GERALDINE MURDER TRIAL

Temuka Leader, Issue 7568, 21 May 1914, Page 3

GERALDINE MURDER TRIAL

CRU’f’S IHvIr’URH Till', CHI RT

ilenrv Cripps was 'brought tip on remand at the Magistrate s ( ourl, t.o'ialdine til Ih'lO a.ni. veslerdav, on the charge of wilfull.v murdering Adam Stevenson on April 22nd. Mr \. b. Dav. S.M., occupied the bench, and there was ti large. attendance oi the public. Superintendent l)w vvr (ChrisD'luireh e itultn le I the ease for the police and Air Campbell (.Raymond, Uayntond, find Catnjthelll appeared for the accused. Superintendent Dwyer slid he would briny for.\ aril evidence to show Inal Hi re wes a motiv e for the crime. I h;; nee.ised and ll.c deceased were at loggerhead (, atid had some dispute about. Idm wav ia which he was perfs.rmin;'- Ids work. kanma Millard deposed,: I live in Cet'i aldine and kn, w (lie de.-eased Adam Stevenson. 1 lived with him as his wife for fourteen years. He was employed by Mr A. Kelman. Deeeas.d used to come home every Saturday, night and through the week if possible. He remained e-enemllv mild Alondav morning. V'omel lines he used In so mil to feed hi- hor.-es on Sunday afternoon and then he would return ami in. II ■ was last at my homo on the Monday l-efoiv he was niissetl I dhl not see him (alive stive then.: tie was to have been boime on HaUtr-d-iv, April d.alb, but he did mu>L come, s i I sent my liUl" hoc on Sunday to see if anything had happened to him. The cam Ruble wmj told on the Sunday that deceased had not turned up as he promised. 1 lie deceased was Generally dressed in it dark tweed sail when ha culled to see] me. lie generally changed til the camp. It Was not his working ‘suit that he gcml'allv culled to see me in. dhe eoat and vest, anti trousers pi odueed belonged to him. He always i wore ti watch. U was not gold or silver,. lie hud a change of clothing 1 ill thi' camp and a change of socks in 1 ease he got wet. The dungarees and' lilt.' run- produml wife tlt'i'.’t\s;d s. Ihc | hoots produced with a hole in the ] side were his.

. Hi* Paterson cvid.-ruv similar U> that t/ivm at tha inquest, in regard l:» Stevenson s dirith, and lha nature -of injuries inflicted. was sent for ■ln c.xainiiir (he ac.nis:'il on tlw Ist 31 ny I hi: dav after ho was arrested. Till! reason I was sent for was that tin; accused had madr a statement. 1 saw ill" accused iu the cell, ami in the coarse of .examination I asked him to account for a slight grofcvv which I found on lii s hack over his left .shoulder blade. This he slated Had been caused by (he blow of a crowbar. Ho did not, say by-, whom the blow was given.” 31 r Campl'icll asked if the doctor wau examining on behalf of the accused as his medical attendant.

Inspector Dwyer said the doctor was employed by the police. dir 'Campbell said in that case the accused should have been warned not do make any statements to the doe-

Dr. I'alerson resuming his evidence, deposed : It was a faint linear-shap-ed bruise. A blow from the crowbar produced would leave a more . pronounced brui-e than the one 1 found if the bruise Were recent. The bruise, ■was too faint Lo f sa\* it .it had been a week standing. .1 was present with Detective Fahey and Constable D C*adv when the.v found what was apparently a poof of lilood about live fed from the door of the hut. A sum; pie of the soil was taken in my presene?. The worse knife produced would have produced the wounds found iu the head of deceased. Abxander Kelman, dohn Rowe, -I. ,\.' Willoughby, A. S. 1 <>/er, Adolmslone, -I. Haig, Mm. Hawke gave evidence substantiating slight points of (he evidence for the prosecution. John -lames UTlrady, police constable, stationed at ' iDeraldiae, deposed on the lines of his previous evidence given at the inquest. Alex. Augustus Dicker ton deposed : 1 am a dulv appointed' Government ana)vst. Da the 7th .May [received from Detective S-orgl. Fahey the exhibit consisting of elm It and pieces of wood -marked which I found-.to contain the blood of a 'mammal. 1 also received the hammer, and found it free from blood. L also examined the gorse knife, ami found it tree from blood. It wtts dry when 1 rec Jived it, but it showed signs of having been' wet recently. 1 found no blood on any other (lungs I received. Sergt. Detective Fahey deposed: On (lie ASth of April I arrived -at the Drari riverbed, where I met the accused and Constable O’Drady. 1 took a statement from the accused, which I took down in writing, bub he did not sign it. He said he eotild not read or write. Constable UTlrady was prosent. Harry Cripps said : “i was 27 years of age last. March. 1 started lo work for Kelman on the 'JJi-d March. 1 started to plough with Adam Stevenson. Me lived iu a little lint, amt both of us cooked together. Adam went home every Saturday night. On Saturday last we knocked oil work about a i|Uarler to live. Me wont to the hat and fed the horsi s. Adam worked a six-horse (earn, and .1 workid four horses. We covered I lie horses, and then went lo (he hut, Adam took -ill' Ids working clothes and put on a clean suit ami hat. Adam had two tints and two pairs of bools iu the hut. M’lmii Adam changed his clothes lie [eft the Iml to go home. I remained in the lint and cooked my own tea. Adam said feed the horses on Sunday as usual. Adam took away with him'"a rug and two bags sewn together. Adam rolled the swag up and tied it with string. The bags 1m used to keep him warm at night when jn | he hut. Adam went out through Die gale and down (he long newlyformed , oad. I went oul to see if the gale was fastened after he went out, and I saw trim down the road. It would be near u o clock. I then went to have my tea. After Dm 1 yoked up the horse and wenl down lo flic plantation for a tew sticks. 1 got home aboil 1 half-past seven. U was 100 dark (o get many. A man called 1,1 g ( -|.a bicyi-li- pump before 1 left (1„, camP. I wenl to lieraldine about S o'clock. Stopped about half-an-lumr

