MURDER CHARGE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1935, Page 7

MURDER CHARGE

GIRL’S BODY IN CREEK

FRACTURES OF THE SKULL

HAWKE’S BAY CASE OPENS

FORTY-TWO WITNESSES

MEDICAL EVIDENCE GIVEN

By Telegraph—Press Association. Napier, Last Night. .'Twelve of the 42 witnesses who will give evidence in . the case in which Charles William Price, alias Edwards, a teamster, charged that on or about February 6 at Argyll he murdered Evelyn Mary Madden, a domestic, were heard m the Napier Magistrate’s Court to-day, when the lower court hearing of the charge began. To-day’s evidence mainly concerned medical observations on the woman’s injuries and with tracing the movements of the woman and .Price from the time they left together their employ at, Oreka Station, Femhill. ' The body of Miss Madden was discovered on February 14 last in a creek at a lonely spot near Argyll East, a country settlement a few miles outside Waipgwa, Central Hawkes Bay. Price had been working as a contracting teamster, and was arrested some days after the discovery of the body when in the vicinity of the creek. ■ The case for the Crown is being conducted by Mr. H. B. Lusk (Crown prosecutor),* and Mr. L. W. Willis. Mr. S. Averill appears for Price. The first witness, Alexander Reid, surveyor, gave, formal evidence regarding the drawing up of a plan of the scene of the alleged crime. He stated that the hole in the creek in which the body was found was three feet deep and overhung by willows and rushes. • ... Senior-Sergeant E. W. Dirinie, in charge of the criminal registration de-« partment at Wellington, stated that, on March 8 in company with DetectiveSergeant Bickerdike he went to the spot where Miss Madden’s body , was found. Witness took a number of photographs, and these he described to the court. discovery of the body. A 16-year-old boy, Herbert Bert Monk, farmhand, Argyll East, described the discovery of the - body in Tahiki Creek, about three chains from the junction of the Nestor, Raukawa and Te Onepu Roads. In January last witness set an eel trap, in the creek on Nestor’s property. On the evening of February 14 he visited the trap, walking up the creek some distance. After crossing the creek on a log. he discovered a short distance away the body of a woman lying under a willow tree in a hole. The body, which was about four feet fr,om the bank, was floating face upwards. • Witness reported the discovery to his father and the police were communicated with. Next morning witness accompanied Constable Dawson, Ongaonga, to the spot. Witness stated that the locality in which the body was found was isolated and he had rarely seen visitors in the vicinity. Constable Dawson gave evidence that When he went to the spot on the morning of February 15 -he- found Madden’s i clothing disarranged. Witness made a close inspection of the vicinity and noticed a woman's stocking close jo the bank, while a top set of false teeth was discovered lying in the grass about six paces from the edge of the water. A woman’s garter lay nearby. On the morning of February 16 witness again went to the scene. • Just as he arrived he saw a man near the hole . in the creek. The man walked away, but witness intercepted him about 500 yards from' the creek. They exchanged greetingsrand the man said, “I am feeling very crodk. I have been on the booze for a : fortnight.” He then produced a bottle and took a drink. ‘‘HAD SLEPT IN THREE.” ■' Witness asked the man his name arid he replied that it was Edwards. He added that'he had walked from the property of a settler named Marshall, a distance of five miles, to see Bayliss, another settler, about “getting his old job back.” Edwards said he had slept in the titree, pointing towards the water hole. They returned to the creek, where Edwards drank dry gin in his possession and tossed the bottle into the water. Then he drew from his packet a bottle ■ of methylated spirits, some of which he mixed with water from the creek and drank.

\ Shortly afterwards Detective-Sergeant Bickerdike and Detective Farquharson arrived. Witness identified Edwards as Price, the accused man. The first medical witness was Dr. Rowland Cashmore, Hastings, who described an examination of the body carried out on the bank of the creek on February 15. The woman’s clothing Was crumpled.

