DOMESTIC APPEARS ON CHARGE OF MURDER

Chronicle (Levin), 12 November 1947, Page 7

DOMESTIC APPEARS ON CHARGE OF MURDER

Press AssociationJ

Death of Woman Five Years Ago

(Per

OAMARU, Hov. 11. Phyllis Freeman, single, described. as a domestic, of Enfield, aged 33 years, appeared this afternoon before Mr. J. 11. Willis, E.AL, in the Alagistrate 's Court on -charges of murder and attemptea murder. C'onsiderable public interest was shown in the proeeedings, the puolie seddon of the Court ilouse bemg crowded, many speetators being from the farming community of aecused 's home distriet. Aecused stands charged vvith the murder of Joyce Maysie Morrison, on October 3, 1912, at Enfield, and witli the attempted murder of Ina May Pearce, ou May 23, 1947, also at Enfield. Mr. P. 13. Adams, Dunedin, conducted the proeeedings for the Crown, and Mr. J. E. Parrell, Oamaru, appeared for aecused. Mr. Adams raised the question as to whether he should proceed on the tvvo charges. There was 110 evidence in the second cliarge which would not be eaued on the first on the one set of depositions. The second cliarge, he said, could tlierefore stand abandoned. Mr. Parrell agreed to this course, the Alagistrate, by conseut, remanding aecused 011 the eharge of attempted murder to appear at Dunedin 011 Monday next. The first vvitness was Mrs. Margaret Alexandria Mavor, of Airedale, wiio stated that lier sister, Mrs. Morrison, lived with her husband until lier death on October 3, .1942. Thev lived happily together. Mr. Morrison treated her kindly. Witness saw her sister a fevv nights before her death when they arranged to go shopping together in Oamaru. Witness noticed nothing un usual about her sister who was in good spirits. Mrs. Morrison made no mention about purchasing strychnine for poisoning rabbits. Hector Morrison, farmer, of lvia Ora, in the Enfield distriet, husband of Joyce Maysie Morrison, aged 47, said they had been married for 18 years. lle liad known Phyllis Freeman about 10 or 12 years. frfhe was the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. His wife and aecused wero good friends. When 111s wife died he asked aecused if she would keep house for hini. fSho replied she would if she was not wanted at home. Bhe agreed to stay as housekeeper, reinaining so until July l(i, 1947. Before lier death his wife was in reasonably good health. On the dav of her death : j they had dinner together at uoon and j he noticed nothing wrong with her. 1 When he left 011 Home (luard dufies no one else was about the house. He came home about 0 p.111., comiug in bv the back door. He went into the bedroom which he and his wife occupied. His wife was lying on the floor. >She was j fully clothed, lying 011 her face just 111I side the door. She appeared to be dead. i He did not expect aecused to be there. Witness supposed that she. would know he was 011 Home (luard duties. After going for a doctor he returned inunediately to the house where he found aecused and Mr. and AHs. Simpson, j, who were neighbours. Aecused said to'him: "Isn't it awful l " Aecused satd she found his wife doing the washing and complaini ng of a dizzy hoad. Aecused 1 suggested looking at the chickens but Mrs. Morrison said she felt awful and aecused helped her back to the house. After aecused had helped his wife into the bedroom, Mrs. Morrison came out to the kitchen. There was no mention of eating any food or drinking water.

