POISONED CHOCOLATES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 195, 21 August 1935, Page 6

POISONED CHOCOLATES

THE HASTINGS CASE j A SENSATIONAL TURN I [ Per Press Association. J NAPIER, Aug. 20. The trial of Phyllis Leslie Tui JJarI shall (aged 18) on charges connected ] with the Hastings poisoned chocolate ; case commenced at the Supreme Court before Mr. Justire Reed. Accused was charged with the attempted murder of Alma Lorraine Keith on May 22 last: alternatively. that with intent to injure Keith she attempted to cause her to take pqison. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr. IT. B Lusk) stated that Miss Keith received a packet through the post found to contain chocolates. Miss Keith’s mother became suspicious and handed the chocolates to the police. When analysed the sweets were found to contain arsenic in sufficient quantity to have caused death. Mr. Lusk said that it was clear that accused had been in love with a man named Jack Masters, who was friendly with Miss Keith. Ihe mail contractor at Argyll East, where accused resided, had posted the packet for her. A similar one had been received by Miss Keith. In a statement accused had denied that she intended to kill Miss Keith, but that she "anted to “make her sick and give her a good fright. Before sending the chocolates she had tried the poison o;, the cat which had died. The evidence was similar to ' that given in the Lower Court. There a sensational turn during the long cross-examination of witness by Mr. Harker, counsel for the defence, when His Honour asked whether it was being suggested that Masters made up the parcel of chocolates and got accused to post them for him. Mr. Harker replied that it was. Masters was then warned by the < Town Prosecutor that he was * being directly accused of poisoning the chocolates and got accused to post them. j Masters denied any conversation be i tween accused and him about poisoned [ chocolates. Masters told of sleeping at Marshall's house when he had ’flu He denied that anything improper had occurred between accused and him one night. After outlining the case for the defence, Mr. HarkJr called accused into the witness box. She said that Mashers and she had been friendly, SiasHers telling her that he wished to marry I her, but since his people did not ap- ' prove of accused, his father wished him tto marry Alma Keith. As he was dependent on his father, he did not want to offend him, he said. Masters told accused that they would never get anywhere the way they were going, and that Alma Keith would have to be disposed of. When Masters slept at Marshall’s house when he said he was ill, accused mainly looked after him. She recalled intimacy between them one night. Masters returned from Tikokino later and gave accused a parcel, asking her to address and post it. She did so. not knowing what it contained. Later Masters asked if she had posted il. When she said “Yes,” he said,, “Well, you’ve done for yourself this time." He explained that the parcel contained poisoned chocolates and that she was in it now as much as he was. Masters told her that he had put arsenic in the chocolates. Accused told him she would ring Alma Keith about the matter. Musters replied that he would go to Hastings and put the matter right. Later he told accused that Mrs. Keith had insisted on taking the chocolates to the police station, but denied that he had gone too He also said that it the parcel were traced to Marshall’s place accused would have to take the blame. The hearing wa- adjourned until to morrow.