ALLEGED MURDER

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 46, 25 February 1936, Page 5

ALLEGED MURDER

Trial of Eric Mareo THE POLICE WITNESSES . ■% EVIDENCE CONCLUDED (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, This Day. Proceedings moved more rapidly at the Mareo trial today when the police witnesses were disposed of sooner than was expected, thus paving the way for the commencement r of counsels’ addresses. The Court was again crowded. Mareo at various stages smilingly chatted with his leading counsel for the defence, Mr. H. F. O’Leary. A Cross and Re-Examination. Cross-examination of DetectiveSergeant Meiklejohn was concluded in half an hour, and the re-examina-tion two minutes later. The foreman of the jury asked: “When Mareo said, ‘Do you think I am a murderer?’ what was the exact conversation?”

Mr. Justice Fair, replying, read a page of evidence referring to the conversation, in the course of which Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn asked Mareo how his wife came to have so much veronal. It was then that Mareo replied: “Do you think I am a murderer?”

Detective Hamilton corroborated the evidence given by DetectiveSergeant Meiklejohn. When witness was alone in the front room' with Mareo on the night of his wife’s death the accused said: “I’ve had a double whisky and I’ve a bottle of brandy in the car to make me sleep to-night. I feel like doing myself in.”

Witness told the accused not to be silly. When he mentioned his wife’s drinking Mareo said: “I'feel like a cad saying all this about the poor dear, but I’ve got to protect myself.” Asked for Miss Brownlee. Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn, not Detective Hamilton, when the detectives called at Miss Brownlee’s room, read the warrant for the arrest of Mareo, who said: "This is ridiculous!” and asked if he could telephone to his solicitor, Mr Aekins. Replying to Mr. A. H. Johnstone, witness said the size of the room was nine by eight feet. Whn being taken to the watchhouse Mareo asked if Miss Brownlee could come to him, and also asked her to tell his son Graham.. Mr. O’Leary: "What height are you in your stockings?.” Witness: "Six feet and half an inch.” "When did you decide to arrest Mareo?” —September 2 was the day of the arrest. “I suppose some of these questions put to him were directed to be put by medical men?” —By my officers.” "But you know they came from medical men?” —Some might have.

"Laying the foundation for medical evidence?” — They may have been. "When you asked as to what commonsense she had spoken on the Saturday night, that would be what medical men wanted to know?” — Yes.