MAREO DEFENCE

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19911, 13 June 1936, Page 8

MAREO DEFENCE

MORE WITNESSES HEARD

EXPERIENOES WITH DRUGS. EFFECTS OF \‘ERONAL. ' AUCKLAXD, Friday. The experiences 01‘ witnesses under the influence of \‘eronal were recounted in the Supreme Cnurt yesterday when 1110 defence of Eric Maren. charged with murdering his wife, Thelma Clar—icc Maven. on April 15 last year. was continued-

Mr V. R. Meredlm, with Mr F. McCarthy, is conducting the case for the Crown and .\lessrs H‘ F‘ O‘Leal‘y, KO. ’1“ Henry and K. C. Aelcins are defend—ing the accused,

The next witness, Mrs Moira Esma .\lelssner. of Havelock North. said in September, 1930, she had been suffering badly from insomnia. Eventually she collapsed and a doctor made a pill prescription for her, which she now knew to he barhltone.

Her husband gave her one plll and after an hour or an hour and a-halt she went to sleep and slept until 7.30 that evening. Her husband gave her another pill and she went quickly to sleep after it. She remembered awaklng in the early morningr and taking a third pill. The next day she vaguely remembered she was sitting up as in a dream and feeling for the pills that should have been by her bedside, but she could not find them. She stum—bled down the passage to the bathroom and climbed on a stool to un—lock the medicine chest. She found the pills and remembered taking them; but she did not remember how many. She got. hack to bed and lost. con—sciousnessl

\V‘llness said she woke again about seven o'clock in the evening, but she am not know what time had elapsed since her Visit to the bathroom. She. was amazed to find her face swollen and bluish. She had not taken veronal or barbltone since. She was a bit confused when she woke. but denied flatly to her husband that she had taken the pills. Afterwards she tald him that she had taken them. She had been a nurse before she was married. Wlfe'a Long Sleep.

The husband or the previous witness, Frank .\leissner, orchardist. of Havelock North. said he was a native of Bohemia, in Austria. In September, 1930. he called in a doctor to his wife and the doctor made out a prescription. The chemist gave him eight or nine pills. _

“I remember," said witness, “because I thought it was pretty hot to charge me eighteenpence for eight or nine pills." \Viiness detailed the pills um had been given to his Wife. He was a. sound sleeper and heard no movements of his wife in the night. There seemed to he one pill missing and so he took them away and put them in the bathroom cupboard.

His Honour: About what time?— About seven o'clock In the morning. Witness said his wife slept throughout that day and that night and Into the next day. She was sleeping soundly on that third morning.

Witness said he let his wife sleep. He went to give her tea at 10 e,m.. but though he roused her he could see it was hopeless to give her anything. The position was the same about noon, when she talked nonsense to him. He tried to give her scrambled egg. but it was a very slow Job and he gave it up. She was asleep when he retired that night. and was still asleep the following morning. He got her to take a little food at about 10 (1111.. and she Wgnt off to sleep again. The doctor called, but said to let her sleep.

Late that afternoon witness found the pill box he had put in the bathroom open with nothing in it. His wife woke up when he was playing the piano. “My friend says that is probably what woke your wife up,“ remarked .\lr O‘Leary.

The witness said he was an ama—teur pianist, and he was playing a piece that was rather rowdy in parts—& Beethoven sonata. After his wife woke she twice denied to him that she had taken the pills, “and we nearly had {l. row over it," he added. Eventually she remembered that she had got them. “ Played Brllllantly."

Mrs Alice Frances Smith, who had been assistant wardrobe mistress during "The Duchess of Danzig" season, said she had been making dresses before the season began. On the last Monday evening of the season Mrs Mareo did not seem well and witness asked her if she was well enough to go on to the stage. She smelt strongly of. liquor, but said she was quite all right. VViiness thought she was un. der the influence of liquor, and Just wondered whether she was well enough to go on. When witness took a dress into Mrs Mareo‘s dressingroom one evening there was a bottle of brandy on the table, 'To Mr Meredith. witness said Mereo and visitors would go to that room. Any entertaining to be done would be done in that room. .\lrs .\lareo played brilliantly on the night of which witness had spoken when she thought .\il‘s Maren was under the influence of iiquhix She had a heavy and respon—sible part, including dancing and dia—loguei His Honour: \\'ill you agree that the event proved that she was well enough to go through with the per—formnnro ‘7—~She went through with it. His Honour: Anti went through it “NlT—Yes. His Honour: \K'ell. that proves your fears were groundless. The Court adjourned until Moudav. ~ —.——————