DYING WOMAN S AGONY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 972, 15 May 1930, Page 1

DYING WOMAN S AGONY

Description By Doctor EVIDENCE AT MUNN TRIAL Fourth Day of Hearing •THE intense agony undergone by Mrs. Lillie May Munn durI ing a convulsion in his presence the day of her death, was described by Dr. Reginald George Dudding in the Supreme Court today, before Mr. Justice Herdman, at the trial of Arthur Thomas Munn on a charge of wife-murder. In detailing the stricken woman's movements, the doctor told of his suspicions of strychnine poisoning and later, his efforts to find any traces of poison in her room. In the doctor’s opinion, there had been doses of strychnine on February 4 and February 11, with smaller doses between those dates.

Intense interest was manifested in the evidence by the crowded public galleries. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. V. R. Meredith, and Mr. McCarthy conducted the prosecution, and Mr. E. H. Northcroft with him, Mr. Munro, represented the accused. Mrs. Lydia Gill, who collapsed in the witness-box yesterday afternoon, was recalled this morning for further cross-examination. She said that on February 4, while she was with Mrs. Munn and while Munn went for the doctor, the sick woman was able to speak, but not distinctly. Mrs. Munn was quite conscious. The sick woman had not .mentioned that her husband had given her anything bitter to drink that morning or on any other occasion. Re-examined, Mrs. Gill said Munn had told her Mrs. Munn had to be kept quiet and that no visitors were allowed. When witness offered to do anything, Munn said he could manage ail right, but would send for witness if desired. Munn also asked her to stop her children running about as Mrs. Munn could not bear any noise. He also said that he had had to take the knob off the front doorbell. That morning when Munn gave his wife a cup of tea, Munn had attempted to ease his wife’s head up so she could drink, but Mrs. Munn said “Don’t.” DOCTOR IN THE BOX Dr. Reginald George Dudding, of Northcote, said he had known Mrs. Munn for three or four years and had attended her about 13 months before her fatal illness for a miscarriage. Mrs. Munn recovered fully from that illness, though she was treated for anaemia for a short time afterward. On Tuesday, February 4, a message was left at his house by Munn that Mrs. Munn had had some kind of seizure believed to be a stroke. He visited Munn’s house shortly afterward and there saw Munn and the two children. Munn accompanied witness to the sick room. He made inquiries as to the nature of the illness, and although Munn did not give a graphic explanation, Mrs. Munn had evidently had a trembling turn when preparing breakfast. The doctor inquired whether Mrs. Munn had had headaches or bilious attacks and Munn and his wife both said she had had a headache that morning and that she had been taking aspirins to relieve it. Mr. Meredith: Were you told about the attack she had on the chair?—No. Munn told the doctor that his wife had been trembling and that she had not experienced anything of this nature before. Mrs. Munn, who* was half-dressed in bed, was found by the doctor to be composed, though she seemed played out. The doctor examined the heart and arteries, the nervous system, and the blood pressure which he found to be 220 m.m. His Honour: Is that very high?— Yes; the normal pressure for a woman of her age would be about 140. “THREATENED STROKE” The doctor diagnosed Mrs. Munn's trouble as a threatened stroke. In consequence, the doctor bled Mrs. Munn of half a pint of blood, handing the vessel to Munn to throw the fluid out. The doctor said he directed that Mrs. Munn should remain quiet in bed, have no visitors and should be given a teaspoonful of Epsom salts. He ordered her a milk diet, excluding meat, fish and eggs. When salts were mentioned Munn said that would be all right as they were in the habit of having a dose every morning, the doctor said. Witness prescribed a sedative medicine, which would alleviate constipation and settle the nerves. The doctor said he stayed with the patient about an hour, and Mrs. Munn said she felt better as he left. He did not consider the question of sending Mrs. Munn to hospital because it was a perfectly suitable case for home treatment, and probably there would not have been a vacancy for such a case because it was not sufficiently severe. The same evening Munn came to the doctor's residence. Dr. Dudding was surprised and asked Munn about his wife’s condition. Munn said she had had a fairly comfortable day but had become restless toward evening, but he did not ask the doctor to visit nis wife. The doctor thought a sleeping draught would meet her needs and gave Munn a veronal tablet to be crushed and given in hot milk. MESSAGE AT HOUSE On Thursday afternoon, Dr. Dudding again called on Mrs. Munn when he was on his round. A message had however, been left at his house to see the sick woman. Munn was in the bouse when he arrived, and Mrs. Munn seemed comfortable and happy. She complained of bruising on her arm where she was bled and pains

in her legs, but did not stress them very much. The blood pressure was still 220 millimetres. His Honour: Did you expect that? —I hardly expected much improvement in that short time. Mr. Meredith: Did you feel alarmed? —No. There was no sign of twitching® or convulsions? —No; she was lytng quite still. As the doctor was leaving, Munn asked what he should do for palpitation his wife showed, and Mann was advised to apply a cold wmterbottle. The doctor said the heart was in good condition and Mrs. Munn had never complained of her heart. In discussing the cause of Mrs. Munn's illness, Munn said his wife thought she had kidney trouble, and su'd “Some fool woman” told her that aha had had a stroke. Continuing, witness said that Munn said his wife was curious to know what he bad taken the blood for and if it had been taken for a test. The blood had been given to Munn to throw out, and in view of this the doctor did not take the question serious) y. and Mrs. Munn herself had not maked this question. “MEDICINE FINISHED” The following Saturday, Munn called on the doctor, and asked him if he was coming down, and added that the medicine was finished. The doctor replied he had intended visiting Mrs. Munn. On ascertaining from Munn that Mrs. Munn was quite comfortable and in just the same condition, the doctor told Munn to repeat the medicine, and that he (the doctor) would call later. On Monday, Dr. Dudding said, be called about 12.30 and found Mnnn in the house. Witness inquired of Mrs. Munn as to her condition, and she said she was quite all right and was looking forward to getting up. Mrs. Munn looked bright us before and spoke jokingly about getting up. The doctor found the plooi pressure still 220 milimetres. In the presence of his wife, Munn said that she was very “nervy” and that a broom had dropped and had startled her. The doctor said he knew Mrs. Munn was nervous and he (lid not take much notice of the remark. Following a remark by Mrs. Munn that she would like to get np. Munn remarked that if ehe wasn’t content to stay in bed she might have 1o go to hospital. Munn told witness that Mrs. Mnnn had a great horror of hospitals, because some relative of hers whom she did not like, was a member of a hospital board. The doctor said he had never suggested sending Mrs. Munn to hospital. The doctor said he would have liked to have seen the blood pressure decrease, but he saw nothing to be alarmed about. “VERY BAD TURN” On Tuesday, February 11, about 9.10. Mrs. Gill called on witness and stated that Mrs. Munn had had a very bad turn and urged him to come immediately. He went to the house ten minutes later, and found Mrs. Mnnn in bed with bed-clothing disarranged. There were wet towels on her chest and she was only partly under the bedclothes. Mrs. Munn was on the opposite side of the bed to that on which he had always seen her. The sick woman looked very played out and the doctor noticed how uncomfortable she locked in her wet clothes and he decided to change them. At this Mrs. Munn exclaimed: “Don’t touch me.” Munn said: “9ha won’t let anyone near her but me.” The doctor said that apart from being wet from the towels, the other parts of the body were wet with perspiration. He proceeded with changing Mrs. Munn’s nightclothes, Mrs. Munn indicating that a nightdress would be found in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe. The nightdress however, was not there and Mnnn got one from another room. While the doctor was changing her she protested many times: “Don’t touch me,” and the doctor thought she was hysterical. (Continued on PeQe 12.)