, who would consult him. "If she recovered well and good; if not someone would send Dr Clayton £200." Mrs Stycbebad, on June 11th, consulted Dr Clayton, who did nob connect her with the letters. On July 17th Dr Clayton received an anonymous type-written postcard beginning:— "Dear Mr Clayton, I saw Mrs S. at Opawa the other day, and she looks none too well. I know Rome was not built in a day ; so I must have patience. Signed Unknown. Dr Clayton immediately knew Mrs Styche was the peraon referred to, as she was the only patienb he attended in Opawa. Mr Stringer intimated that expert evidence would be produced to show that the letters had been written with a typewriter in Styche's room at Mr A. E. G. Rhodes' office. Dr Clayton gave evidence re the letteis he had received from time to time. He epoke to accused and asked him who he thought; the letters referred to, and he said to Mrs Styohe. Accused asked for the letters, sa he had a safe where they oould be safely kept. Witness said he could not part with such dangerous documents, and suggested that accused should typa them from his dictation, but this was not done. He asked accused if the best thing to do would not be to call ia a detective, but auoused counselled delay, and these letters the dootor handed to the police. F. B. Sapeford, mechanician and typewriter expert, gave evidence that the Remington machine from Mr office bore the characteristics which appeared in the letters and that on no other machine oould the letters have been produced, since he knew of no other having similar peculiarities. Later. The Crown Prosecutor said that on June sth Dr Clayton received a type-written letter signed " Unknown." The writer said the dootor might be called in to attend to a woman who was continually ailing, off and , od, and continued : " If you are called in to attend this woman and sbe doesn't recover I will pay you two hundred pounds. Bear in mind you will never know who I am so you will not be able to get me into trouble over this if you wish ib, and it is not likely that I will ever ' peach ' on you, as if I did I should get myself into trouble as well. So you quite understand that you have only to play your cards well and be able to give a certificate of death to make £200 your own, and if the woman dies I wilt post you the money in bank notes, bat not before she has been dead (say) three months, aa I shall have to sell some of my property to raise that sum. Bub I will be true to my word and do ib and you must be true to yours or have nothing to do with it. I mighb tell you that the woman has no children dependent on her. Of ooorse I make myself seoure, so will nob give you a ( chance of finding who lam by writing to , me. So if you are ready to make £200 , easily put an advertisement in the Press as , follows : — • Wanted to buy, good dogcart, j apply Medico, Press office.' You will ] be able to call at the Press office ( and get replies without any fear i of deteotion, or you oan leave them \ there unoalled for. I will give you a week j to think this matter over, so if you agree t put the advertisement in the paper, either a on Saturday, June 9th, or on June 16th, or , on June 23rd. If it is not in any of these „ Saturdays I will conclude that you do not t wish to easily make £200" Dr Clayton showed the letter to the police, who were inolined to regard the affair aa a hoax. On June 12th Dr Clayton received a f, second letter, also signed " Unknown." j Part of this was as follows : " I did not tea n your advertisement in Saturday's Preis, and tl I hope you are cot lacking in pluok enough ( (

to make £200 easily, to I will look in tha Press every day between now and Saturday, June 23rd, for it. 80 don't be afraid ; I will be true to my word and pay up if tbe event happens. You may uevr get snob an easy chance of makiog £200 and with no risk whatever. I know that the woman* husband thinks ahe will not reoover from her present illneis so he would not think that anything waa wrong when it) happens. I have had a little ex])«rieooe in nursing and my idea of how yon ithould »ot is to tell tbe womaq the must go to bed for a week or two. You can then givo ber medicine that will not make her improve and then ci.l one evening and givs her something that includes power to sand her to sleep for ever. You may of course know a better way than this, but in any case you may rely on me for seoreoy for life and to be true to my word." Dr Clay to a also handed this letter to the police, and on June 16th an advertisement ras inserted as suggested. On Juno 18 ih Dr City ton received a letter,, signed by Styche, saying that he had a hone for sale, and stating that Mrs Siyche we>s far from well, and would probably ace hitn (Clayton) on the following morniDg. A third anonymous letter contained the fallowing : — " I might tell you that I have taken the greatest precautions to prevent being found out, and if jfou showed all my letters to the woman and her husband they would Dot have the flight idea who I am. You will be surprised wben I tell you that some two months ago I bought an old typewriter and have practised on it daily to enable ma to write to you without being discovered by my handwriting, and tha very paper lam writing on should convince you that I have left 710 stone unturned to obaia safety. I: you fcave taken a solicitor into your cotfid«=nc« in the matter I may as well tell you that I consider myself too smart for any of them and defy them 10 trace me or my whereabouts. Under all circumstance! 1 must ask you to take no notice of my previous letters aa I wish to withdraw them; that all I wish to tell you is this : there is a young woman that has been married several years and who lives ia a, southeast, suburb of Chrietchurcb, that may po3jibly be consulting you about her health or, for all I know, she may have already done so. If she does and she recovers, all well and good, bub if she does not recover someone will eend you £200.-1 am for ever to all ' Unknown."' Finally a letter oard, also signed " Unknown," indicated to Dr Clayton that Mrs tityche was referred to, since she was the only pa'ient he was at:endiog in Opawa. On the 3rd of August Dr. Clayton had a conversation regarding the lettsra with Styohe who, on reading the letter card, eaid that it nouat refer to Mrs Styche. On Saturday, August 4th, the day following the conversation wih tbe doctor an accident was alleged to have happened to accused's typewriter. One oil the clerks ia the office heard a crash, and 00 going into the room was told by Styche that his sleeve had caught in tbe machine and it bad fallen to the floor. That: same afternoon the police executed a search warrant at the office, and an expert who had accompanied them Mid that the machine oould not have received all its injuries by an accidental fail. The machine was an old Remington with certain peculiarities whiah were all presenb in the anonymous letters produced. Charles Horace Gilby, teacher of typv writing, was of opinion that all the letters were written on the machine in 00 ait. He thought it an absolute impossibility thab theie could be two machines with exactly the samo defects throughout. The accused reserved his defence and was committed for tria l , bail bring allowed : accused in £SCO and two sureties of £500 each.