Witness and Detective Farquharson recovered the body from the pool. A cursory examination revealed a wound on the scalp. Dr. Cashmore and Dr. Whyte, •of Hastings; caried out post mortem examination at the Hastings morgue.' The Jbody. which was clad in a print dress, two petticoats and two singlets, was that of a well developed, well nourished woman of about 30 years of age. Putrefaction had destroyed most of the facial outline- and the upper jaw was toothless. '' . WOUNDS IN THE HEAD. A scalp wound was found one inch to the left of ,the middle line extending ■ directly backwards for two inches from rihe junction of the hair and the brow. A cut an inch long was on the right ear extending from, the scalp. There were a so long cuts above the left ear and the top . >f the head and at the back of the head. The vault of the skull was fractured from the bridge of the nose over the top of the head for a distance of six inches. Dr. Cashmore added that the examination revealed no sign of pregnancy. Other than the head wounds there was no sign of injury about the body. Death in witness’ opinion was probably due to extensive laceration of the brain- brought about by a fracture of the vault and base 'of the skull. Considerable force would be necessary to inflict the injuries. A piece of timber three feet long produced in court could have inflicted the «»junes. Dr. Walker Gilmour, pathologist at tne Auckland hospital, stated that he received a sealed metal container in which was the skull of a woman. The skull wa produced by the Crown prosecutor but ‘was not exhibited. Dr. Gilmour ed the extent of the fractures to the skull. From the fractures witness concluded that they must have been paused by at least two separate blows. The ‘ front fracture could have been causedl y a right-handed assailant standing in front of the victim and could have been caused only by a very severe blow. In fitness’ opinion the fractures were homicidal. ’ . . Dr. A- D. S. Whyte, Hastings, gave evi-

dence of the post mortem examination he and Dr. Cashmore made. Dr. John Mercer, assistant pathologist at the Wellington Hospital, who examined a man’s brown suit, a woman’s blue woollen coat and a woman’s small white hat for human blood, said that on the lining above the right wrist of the suit he found two irregular reddish brown stains, the external appearances of which suggested they were bloodstains.. Tests revealed that they were made by human blood. On the woman’s coat. he found on the lower part of the left lapel several oval reddish stains which were also made by human bjood. On the inside of the crown of the hat he found a stain four inches long, also made by human blood. Audrey Lincoln Jamieson, who with Miss Madden were employed at' James Lowry's station at Femhill, said that Edwards and Miss Madden were rather friendly and often went out together for walks. On .Monday, February 4, Miss Madden and Edwards left the station together. That day witness had a conversation with Edwards, who said he was going to Auckland. Edwards made a joking remark that he “was tired of Eva; sick of her.” ’Witness identified several articles of clothing and other effects as belonging to Miss Madden. James Northe Lowry, by whom Miss Madden and Edwards were employed, said he drove the pair to the Hastings railway station on February 4. They left His employ together on that date. He and his wife, Lucy Frances Lowry, iden* tified a number of cheques of his with which both Edwards and Miss Madden were P CALL AT RAILWAY STATION.

According to the evidence of Keith Walker Baker, a Hastings railway station porter, a man came into the left luggage office on February 4 and said he wanted to leave some luggage. This luggage witness identified among the exhibits. He could not identify the man who brought them. Ernest Henry Gardiner said he met Price at Hastings on February 4. Price said he had a lady with him and asked if witness knew a quiet place where she could stay. Witness and Price went to a Mrs. Higgins’ house. Later Price told witness his companion had not liked the room and that they both booked in at the Hastings Hotel. Similar evidence was given by Mrs. Greta Verosa Higgins. Evidence of the booking in at the hotel on the afternoon of February 4 of a man giving the name of Edwards and a woman with the name of Malcolm was given by Beryl Scandrett. They stayed two nights, she said, and left on. the morning‘ of February 6. The man paid the bill with • a cheque which witness identified. , Ernest Fitzmaurice, manager of. a Hastings 'lothing establishment, said that on the afternoon of February 4 Price bought a pair of women’s shoes, explaining that he had left a job at Lowry’s and that since the girl had been good to him at the station he would like to reciprocate. At this stage the court adjourned.