MURDER CHARGE

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1930, Page 11

MURDER CHARGE

SENSATION AT WANGANUI TRIAL OF MANLY COMMENCED VICTIM’S FAMILY’S STORY OBJECTIONS TO EVIDENCE By Telegrarb.—Press Association. Wanganui, June 0. Herbert Frederick Manly was Jharged in the Magistrate’s Court today, before Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., with the murder of Gladys Barrington Cromarty on May 9. The court was crowded. Mr. N..R. Bain conducted the case on behalf Of fthe .Crown and Mr. B. C. Haggitt appeared for accused. Norman • Annabell, civil 'engirii&r,' said that on May 14 he visited No. 6 Ridgway Street and took measurements of the house, a two-storeyed one. At the request of the police witness produced his plans of tho-house. • Edwin Richardson, chemist and photographer, said that on May 10, at the request of Detective Walsh, he accompanied the latter to the public hospital and photographed the head and the body which was in the morgue.. Photographs were also taken of the inside of the house.

Dr, G. J. Adams said that in response to a message from the police he visited the house and found a young woman lying dead on the kitchen floor. She was half-clad and was lying in a pool of blood. Her left hand was grasping her throat, 1 which had an incised wound. There was a. trail of • blood, widely scattered, from the in the kitchen’ along .the passage and upstairs, and along the landing to the bedroom. The bed in the room'had been disturbed, and there were, stains of blood bn the sheets .and pilloiy.. .Witness and the police searched for a weapon and . were unsuccessful. About. 7 p.m. on Friday evening witness examined .accused; who was in°a depressed state, but was sober; Manly said he had been suffering from nerves.

The -wound in the neck must have been produced by. a, weapon other than a razor, -on account'of "itaruggedness. • A chef’s knife was then produced in court, and the doctor said that it was sharp enough to cause such a wound with, force, but it could not have been self-inflicted. Dr. A. D. Nelson, • medical superintendent of the hospital; who in company with Dr. ■ Adams made a postmortem examination, corroborated the previous witness.

STORY OIT GIRL’S MOTHER. Elizabeth Cromarty,, mother of the ' girl, said that she arrived in New Zealand on July 23, 1929, accompanied by three jdf her children. Two months ago witness rented No. 6 Ridgway Street. On January 8, 1930, her daughter was engaged at Mr. Currie’s at Kai Iwi, where she met Manly and later became engaged to him. After being engaged 'for some time Manly left the ■Curries and came to. Wanganui, but later went to Wellington' in search of a chef’s position. On his way through Manly stayed at witness’ house. Witness said that she did not object to the engagement. Her daughter later left the Curries and went to Wellington and obtained a position at the New Zealander Hotel. Manly left where he was working and went to the New Zealander Hotel as chef. Her daughter camo back to. Wanganui on April 30. She had a nervous breakdown. She did not have her engagement ring with her while in Wellington. ■Witness’ youngest son, Stanley, received a wire from Manly and obtained .a position at the New Zealander Hotel, but on the Tuesday prior to the tragedy Manly and witness’ son returned io Wanganui unexpectedly. They intended to return to Wellington on May 10. Witness did not notice anything unusual about Manly. Her daughter Gladys and Manly appeared to be quite friendly, and’ on the night before the murder Manly took Gladys to the pictures. : Witness heard Manly say. that ’ it would be the last time, and witness heard a reply: , "For the .last time; why?”’ Manly replied: "It will be. for the last time, girl.’-’ ' ' On the morning of the tragedy witness went into Manly’s room. Ho was lyino- awake. At about 9 o’clock Mrs. Cromarty saw Manly looking at his suitcases. Ho was handling knives. Manly and witness’ son Stanley returned to the house for lunch, which was about 1.15 o’clock. Gladys also had lunch there. After lunch Gladys went upstairs for a rest, but before she went tjhe asked Manly to go to the butchers, which he said he would do. Manly returned to the house a little after 3 o’clock and said that he had forgotten to c/o to the butcher’s, but would go back again. He . left the house again and returned with his purchase. ■

VICTIM FALLS IN DOORWAY. Manly, talked -with witneea in the kitcheh for some minutes and them went upstairs to Orr’s room, which was above? the kitchen. Seven minutes after Manly had gone upstairs witness heard ■steps coming from the room she occupied with Gladys. Witness heard a lighter step and then a heavier one, and then heard footsteps coming downstairs. The kitchen door flew open;.Gladys was holding up her hands and fell on the floor. She was partly clad. At the same time witness heard the front door click. Witness screamed out, while her daughter Dora ran to the front door. Questioned by Mr. Haggitt, witness said that Manly appeared fond of her daughter Gladys. If there had been any conversation upstairs between' Gladys and. Manly she would have heard it. , Wanganui, Last Night. Stanley Gowans Cromarty, motor driver and cook, a brother of the dead »jrl corroborated his mother s and sister’Dora’s evidence regarding the enniaemcnt between Gladys and Manly nnd the movements of Manly prior to his -oing to Wellington; Witness was out of work at that time and Manly wired him to go to We llington. Me went and was met at Wellington by Manly and Gladys. Manly, told ' witness ho had a job ’ for him as third cook ■at the New Zealander Hotel, which he accepted, starting next day.. Gladys., left her position m the hotel on the . day'witness -fitarted. -, 'Hb .and. ‘W ~

Manly were subsequently dismissed from employment. They arrived in Wanganui on Tuesday, May 6. He invited Manly to accompany him toi his mother’s house and Manly accepted. Witness 'described his associations with Manly from the Tuesday to the Thursday, during which time Manly appeared normal. On the Thursday night Manly took his sister to the--pictures? He heard Manly say, “Why girl, won’t it be the last time?” On the Friday morning Manly was nervous and shaking all over. Witness and Manly went to the cleaners to get Manly’s trousers, which had been left there the previous day. They played billiards together and then. w e .nt home. They had .some drink going to the cleaner’s —each a glass of beer.