and eatne home again. 1 got, home r ’ 111 d’clock, 1 slepl in the hnt and h the horses on Sunday. Adam's ho witli anot her came and asked for h 'lather. I told him thill he went hoc lon Saturday night. 1 had my diani |nt home at \\ Inches!er. 1 did not- r. C turn again D> the camp until Monda , 1V afternoon. When in Winchester Ho

kins asked me lo get some beer, an I did so. He asked me for a shi 1 I’m U ln the afternoon. Hn Saturday w hiid a growl (referring lo Adnm). i was talking. Adiim iuvld me to Inr I the horses out, if i Would not worl He lifted Itis hand to live, inti lie di

not Itil me. He never Idled Ills hail 110 me before. -Adam rode till dav t, and I had lo walk. I got up a littl , before 7 o'clock lo day (Hie tiS11 1 ). t fed the liorses, lit llie lire, and ha L . ; breakfast. I then went out into tli . i grass paddocks to wait for ('otislal.il tlTlradv. I was not long on the rorv I ! before I met (DRrady. I forgot u’went as far as the plantation nea

s Tozrr’s eam|). It was about (l.av - liehl, 11 was very dark when I let I (he It'll to go for (he sticks. Th ■ 'ticks were of a light colour. 1 fomr " thi m in the dark. I was not nearth \ riverbed this morning. I was lookin ' lor Adam on the road. I thought h might have dropped dead. I did no have anything in the dray when 5 wim I for w ood. My coal was in tli j dray. I look it with me to keep in ’ | wiirm. I don’t know where Adam is 1 don’t know what lie look his rug

hnt and hoots with him for.” Thi was all thi- statement lie mad,' tha (lay. The plantation wtts, about ( \V< milrs from the Inti. II was nisi about a mile front the road wliic! leads lo the river. The statement look from accused wits taken about ; chain and a half from where the liodv was subscpnently found. On 1 lie iStl I searched the hut with Ootislabli (jk'lradv, and found the tomahawk am hammer. The gorse knife slasln r gvaf not tin-re then. 1 found it in the hut on May Ist under accused's lied am: on tlie (loof. Constable O'drady and , I also found what we look to lie a pool of blood, and 1 submitted'a sample ol il to I’rolVssor Hickerton on May Till : also oilier articles enumerated. On the evening of the Hath I relieved Constable Murphy in charge of accused. The accused thru said : "Inspector, I am sorry I didn’t tell you on' Tuesday. 1 tvas kneeling I’down chopping sticks, w!u;ij_ Adam hit, me with a crowbar over the shoulders. I hit him with a'.stick on I lie head. I washed his face. I was going to lake him down to you fellows. 1 go(, frightened, and I carted him to the riverbed.” Constable O’Cradv, re-called : When (lie body was taken out of-Hie sackin',;- the face was quite clean. Then) Was no blood on the face whatever. Tliis closed the evidence for (he prosecution. Accused, wlio had nothing to say, was thru committed for trial id the Supi'env Coin-1, Timani, on -11111,’ Uth. The accused was dressed in a dark lible suit and wore a white handkerchief round Ids neck, with his coat collar turned up round it. He appeared lo he quite calm and collected, ami during the hearing of ITof. Hickerlon’s evidence he made signs to the constable on guard that he wished lo retire. The Magistrate granted leave, and the accused was allowed to leave, the Court fo>- about: ten minutes. The accused, who was brought from Titnartt yesterday morning, was in the custody of a . l.yt Irllon constable. The accused was sent back to Lyttelton last evening in charge of the same, const aide.