ALLEGED MURDER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 427, 19 November 1930, Page 7

ALLEGED MURDER

THE FITZROY TRAGEDY CROWN’S CASE CONCLUDES DEFENCE OF INSANITY [Per Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 18. The trial of Alexander Townsend, farm labourer, on a charge of murdering his wife, Cora Alice Townsend, at Fitzroy suburb early in the morning of September 16, was continued before the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, to-day.

Mrs Cherry Isabella Vickers said she had known Mrs Townsend a long time. She went out on September 15 just before Mrs Townsend arrived. She returned between 10.30 and 10.40 p.m. and went into the kitchen, where were the Townsends <*nd her sister, Miss Patchel. Townsend spoke to her. She could smell drink strongly, but he was quiet and civil. He discussed family matters, saying he would not pay any more money for Jean’s board. He wanted Mrs Townsend to outside, but she refused. When he asked his wife to go with him for a settlement, witness suggested getting a taxi for both of them. Townsend was willing to do this, but Mrs Townsend refused and said something in an undertone. He went away after telling his wife to put her hat and coat on, as he would wait for her at the gate. It might have been a quarter of an hour later that he came back and stood at the door. He was given a cup of coffee. He. was speaking more loudly, and looked pale. He and his wife went down the passage towards the sitting room. Mrs Townsend said she would meet him in the morning. Arrangements were made that Mrs Townsend and Miss Patchel should sleep in the sitting room. Witness then went to bed in the room with one of her daughters. She could not say what time it was that her sister came to awaken her. She came out into the passage, where she saw the two Townsends and Miss Patchel by the telephone. Townsend was speaking rather loudly. He asked where the telephone was. Witness showed him, whereupon he broke off the receiver. Th husband and wife then went towards the sitting room.

“Bella! Bella! Oh, Belial” called Mrs Townsend later. “I’m a dead man now,” said Townsend. “No, not yet, Alex,” replied his wife. Witness heard neither of them speak again. She heard no sounds of struggling or fighting in the sitting room. She went into another -room with her girls. Constable King told of the finding of the body lying face downwards in a pool of blood. When taken to the police station, Townsend had said: “I’m the man. I know what I have done, and I have done it for a good purpose. I must say I was drunk last night. I did it for my daughter’s sake. Is she dead?” Detective Meiklejohn replied that- she was dead, and Townsend said, “That’s a good job. Don’t have a court. Hang me right away. It ought to have been done years ago.” Noticing the. knife and gun lying on the table, Townsend had said, “That’s the knifo and that’s the gun. It was not used, but I can tell you boys that if you had come along it would have been used.”

Constable King said that Townsend’s condition was as if he were recovering from a drinking bout. He was not drunk and appeared to know what he was talking about. Address to Jury. This concluded the Crown’s case. “It must be obvious,” said Mr L. M. Moss, in opening his address to the jury, “that you will have little difficulty in finding that the thing which killed this unfortunate woman was the hand of accused. Our defence is that at the time of the commission of the act Townsend was an insane man who protests his sanity when his mind is disordered. The test of insanity is roughly his sanity. He invited the police to hang him. At the present moment that is his desire.” The intention to commit mass murder, contended counsel, was evidence of insanity. It was part of the Crown’s case that Townsend went to Onacro with the intention to wipe out the Huses (his sister-in-law and brother-in-law) and the Latham’s (Latham being his father-in-law). Taylor’s medical jurisprudence had it that a sane man might kill two persons, but when a man went beyond that and showed intention to commit mass murder, he was insane. Townsend had a knife and gun and 20 cartridges. Again, unlike a sane man, he had announced his intention to commit the murder.

Robert Henry Townsend, a farmer, of Hamilton, and a brother of the accused man, said that in recent years a change seemed to have come over accused. Occasionally he would pass acquaintances in the street and not recognise them. Patrick Crosbie, a farmer, of Cluadelands, said he had lived opposite Townsend for several years. He described him as a nice man generally, but very changeable. During a conversation he would change from one subject to another, apparently without reason.

Incident at Boarding House. William Walter Smith, a retired forester, said he had observed Townsend closely. He was a man of violently changing moods. His conversation was always of a frivolous nature, and never seemed to rise above that of a boy of 11 or 12. When alone he would occasionally work himself into violent moods. He would curse to himself. On the night of the tragedy Townsend came to the boardinghouse, shook hands, said good-bye, and said he was going to swim the ocean to Sydney. Witness knew Townsend was going through his money at rate of £7OO a year.

Dr. E. A. Walker told of his interview with Townsend in prison. He seemed calm and collected. Ho was clear about the last few hours, but was confused concerning the time of the tragedy. Tie had no remorse and said, “The deed is done and w’cll done.” Apparently he did not remember taking the knife out of his pocket, but said he found it there the next morning with blood on it. The doctor’s evidence was not concluded when the court adjourned till to-morrow.