AMAZING EVIDENCE

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1929, Page 15

AMAZING EVIDENCE

STORY OF GREAT CRUELTY WIFE APPEALS TO THE COURT WHAT POLICE WITNESSED HEARING NOT COMPLETED By Telegraph—Press Association Auckland, July 26. Extraordinary allegations were made in a Police Court case to-day in the hearing of a complaint by Letitia Ann Elmsley against her husband, Peter Elmsley, a farmer of Waerenga. She said in evidence that accused had struck her, threatened her with a gun and turned her out of the house more than once. One night he kept her out all night. It was winter and she spent the night in a calf shed wearing only her nightdress. She covered herself with sacks. * Another night he put her out at 2 a.m. She crouched in a corner under a lean-to until daylight. Recently when there was a heavy thunderstorm accused told her to get out of the house. She tried to get back, but the doors were locked. She was afraid to disobey him for fear of a thrashing. “If I did not obey him,” she sobbed, “I knew I would get the whip over my shoulders.”

While Emslcy and her daughters were eating bacon and eggs and fried potatoes all witness got was fried bread, which accused threw on the floor for her.

Mrs. Elmsley declared that her two daughters, aged 18 and 16}, had also ill-treated her, kicking the skin off her shins and legs and sticking needles in her. Her husband had not given her money for ten years and she could not remember when she' was last in a drapery establishment. She was forbidden to touch the milk or go to the cupboard. Once when she was drinking milk her husband called hei’ a sneak thief. He had beaten her. too, with knotted leg ropes. PATHETIC SCENE IN COURT. There was a pathetic scene in the court when friends came forward to greet Mrs. Elmsley at the luncheon adjournment, the witness breaking down in the arms of the police matron. Witness said she thanked God that her parents were alive. They lived at Takapuna. Mrs. Elmsley said the farm was in her own name. She drew it in a land ballot years ago. Elmsley owned the stock on the farm.

Chief-Detective Hammond: Are your parents alive? —Yes; praise God they are. My father lives at Takapuna. Could you not write and complain to them? —No; Elmsley absolutely forbade me to write. Conetable Rimmer, Waihi, said that under instructions he went to Waercnga on June 19 and stayed there until July 20 for the express purpose of keeping Elmsley at home under observation. He remained near the home all the time. He went to the home at 6.45 a.m. on June 19 when a terrific storm was in progress. He was 150 yards away from the cow bail. He saw accused and one daughter in the cow bail. Mrs. Elmsley was standing at the entrance. “I noticed one of the girls chase her mother into the cow yard,” said witness. “Each time a cow was required this performance was repeated. After the milking the accused and his wife took the cows up the hill. Elmsley stopped and pointed to the top of the hill where Mrs. Elmsley went. Mrs. Elmsley was wearing clothing which was made out of sacks.

“On June 21 I again went to the house at 7.45 a.m. and located myself 100 yards from the cow bail. I heard the girl Clarice tell her mother to be quick in driving a cow which had got through the fence. It was raining at the time and Mrs. Elmsley was scantily dressed. She appeared to have a cold. At 10.20 a.m. the mother and the youngest daughter came out of the house, the former carrying a sack. They disappeared over the hilltop.” CONSTABLE WATCHES HOUSE.

Constable Rimmer added that he afterwards saw Airs. Elmsley cutting wood. When she stopped chopping her two daughters would come out and make her carry on. Airs. Elmsley could scarcely lift the axe. On another day •witness saw Mrs. Elmsley carrying a heavy log on her shoulders, struggling with it to a wood heap, a distance or 200 yards. The yopngest girl was with her, but did not assist her mother’ to carry the log. A gale blew the tin chimney down and Airs. Elmsley climbed on to the roof from a ladder and adjusted the damaged chimney. A little while afterwards Airs. Elmsley spent half an hour in chopping a log brought down the hill and carried the wood inside. Witness never saw accused doing any of the hard work. One evening at 6.45, while hiding near the house, witness could hear conversation. Both of the daughters used indecent language. A gramophone was being played. He never heard Airs. Elmsley speak. On every occasion when milking operations were in progress witness noticed the two girls were comfortably clad. Shortly before 7 p.in. on July 2 Airs. Elmsley went with the others to the home of Airs. Bruce, a neighbour. Witness hoard Mrs. Elmsley complain to Mrs. Bruce that she had not had a bite to eat that day. While secreted near the window at night he heard the eldest girl shout to her mother, “Put that Bowing down when I tell you!” The mother replied, “All right; 1 was only going to do the tacking for you.” Accused said (referring to his wife): “Look at this miserable with my copper wire in her boots; she’s a disgrace to me and has been loafing all day. All she’s done is to pull some firewood down the hill.” Both of the girls laughed. One of them later said to their mother: “Get to out of the way, gummy pot, scraping under my nose.” “Well, you burnt it,” replied Airs. Elmsley, The girl then said: “Shut your gob you old vermin.” Accused said: “That’s the way, girls.” Witness, detailing the happenings of , another evening, said he heard Airs. , Elmsley complaining about Clarice de- ' liberately sticking a needle into her. I ( Clarice said, “Get out of my sight or | I’ll put you out.” Ten minutes later c

the youngest daughter said, “Gummy is away a long while.” When Airs. Elmsley returned she told accused she was always being growled at and never seemed to be able to do anything right. Accused- shouted out in reply, “No, you never could.” Airs. Elmsley said, “Four or five timee to-day you have stuck needles into me.”

For the next 20 minutes every time the mother coughed they would all mimic her, the accused laughing. At last Mrs. Elmsley began to cry and went into another room. Accused said, “It’s a waste to give that vermin food.”

The inside of the house was unlit for human habitation, said the constable. It was not rainproof and mud oozed through the floor. Dr. Cyril Tewslcy, who accompanied the police to the home, described the house as being unfit for habitation. The two-roomed house was partially floored. There was wet, slushy mud under the makeshift bed in the living room. The conditions suggested extreme poverty, the two beds being made of sacks stretched across manuka sticks. Airs. Elmsley showed no evidences of a feeble mind or insanity. Physically she was in poor condition, but her 'health was good Her hands were hard from manual labour and her mental condition suggested she had dieen continually cowed. Witness attributed her reticence to fear, using the term in its widest sense. He believed her health had been permanently impaired by maltreatment. The hearing of the charge will be continued to-morrow.