“WHERE IS POLICE-OFFICE?” “Manly asked me wfreTe the police office was, and I told him it was in Ridgway Street,” witness continued. “We arrived home about noon and had lunch I went out; leaving Manly in the kitchen.” Later, in consequence of what he was told, continued witness, he went home. Dora was sitting on the front stepp,. Witness. went. to .see his mother first. She was with Mrs. McDougall next door. Then he went into his mother’s house and found his sister-Gladys lying on the floor. He lifted her up to the extent of six or emht inches. She had her throat cut and was dead. Witness then left the house. Witness recognised the knives produced in court as Manly’s. One particular knife was singled out by Mr. Bam. The witness said lie might have seen it but.he could not identify it. Manly-s knives were all marked. John Orr said, that he was a boarder at No. 6 Ridgway Street. He related how Gladys Cromarty. Stanley Cromarty; and Manly came back' from Wellington. He heard a conversation which occurred in the kitchen of the Cromarty home relative to going to the pictures. Manly said he was taking Gladys to the pictures. Witness said, “It is a funny thing to bo taking a' girl to the pictures when the engagement is broken off.” xr Evidence’ was : : g'ivei! by Charlotte McGarth, a marrieif. woman, that when on May 9 she was passing through Ridgway Street” she ha'w a man who was very pale run out of the gate of No. 6. He ran down-Wilson Street towards the railway; station. A lady came -outof the gate screaming. Witness did not know the man; she had never seen him before. On May. 17 she attended, at the police .station and from a number of men she - picked Manly -out. Margaret Pidwell identified a; pair of trousers produced in court as having passed through the laundry at which she worked. They would not have left the laundry in their present condition. She identified 'them by the laundry mark.

OBJECTION TO EVIDENCE. Noel McDonald, a service car driver, said he knew- Manly. He met him on May 9 at about 3 o’clock and had two drinks with him. Manly had stout first and gin tile second time. Manly said that the young lady he was engaged to was ill and had come back to Wanganui. He, had come back also. He appeared quite .normal. Mr. Haggitt raised an objection at this stage, submitting that the evidence’ 'had the same trend as that of Dr.. Adame. Mr. Bain said that the purpose of the evidence was to show that Manly had had drink. Vera Campbell, of Webb Street, Wellington, said that she knew Gladys Cromarty well, having met her in Wellington. \On April 29 witness saw. Gladys and Manly waiting for Stanley Cromarty at the Aard office. Witness was on one side of the road and they were on the other. They were quarrelling. Gladys still had her ring rn but it was on her right hand. She next saw Manly at the New Zealander Hotel on May 3.' "Ho told me that Gladys had broken the engagement oil,” witness proceeded, "and asked me if I knew. I said I didn’t. He said, ‘lf I can’t have Gladys nobody else will.’ I told him not to’ be silly. He said ‘You might think so but I don’t.’” Detective J. Walsh described the finding of the body and described the de-, tails of the surroundings. There was no sign of a weapon. Witness returned to the police station at 6.20 p.rn. and saw Manly sitting in the watchhouse. Witness requested Manly to step on to a table under an electric light. When requested to do this Manly said, "I am not denying it.” I asked. Manly if he had any explanation to make regarding the blood stains on hisclothing, at the same time cautioning him,” continued witness. “He did not; reply to my. question, but said; ‘I donot know why I did’it; all I know is' I did.’ ' LETTER NOT YET READ. "Later Manly was sitting in my office smoking a cigarette, when he said, ‘I went to her room. She was sleeping. I spoke to her. I had the knife with me then.’ Dr. Adams arrived then and had an interview with Manly. He answered the - doctor's questions .clearly and intelligently in a low tone’of voice. In Manly’s property there was a letter ” Mr. Haggitt: I object to this evidence-. I submit if is not relevant. The magistrate:. Anything emanating frojp the accused must be admitted. Detective Walsh said that the letter was addressed to the . officer in charge of the police station, Wanganui. It was stamped.but had not been through the' post office. It had been opened by Senior-Sergeant McLean in Manly’s presence. Manly said he had written it and it was read to him. Mr. Haggitt: I ask that my objection be noted. “I can see that if the letter is read at this stage it will prejudice Mr. Haggitt’s case, said the magistrate. Mr. Bain: I agree that the letter should not be read, ..The magistrate: Is it signed by the accused? Detective Walsh: Yes. The detective said that Manly had said he had written the letter that day (May 9) at the railway station. Witness told how Senior-Sergeant McLean during a search in the Sash and Door timber yards found the knife in a cattle stop. It was an ordinary knife as used by cooks. It had the letters V.I. on the handle. There were other knives similarly marked in Manly’s suitease. When Manly gave himself up to the police he. had in his. possession a pawn ticket which showed that on April 30 ho had pledged a five-stone diamond ring for £3 with W. Smart, pawnbroker, Wellington. That ring was redeemed by the police on May 12 and was the engagement ring exhibited, The. chse was. adjourned until 10.30 a.m. to-morrow. . <,