SCHOOLMASTER’ BRIME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 126, 29 May 1936, Page 5

SCHOOLMASTER’ BRIME

LOVE THAT TURNED TO HATE MURDER ATTEMPT AFTERBROKEN ENGAGEMENT Love, following a meeting between a susceptible girl of 18, the daughter of a tradesman, and a young schoolmaster, led to a drama whicu, as was pointed out at Maidstone Assizes recently, almost ended in tragedy. The persistent wooer declared that while he had, as the culmination of a number of extraordinary incidents in regard to his broken engagement, intended to sacrifice his lite, he had no desire to slay his former sweetheart, “a mere child,” as counsel described her. But a jury decided that he had deliberately shot at the girl, Miss Margaret (“Peggy”) Cliiitu-n Beer, whose fatlrer, a tobacconist and confectioner, is owner of two shops in Asli, near Sandwich, one or whicn she managed, wit-h intent to murder her. The man, who lired the shot from a liunianckiller, was Hugh Williams, ag-ed 24, a school teacher, of Ash Council School, and a native of Anglesey. Brown-haired, clean-shaven, and wearing spectacles, Williams, with bis overcoat collar turned up, sat in the dock ami listened composedly to the allegations made against him. Proposal Accepted. Fur the Crown, Mr. B. 11. Waddy outlined the circumstances, and explained that the girl made tae acquaintance of Williams at a dance in February, 1934. Their friendship icsu.ted in Williams being a welcome visitor at the home of her parents, and in July of that year, when the girl was just turned 15, Ire proposed marriage. Miss Beer accepted, and her parents consented to the engagement. But in June, 1935, she came to the conclusion that sire was no longer in love with Williams, and she cancelled the engage-

ment. “Ao doubt that upset him very considerably,” commented Mr. Waddy, “and from June, 1935, until this offence he persistently pestered this girl to love him, and threatened, if she did not, to kill her and commit suicide. “During this time be produced to her a packet of 100 tablets, which he said he was go x ng to take. Un another occasion he showed her a sharp sheath knife, and asked her how she would like to die. Afterwards he produced a bottle of poison, with the suggestion that Ire was cither going to kill her or .himself. ’ ’ Weapo-.i Purcfhased. Then Mr. Waddy went on to describe how Williams, having consulted a catalogue at a local ironmonger’s, specially selected a humane-killer, used lur vnuing the sufleriDgs of maimed anima.s, and with the aid of a piece of string converted it into an effective pistol. Following a visit with a woman friend to Canterbury, Miss Beer, at about 11 am., was returning to her home when slue passed Williams. Entering the house, sue left it to go to an outside bathroom, and as sue leturned she felt Williams piess something against her neck, with a remark about killing hier. Miss Beer dashed for the back door and slammed il, leaving Williams outside. Some time later sue was heating a water bottle in the kitchen. A light, apparently from an electric torch, flashci through the window, which had no blind. “Then,” counsel stated, “there was a terrific crash, and a bullet from the humane-killer passed through the window in an upward direction and struck a plat-e rack just above the girl’s head—so extraordinarily close that fragments of the lace curtain were left in her hair, her wrist was cut, and she also received facial injuries when the bullet broke the crockery on the plate rack. “Smoke marks iound th-e bullethole in tihe ivindow showed that the weapon when fired was close to it.” Dressed in a tweed costume with a silken ruffle falling from her neck, and a brown felt hat to harmonise with her gauntlet gloves, Miss Beer was almost , inaudible at times as she told the story of her broken romance. “Why did you break off the engagement?” inquired counsel. “Because I did not love him,” she answered. Miss ■ Beer stated that later Williams asked

I her to think it over, but she declined to do so. “Would Kill Us Both.” “Were you writing to anyone abroad?” asked Mr. Waddy. “Yes,” replied tlie girl. “A man, or woman was the next quettioi). “A man,' 7 responded the girl. “Age?” continued counsel. “About 20,” answered Miss B'ccr. “He (Williams) questioned me about all my friends, and he said that if this one came to see me he would kill us both. ■“I said that if he did he would be hanged, and he replied that would be th-e finish—he did not care.” After -Miss Beer had described older incidents, the crime was reconstructed in court. Two police officers held up Ihe lower sash of the diatt’ered window through which the bullet was fired, complete with the torn curtaining, and the girl stood with an enamel bow] on tae edge of the witness-box to represent a sink, while counsel, handling the nickleplated humane-killer, put it in a position so that the jury could realise the angle in which it must have been fired. ”1 Was Very Depressed.” Giving evidence on his own behalf, Williams, resting bis 'dosed hands on the witness-box, declared: “Tire breaking off of the engagement gave me a great shock, and after a weex 1 bad to go lo hospital. 1 was advised to go nomc, because the doctor thought 1 hud a nervous ' omplaint. “1 was very depressed. I felt I was not giving my boys the best. Everything seemed to go wrong. I studied until 3 o'clock in the mori.ing, and later, and then went to the school with my mind a blank.” Williams admitted that Miss Beer had told him, “J. hate you,” but asserted that aitciwards they had kissed. “ Subsequently, ’ ’ be added, “ I had seen her with some other men. I was jealous. 1 asked her not to go with men because I had read of cases in which jealous men ruined themselves by doing daft things. “I told her that if I saw her with

tnese nren 1 would kin tier, i was not serious. 1 wanted to frighten her.” “Are you still in love with her?” persisted course!. ‘‘Yes,” agreed Williams. “Decided to Take My Life." Speaking of the shooting episode, Williams explained: “1 laougnt 1 would take *niy life. 1 was by the other side of the road. 1 pulled inis weapon out, and before 1 had a chance it went off. 1. must have had my linger on the trigger, 1 saw the s<iot naj gone through the window. “After that I ran away to the church-yard, because I was Trig l ltuned. 1 knew that the shooting would uaus’J investigation, would distress my parents, would ruin my career, and ray pension, and I decided to take my life.’’ “Did you,” asked Mr. Younger, “in fact lead the gun again?” “Yes,” said Williams, “and tircre, in the churchyard, something said to me, ‘Don't be a coward. You had no intention of doing any harm to her, and if anything comes of it, take it like a man.’ ” Word of Hoeiour Given. Williams explained that he threw the humane-killer into the river, and that following his arrest the police recovered it from a dyke by dredging. After Williams had insisted that Miss Beer had noit ceased to love him, counsel remarked, “This letter was written by you to her”: Dear Peg,—Would you pl-ease return my ring, as now you don’t love me it is no good to you? Williams not only agreed, but admitted that he had informed her parents, on his word of honour, that he would not try to see their daughter again. Williams declared that when he threatened to commit suicide by taking tablets, he thought it would reawaken her love, but it was not to force her into a marriage withc-ut affection. “This girl was not to speak to another man, under the threat of death?” counsel inquired. “I wanted to frighten her,” was the calm response. Questioning Williams about the cartridges, Mr. Waddy put to him t'hat of two, one was intended for Peggy, and the other for himself. “They were both for me,” slated Williams. “If one had failed, there was the other. 1 tuc-k no chances.” “You pulled this humane-killer out. according to your story, to blow your brains out?” “Ye*,” replied Williams,