TRIAL OF AUCKLAND WOMAN FOR MURDER

Chronicle (Levin), 18 November 1947, Page 7

TRIAL OF AUCKLAND WOMAN FOR MURDER

Press Associatiow

tPer

AUCKLAND, Nov. 17. The Wupreme Court trial began today of Mrs. Pansy Louise Franees Haskell, aged 49, on a charge of murdering -VLrs. Glayds liuth Rusden, aged 47, at Mrs. Rusden's home, at Qne Tree Hill on June 5. a The accused pleaded not guilty. The Crown stood aside four jurymcn, and the defence cliallenged its maximum of .'•ix. The Hon. Xlr. Justice Callan presides, and Xlr. V. R. Xleredith, Crown Prosecutor, with Xlr. G. 1). Speight, is conducting the ease for the Crown. Mr. XI. Robinson, with Mr. N. J. Shiefl', is appearing for the accused. Forty-four witnesses are expected to be called for the Crown case, which wiil probably last for morc tlian a weelt. Wlien Xlr. XI eredith began to outline tlie case to the jury, the men's and women 's publie galleries were filled.

Xtr. Xleredith said that the jurors would sec from the photographs, ami liear i'roiu the evidence, that whoever attacked Xlrs. Kusden intejuled to kill her. and anyone wlio assisted, or knew what was going on, or iustigatcd soinooii e to do it, was equally guilty of the crime of murder. Xlrs. Kusden had been married to XI r. Richard Rusden for 23 vears. Xlr. Xleredith stated that the ccntral tigures who would give evidence, or be discussed in this "soniewhat sordid tragedy", were Xlrs. Kusden, her liusbaiul and the accused, and a man named Rix. The eviuence would iudicate n state of immorality and wic'kedness that oue would regret to liud in a city !ike Auckland. Thougli the wind of scamlal inight- blow stronglv on .some iu the case, none would touch thc deeeased woman, who bove an unbiemished cliaracter. Xlrs. Haskell, or Xlrs. Frost as she was formerly known, divorced her first husbatid, married Keginahl Frost a month later, and divorced him in October, 1946. They lived at Howick but at'ter the divorce she went to "Liberty House Queeu Street, Auckland, later sold and then went to live in Newton Road which was her address at the time of the murder. About live weeks after the murder she married a man named Haskell who appeared to liave nothing to do with the case. A witness who would be called was a man named Rix who had a erimiual record and who used to stay at " Liberty House'' while Xlrs. Haskell was proprietress. Xlr. Xleredith said illicit relations between Xlrs. Rusden's husband and Xlrs. Haskell apparently started at Howick and wlien he was with Xlrs. Haskell at "LiberU House", he used to tell his wii'e he was on duty iu an avmy camp. The murdered woman iirst heard oi tliis misconduct through an anonvmous letter. Accused had admitted she senl thc letter. Appareutly she wauted .Xlrs. RuSden to know so that she would divorce hiin. Ghe had openly told people of her infaluaiion for Rusden. A Xlrs. Aitken would give evidence ?hal accused asked her if she had a gur. aiul did she know whefe she could get a Ioan of oue. Accused had said "she would slioot Xlother Kusden through the trees from the baek". Xlrs. Haskell had gone to Ihe Kusden hotm and asked Xlrs. Rusden to divorce llei, husband. Xlrs. Ruskell said she woibd iiave Rusden "at any cost Accused had been to the Kusden home o'n tWo oecasions which would give her a knowledge of the pliice. A man naiu.'d Rix would say he approached accused to get rid of XJrs

Rusden, Xlr. Xleredith added. Rix would say gccused olfered him £200. Accused lold Rix she was madly in love with Rusden and that Xlrs. Rusden hau caused her a lot of trouble. »She sug gestecl to Rix several different ways oi doing tlie job, suclx as that lxe siiouhi get out to Rusden's house and wlien Xlrs. Rusden eame to the door he couin knoek her on the liead. Anotlier wa\ suggested bv accused was for him t'i hide in the driveway and wait tiii Rusden went to work and'then knocis on the door and then knoek her on tiit Itead. Accused told Rix she \>ould take the key oi' the house out of Kusden Y poc.ket. The linai uecision was to go out in tlie early hours of the moruing on a nighl wlien Kusden would be m camp next. Mr. Xleredilh dealt at length with an assciult coiumitted on Xlrs. Kusden in Xiareh of 1946 in a borrowed car. Rix and accused drove out after mid night from Liberty Hxmse to Horotutu Koad. Acctise.d told Rix that Rusdefi would be in camp that night. Both accused and Rix changed into mililar, clothing which accused had broughi, aceuseo puttiug on a pair oi' men's trousers and wrapping a scarr aronu i her liead. After accused got out of I'.k car Rix drove up to the house, went in and knocked 011 the door. II e told Xlrs. Rusden he came from a military canqi and that her husband had been Ii u • t and that she was urgently need.sl. After gettiug dresscd she left 111 tlie car with Rix. Accused told Rix t.i knoek Xlrs. Rusden down at the do.n with a crank handle and that if hm father came he was to be hit over tlu iiead too, dragged inside and have liis nead pul in a gas oven. Iiowexer, Rix did not do this but got Xlrs. Kusden lu go with him in the car. As they were driviug akmg Campbell Koad, Rix thought lie saw someone walking neatlie car. That, of cour.se, would In accused. Wlien Rix got out of the cai to crank it lie saw accused como 011 tln. sceno and geJ into the back seat of tlu car. Rix said he. '.saw her .raise hei hund in tlie air as- if to strike Xlrs. Rusden wlio was sltting in tlie fronl Rix dashed to tlie side door, opened u and nuule a dive at Xlrs. Kusduii t. (•roteet her. She screamed and t'ell, oui on to the road. Accused then told Rix to: drive bll' quickly, Xlrs. Haskel? get'i'ing out in Greeu Lane Road. On.going back to Liberty llou.se went •111 Xlr. Xleredith, Rix was joined bv accused; wlio had a row with him ano accused him of "mincing tliirigs up" Next time Rix went to LihorTy Houst accused oll'ered him £600. She made lueiition to him of doing the job on several oecasions. While accused wa.

still t rying to get Rix to help her mwas continuing to get money out 01 iier. A little atter that Rix bocann .nvolved in trouble vvith the police and wpnt to gaol for four montlis. Wlien he came out he did not go back to Liberty House. After seeing an ad vertiseinem .11 the Auckland Star's jiersoun1 colunins on April 2, Rix met Xlrs Haskell at the Ferrv buildings and she had said that the job would have ti be done, meaning the killing of Xlrs. Rusden. She said the police weri makiiig inquines about the previou assniill and that Rix would have to kill Xlrs. Kusden to keep her mouth shut. " Kix is a bad cliaracter but then w ho but a bad cliaracter would be approached with an ofTer of this sort, " said Xlr. Xleredith. ' ' Fortunatelv we do not have to rely solety 011 Ki'x for the fruth or otherwise of what he will tell us. The' view of the patholoa ' ist was 1 hui death occurred some tinu before midclay. There was 110 evidence of cn.es being heard and 110 signs of a struggle. The inference was that Xlrs Kusden was engngeil iu her duties iu a kilchenette aml tluit she was steahhily .'ino siiently approached from the fronl of the house, struck blows 011 the back « of the liead and that niore blows weri' administered 011 the front of the liead while she was lying 011 the lloor. " Xlr. Xleredith 's assistant counsel, Xlr. Spoight, road statements made bv ac ! eused as revealed in the I'olice Court. J before tlie Court adjouriied.