JURORS SUFFER FROM COLDS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20329, 12 June 1934, Page 7

JURORS SUFFER FROM COLDS.

Draughty Court Causes Discomfort in

Bayly Trial.

INTEREST OF PUBLIC UNABATED.

(Special to the “ Star.”)

AUCKLAND, June 12. HEAVY RAIN did not dampen the enthusiasm of a section of the regular attenders at the Bayly trial, and although the weather was biting queues of men and women still formed outside the court.

Several jurors apparently are suffering from colds and four were medically attended last night. Fits of coughing by members of the public, the jury and even counsel make it difficult to hear witnesses at times. The court is cold and draughty with meagre heating equipment. Medical evidence for the Crown was completed this morning and a long testimony by the Government Analyst (Mr K. M. Griffin) was begun. It is not anticipated that the Crown ease will be completed until Thursday of this week at the earliest.

When the Court adjourned for lunch to-day 390 pages of depositions had been typed and the total number of words recorded approached 160,000. It is not expected that the analyst will be released from the box to-day.

Continuing his evidence. Dr Waddell gave corroborative evidence of the second post-mortem on the body of Mrs Lakey on October 19. Bruises on the chin, he said, could have been caused by severe blows. Onlv a few weeks ago, he saw a boxer who had received a knock-out blow. He was pale, respiration was extremely shallow and the pulse was very weak. Witness read the post-mortem findings of Hr Gilmour and gave the opinion that Mrs Lakey’s death was the result of a blow and that she died when her face vas under water. Mr Meredith: What colour was Mrs Lakey’s hair?—Definitely grey, but I think it must have been red years ago. Mr Lear}*: Until recently you had not heard of frothy blood?—Not until I had read of it. If you thought Mrs Lakey died of asphyxia, why did you send the stomach and contents for examination? Did you suspect poison?—There had been a suspicion. You did not report after the first post-mortem that Mrs Lakey died from asphyxia?—l made no definite report until after the second post-mortem. Doctors’ Discussion. You know that your colleague, Dr MacFarland, definitely said after the first post-mortem that she did not die of drowning?—l understand so. You knew Dr MacFarland’s view? I did not know he made any definite statement. In answer to further questions, Dr Waddell said that Dr Gilmour forwarded him a copy of his report. He did not say that death was due to asphyxia through the cutting off of breath by water.

Mr Leary: I put it to you that your opinion was influenced by any communication you received from Dr Gilmour?—We discussed the matter at the post-mortem examination. I don’t want discussion. All I want to know n if you were influenced by Dr Gilmour’s report?—Not necessarily. When Mrs Lakey was lying unconscious, her breathing would be very shallow?—Yes, it would. A man might think she was dead? Yes, unless he knew how to examine her. Analyst’s Evidence. The Government Analyst- at Auckland, Kenneth Massey Griffin, M.Sc., said that on October IS he received from Constable Richardson a glass jar containing the stomach and contents of Christobel Lakey. Two days later he received from Constable Jones glass jars containing the liver, kidneys, spleen and small intestines. He exam ined for poison but found no trace in the organs. There was an ounce of blood in the stomach. Various exhibits of burnt bone and charcoal were identified by witness as having been handed to and examined by him. On November 23 at the Auckland Hospital he received from Dr Gilmour ten envelopes containing

scrapings. These included exhibits taken from Bayly’s petrol drum. The witness separated the material into four different classes — : (a), wood charcoal; (b). fine material in which there were small fragments of bone burnt white: (c). several globules of melted lead which weighed 0.3 grains; and (d), three burnt boot nails and two burnt staples. Another exhibit contained scrapings from the floor of Bayly’s cowshed, and in it he found wood charcoal. In another sample he found molten lead weighing 17.4 grains. He had weighed I.C.G. bullets and found that each weighed 28.7 grains. More wood charcoal and burnt bone were found in deposits taken from Bayly’s cowshed. Fragments of Bone. Mr Griffin said that he was handed the lower portion of a benzine drum and he took from this scrapings of what turned out to be wood charcoal. From these scrapings he extracted fragments of bone burned white, which were tested scientifically. He also found some lead melted on to the drum. Pie had to use force to remove it. The lead weighed 3.2 grains.

The witness gave lengthy reasons for his opinion that there was no fire of any magnitude in the bottom portion of the drum since it had been cut in two. Mr Griffin next examined a kerosene tin perforated on the bottom and with a square piece cut out of the bottom of one side. He found no- burnt bone in this. On two pieces of concrete (produced) the witness showed where they had been heated on one side. No deposit of bone was found on either piece. In another exhibit that witness examined he found a small portion of white rubber adhering to canvas, which had been through fire The rubber and canvas were similar to that used in the manufacture of footwear. Three pieces of burnt pipe stem -were found. In Bayly's garden was the inner portion of a cherrywood pipe that had been burnt. The analyst gave evidence concerning a cigarette lighter which had a wick and a length of cotton when it was received from Detective White. “ I am of the opinion that the wick is identical with the wick in Stevens’s lighter,” said the witness. The Judge: Your view is that they are identical?—Yes, the same manufacture. A ball of thread material found at Mrs Lakey’s proved to be of the same manufacture as the materials in the wicks. The witness said that a manure sack was of the same material and structure as a sack recovered from Bayly’s pig wallow. Mr Griffin went on to give evidence regarding the examination of teeth and other articles handed to him by the police and gave his conclusions regarding these. (Proceeding.) (Yesterday afternoon’s evidence is reported on Page 4.)