THE TRIAL OF LANCASTER

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1932, Page 5

THE TRIAL OF LANCASTER

HIS LOVE FOR MRS. MILLER

ALLEGED MURDER OF CLARKE

ADVENTURES IN AMERICA

EVIDENCE CONTRADICTED

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

Miami, Aug. 9.

The trial of Captain W. N. Lancaster on a charge of murdering Haden Clarke was continued to-day, when Lancaster related in detail his experiences up to the time he left Miami on March 6, 46 days before Clarke was killed, on a western aviation venture, by which he hoped to gain funds for living expenses for Mrs. Keith Miller, Clarke and himself.

He told of his meeting with Mrs. Miller in London in 1927 and joining her on a London to Australia flight. He reviewed his financial and aerial reverses in the United States.

Lancaster said that Clarke had promised him before he left for the west that he would care for Mrs. Miller,- “so that I would remember his friendship.” Lancaster said that Clarke made a promise, after he had cautioned him, to keep Mrs. Miller from drinking too heavily during his absence. When she drank heavily her conduct was not normal.

“I spoke confidentially to Haden before I left about my love for Mrs. Miller and urged him to take care of her,” Lancaster said. He told how his admiration for Mrs. Miller turned to love during the LondonAustralia flight of 1927-28. ‘‘We were in the public eye at the time, of course, and after our arrival in Australia we had little opportunity to see each other,” he continued. “Since the long Australian flight my love for Mrs. Miller has increased during the year. I treated Haden confidentially from the start of our acquaintance and I was very fond of him.” Lancaster said he refused proposals on the western trip to fly his plane for the purpose of smuggling alien Chinese or narcotics into the country from Mexico. He denied that he had threatened in the presence of business associates to return to Miami from his western trip to get rid of Clarke. This denial contradicted the earlier testimony of J. F. Russell. “When Russell told me of reports that ‘Chubbie’ (Mrs. Miller) was in love with Haden I told him I wanted to hear no more of it. I did not believe it: I knew 'Chubbie.’” said Lancaster. Lancaster said the conversation took place at Los Angeles while Russell was unsuccessfully attempting to persuade him to fly his plane for alien and narcotic smuggling purposes.