Aecused said his wife eollapsed on the floor and aecused then went for a doctor. "I don't remember aeeusett saying anything about my wife being dead," witness said. Witness thoughc there' was nothing unusual about aecused ' visiting his wife that afternoon.' The doctor arrived about 6 p.m. and examined his wife's body. He believeu the dodtor's opinion of the cause oi death was haemorrliage of the brain The police made no inquiry into hi» wife's death at the time and no inquest was held. "I had no suspicion at the time that my wife had been poisoned," witness declared., "My wife was buried on. October 5, 1942, in the Oamaru ceme tery. ' ' On the afternoon of his wife 's .death aecused seemed upset. There was 110 strychnine in their home. Ten or 12 years ago he bought two bottles ot strychnine to poison birds. He had never known aecused to be in possession of strychnine but it would have been possible for her to have it without his knowledge. Witness produced his 1942 diary showing his movements in August and September. Witness was at home when aecused was interviewed by the police. On the followihg day when he was at the police station, he was shown a book after which the police went out to his home and interviewed aecused concern- ( ing a false broadcast message but he heard nothing about strychnine that day, only that he saw the book saying it had been purcliased. Witness said he was present at another interview betweeu the police and aecused 011 June 25, 1947, when aecused told the police she had found a jar ot strychnine when she was cleaning out the washhouse just after she came to the place nearly live years previously in 1942. She said she had put the jar into a tin and thrown it into the (lam At the police station 011 June 19 aecused said she had ordered strychnine for Mrs. Atorri-son 'but had not taken delivery of it as it was to be posted out She said his wife had asked her to Inn strvchnine to poison rabbits that weri eating vegetables in the garden. On June 25 aecused showed where she hau slood and thrown the bottle of strychnine into the water. On July 1,-tln police had pumped the water out oi' tlu (lam. He was not present when the th was found. The police, however, shovv it to hiin. Witness identilied the ti. that was exhibited by the Orown Brosv. cutor. "When I was shown the tin there were" some small seeds in a little jar rolled in paper inside," he said. Aecused had once been engaged to bc married to Alexander Gibson. larmer, at Enfield. Gibson was a cousin of his wife. The engagement had been broker off some vears before his wife's death. Witness said: "There has never been a suggestion of marriage between aecused and me and L have never promis ed to marry her. If she has said that she is wrong. The subjeet has neve: been discussed between us. Her behaviour has been just that of a housekeeper." He said she had a quiet disposition He had seen no signs of abnormality There was nothiiig to suggest that shwas jealous of women visiting vvitness. Witness said he knew Aliss Ina Mav Pearce who was his cousin. MisPearce lirst visited his home ili Augusl 1945 l'or a few' days. Aecused Avas alsc there, There were 110 signs of aniiuos ity by aecused towards ALiss Pearce untij the -police began iuquiries in this uiatter. He luid 110 knowledge of 0 i piece of cake being sent to Miss Pearce I Aecused used to send cakes to Japan j Miss Pearce went to the North Islane j in March 1947. She wrote to him that j . 1 . V. .1 K it • kiliil ll \ll •> 11/1 A ti ,K* It O >1 (l'dtlli I

BUU tlllU iiUI IHUlRPi tlilU rxttu 1 to the Xortli Island and asked if he could put the other two up. When ! Miss Pearce arrived in Oamaru he met j her aud aecused was with liini. Late: 1 in the day Aliss Pearce had an invita- ! tio n to stay at his place some tinyj aud j she came to stay ou May 22. On the x day he was in Oamaru with aecused he S knew she had bought some lollies. Thev 1 ate some theu and some more after tea | He did uot notice anything peeuliar 1 aboui Ihe taste of any of the lollies and | jubes. When he went out to work next a morniug Miss Pearce was still in bed. | Aecused brought his morning tea dowu | to the paddock and went back to the | house. There was nothing peeuliar 1 about aecused when he saw her. lle did I uot see her again till about 12 o'clock. | yhe was hurrying towards him. "Get a | doctor," she said. "Ina has taken a I tuni." Jle found Miss Pearce lying on i the bed breathing heavily and groaning. | lier face was very blue. Upon his ask- I ing her if she would eome to a doctor I with him -she replied that she didn't j tliink she could. He did not know what s was wrong and rang for a doctor who ? arriv ed about 1 p.m. Miss Pearce had | improved a little in the interval bul | eitlier aecused or Miss Pearce herseli | told him she had vomited. Aecused J made uo suggestious about what mighl | have caused the iliness. Blie was n ? little bit upset, witness said, describing | aecused, but that did not continue. J Morrison said Miss Pearce told hui 2 in hospital there had been a f'alsi | broadcast requesting her and her partv | to return home. Aecused admitted t( i him that she had seut the broadcast 1 message and she upologised to AI isi I Pearce for liaving sent it, stating an | other person had asked her to send th S message' but she would uot say who tlu S person was. Aliss Pearce would 110 | know the message came froiu thk S woman. Aecused said she had receivec | a jiieee of ealce with the Otautau pos | mark but no name, fiuding it 111 vvit s uess 's letter box. There was a smal 1 note with the eake saying it was fron § an old frieud. Aecused admitted order | ing a bottle of strychnine for Mrs. Mor | rison ou June 25. Aecused also adniit | ted sending the cake to Aliss Pearce. 2 George Simpson, farmer, of lvia Ora i neighbours of Alorrisou, gave evidenci s that he had known aecused sinc( ! childhood. On October 3, 1942 aceusec I came to his home. She appeared verv 1 upset. She said Mrs. Alorrisou wai » either dead or (lying but he was noi j sure which word was used. |