CLAVERLEY TRIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 254, 27 October 1939, Page 8

CLAVERLEY TRIAL

ALLEGED MURDER OF MRS. FATIENCE IDENTIFICATION OF BODY [ Per Press Association. | CHRISTCHURCH. Oct. 26. The Crown case against Arthur John Patience (48 >. labourer, charged with the murder of his wife, Harriet Jane Patience, in Claverley on October 4, was continued before Mr. Justice Northcroft in the Supreme Court today. Mr. A. T. Donnelly is conducting the case for the Crown. Mr. Alan Brown being with him. Mr. R. A. Young, with him Mr. T. A. Grcsson. appears for Patience. Senior-Sergeant James Bickerdike said 25 police, and for a time. 10 to 15 Public Works men. searched in Claverley. Patience was not warned before making his second statement, most of which was elicited by questions. On July 21. Patience was told that a body had been found at Taratuhi , and he was quite willing to go to Kaikoura and see. Patience had always been open in answering ques-| tions frankly and respectfully. Steve ■ Patience saw the body in Kaikoura ■ and said it was his mother. He was not doubtful, but was naturally very quiet. Jack Patience had not seen the body and had never been asked • to identify it. He was not asked to - look at the body because it was considered the body was sufficiently identified. Nothing Suspicious Bickerdike said on neither of the : two inspections of Patience's hut had he found anything suspicious. At th ■ Blenheim Hotel. Patience was “quite open and frank.” He was not alone with Patience for two hours before i the statement was taken. Patience was not warned that he need not make a statement nor that it might be used as evidence against him if he did so. Mr. Gresson: You are rather good: at getting statements, are you not ? Bickerdike: If I am its no secret. Mr. Gresson: You get your story, "cn’t you? Bickerdike: If I am it's no secret. Detective-Sergeant Herron said he wrapped the body up to send it to i Christchurch. A truck u«es tilled to the top of the side with hay. a stretcher being under a tent fly. The slack of the fly was under the > stretcher so that no ropes were used to tie the body down. No sacking or similar material was near it. Detective-Sergeant Herron said when Patience said the body wa> not that of his wife, he asked him whether he could point out any different features about the body. Patience did not answer. Doctor’s Evidence Dr. R. L. Withers, of Kaikoura. said the body found at Taratuhi was that of a middle-aged, well-nourished woman. When he saw it. it was quite dry and knowing the district well, he knew it could not have been there long otherwise birds and vermin would have destroyed it. There was no smell of decomposition. To Mr. Young. Dr. Withers said he could not recall his assistant. Dr. Stronach, attending Mrs. Patience mentioning it. The body lay overnight in the Kaikoura morgue. Hp saw no ligature or sacking marks on the body. To Mr. Donnelly, witness said he did not touch the body, making only a cursory examination. Cecil Wvlliam Rudkin, manager of a woollen manufactory, examined a piece of skin to which he said a piece of rib-stitch fabric was adhering and in his opinion the garment produced was identical to the piece adhering. To Mr. Gresson. witness said there were probably hundreds of singlets in New Zealand the same as those proSon’s Evidence He last saw his mother at Claverley in September, 1938, when she appeared to be as usual and made no mention of leaving on October 7. said a son of deceased. Arthur Stephen Patie i'j. His father called and said i s he had missed £49. Witness was surprising to know hs father had so much. On October 16 Patience told ■ him his mother had not been in the hut on the evening of October 4 and j was still away in the morning. Arthur Pa’ienc? said that he had i identified the body in the Kaikoura morgue on July 21. It was that of his mother. Witness said he reported his mother's disappearance to the police at Cheviot on October 18. To Mr. Young, witness >a; i he al- , ways got on well with both his parents. His mother had all she could reasonably want in the way of clothes and money. Arthur Patience said that at Kai- j kcura h* looked for a wedding ring on the body but could not see one. nor a mark where one had been. His mother had worn a tight-fitting ring. He looked for vaccination marks but he was not certain whether one mark was of vaccination. He saw no marks ; of ropes or sacking but he was sure was his mother’s body. Niece of Dead W Oman. Mrs Irene Maud George, of Ricca:ton, said she was a niece of Mrs.[ ' Patience. Mrs. Patience was about j’ nine or ten years older than accused, ; witness said. sne last sav. Mrs. j Patience on September 18. 1938. That i was a Friday. Mrs. Patience came with i • her husband and she stayed until Sun- ' day, but accused did not. Towards the ■ latter part accused was very off-hand ! with his wife. The cause of the trouble ■ was Mrs. Chapman. Witness said she wrote a letter to Mrs. Patience early in October, but it j was sent back to her at Riccarton. The ( day she first knew her aunt had disappeared was October 15. Clothes i had been left at her house, together ; with a note, some days earlier. She wrote to the accused but did not get a reply from him. She also wrote to the son Steve, she next saw accused < on October 21. He came to her house ; in the evening and she asked if he had 1 Jane with him. He saiefc “No, isn’t she here?” She said: “Haven’t you seen her?” He said, “No.” She asked him to tell her how Mrs. Patience had gone and he said that he had come in to have tea and found his i wife all dressed to go out, quite happy, ] to hear an election speech. He had < then gone to Fletcher’s place and had