Charged With Murdering Wife
fN.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 14. A police constable told the Auckland Magistrate’s Court today that when he entered a house at Glen Innes he found a man bending over his injured wife giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Before Mr L. G. H. Sinclair, SM, was Robert Matthews, aged 39, a blacksmith, charged with the murder of his wife Eliza Matthews at Glen Innes on March 11. Matthews is represented by Mr K. Rvan and Mr P. A. Williams. Mr D. S. Moms is apnearing for the Crown. Thomas Barry Tremewan, a constable, of Glen Innes, said he went to the home of the accused as a of what
he was told by two young children about 11.15 p.m. The accused said his wife had been drinking all day and that he also had been drinking. The accused said: “She hit me a couple of times and I hit her but there is nothing to worry about. You can go now.”
Just before 11.45 p.m. witness returned to the house. In a bedroom at the rear of the house he found accused breathing into his wife’s mouth.
"The wife’s face was puffed up. her eyes were blackened and swollen, her lips were swollen and blue and blood was coming out of her mouth and nose,” said witness. Witness said accused told him he had hit his wife on the face a couple of times and under her nose.
Joseph Matthews, brother I of the accused, said accused had been subject to uncontrollable fits ynce their
mother died about nine years ago.
Mirian Matthews, wife of Joseph Matthews, said she went to the accused’s house on the morning of March 11. Later she and the deceased went to her home in Ellerslie.
They had several glasses of wine and talked for a while. About 9 p.m., with her husband, her children and the deceased she returned to Glen Innes.
Witness spent about 10 minutes in her sister-in-law’s house. Accused was not home.
To Mr Ryan, witness said her sister-in-law was affected by the wine. Jack Raymond O’Connell said he had seen accused in a bar in the Glen Innes Hotel on the afternoon of March 11. In the evening accused came to his house and they drank more beer.
Jane O’Connell said one of Matthews’s children ,came to
her house soon after' he arrived and told him that Mrs Matthews had arrived home “and she was drunk and had gone to bed.” Mr Williams objected to this evidence. Witness said Matthews remained for a while, then went home by himself. Later that night the child returned and as a result of what she said witness went to the Matthews house and spoke to neighbours. She did not go into the house.
On one occasion she heard the deceased calling out. When the child called the third time witness went to the accused’s house by herself. She saw the accused giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to his wife in the bedroom. Mrs Matthews was lying on the floor with her arms outstretched. She could feel no pulse or heartbeat in i the deceased.
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Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 18
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522Charged With Murdering Wife Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 18
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