Wife Murder

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 64, 16 March 1936, Page 7

Wife Murder

DR. RUXTON GUILTY SENTENCED TO DEATH SALUTE TO THE COURT 18/ Telegraph—Press Association— Cop/ LONDON, March 13. Dr. Ruxton was found guilty of the murder of his wife, and was sentenced to death. The jury was absent sixtytwo -minutes. When the verdict wa*: announced, the prisoner, almost inaudibly, referred to* the fairness of his trial and announced ids intern ion of appealing. He raised his arm from the elbow in the form of a salute, repeating t-h-e. gesture as lour warders escorted him from the dock. The charge of murder against Dr. Buck ituxluu, a French-Indian Alohaiunied’an, arose out of what was known a© the Aloilat Ravine mystery. A cable message received on October 2 stated Luat tiie discovery of thirty newspaper parcels containing portions ot the uodi'es of a ma'ii and a woman was a sequel to the finding of the heads from the two bodies, also wrapped in newspapers, in a deep ravine at Gardeniioim, Dunifricaihire. A doctor's report on the parts recovered indicated that they were the remains of a man between 55 and 60 years of age, and of a woman of about 30. They were so mutilated that identification was almost impossible. Dr. Ruxton’s nursemaid, Alias Al. J. Rogerson, aged 20, was identified as cue of the and his wife, Airs. Isobel Ruxton, aged 35, was reported to be missing. Latifr it was seated that it was believed that the second body was that of a woman, not a man. When remanded on charges of murdering both his wife and nis maid, Ruxton declared: “Aly religion would not allow me to doit.” The case came on fur trial at the Alanchcu-tcr Assizes on March 2, and was described a-s the bigg-est murder trial in recent years. Though he had been committed for trial on tiie murder uf his wife and of his housemaid, Alary Rogerson, Dr. Luxtun was charged with the murder of his wife only. In his opening address, counsel fur the Crown alleged that the accused’© wife was first strangled, and that then the maid was killed, probably with a knife, because she was an eye-witness. Both WG-inen had certain blemishes and pecularitit’s by which they were identifiable, and all these were removed by the cutting up and dismembering of the bodies, which war? the work of «i man skilled in surgery. Evidence was given by the accused, who said that his name, was formerly Gabriel Hakim, He held Bombay medical and .surgical degrees. Describing his marriage, he said: “We were the sort of people, who could not live cither with or without each other.’’ Asked if he killed his wife, he i-aid: “Jl. is a fantastic story,” and asked if hi* killed Mary Rogerson, he replied, “It is bunkum. ”