MURDER CHARGE FACED

Chronicle (Levin), 9 July 1948, Page 5

MURDER CHARGE FACED

Press Assoeiation )

Sequel To Finding Of Woman's Body

(Per

CHRISTCHURCH, July 8. ' Charged with inurdering* Bertlia Bessie Amie Bfty at BgpMPa, nenr Christchurch, on M|ky 14r William Aloertus Ivau Stuck, a butcher, aged 40, appeared in the Maglstrate 's- Court this morning. The Crown prosecutor (Mr. A. W. Brown) conducted the case for the police while Mr, E. M. Ilay appeared for Stuck. Fortjr-nine witnesses are to be called. Efrol MoncrieE Tapp, a labourer, said that on May 15 at Paparua while on a shooting t?ip with a companio'n named Healey he saw a pool of bloqtl on the ground and a set o"f teeth lying nearby. The trail of blood led to a grave. He stopped a passing motorist named Elwobd who vrent to inform the police. "Sergeant .T. B. Keartoh described the tinding of a partly excavated hole in which was a partly covered body. Detective T. .Thompson said that at 10.30 o'clock that evening he went to Linwood Avenue and saw Mrs. .Tean Beatrice Maude Smith. At 1.45 a.m. the following day a shovel was taken from the shed at the rear of her home. TTe recovered a .22 ealibre rifie and a shotgun from James William Clark, of Peterborough Rtreet. The shovel had beern used recentlv in sandy soil. The rifie had grains of sand on the barrel. On May 1.8, said Detective Thompson, he boarded the Hinemaa at Lyttelton and met the accused with DetectiveSergeant TJrquhart, of Wellington. Sister's Evidence. Her sister, Bertha Bessie Amy Day, was known as Mrs. Stuck and was 27 years of age, stfcid Afrs. Jean Beatrice Maude Smith. "1 liave known accused for about seven years. 1 met him on tlie Lyttelton train. He was fhen a butcher on the Wahine. My sister met him about a fortnight later and she saw a lot of him fropt tlien on, " said witness. "In A*ogust 1943 my sister went to Wellington to live and we used to get letters from her but they were not | regular. We. got a letter from my I sister telling us she and accused were married. They came back to Christchurch in November 1947. They had a white dog with them which was entered in the show. We asked accused if ' he would live in Christchurch for a 1 ..while. Afv sister did not go back to' the North Tsland. Accused went to paek up their things aud send them to ; Cliristchurc.il. He came to Christchurch ' in December 1947. He and my sister 1 stayed at my home until they went to I li.ve at a. ilat at 215 Peteiiborough | Street on .Tauuary 6 of this year. Mv j sister and T visited each other regular- : ly. Accused and my sister seemed j very happy. O11 April 25 they were at j our home when my father and mother j were leaving on holiday. Tt was sug- ' gt sted that accused and my sister come and keep my husba,nd and mo company. -Accused said: ' We might not be here. r'm thinking about going to;. Austr^lia.' My sister was bewildered. ' She said: 1 That's the •first I 've heard of it.' Accused said: 'T've got to inake some inqniries. T'll know more about it tomorrow.' Two or three days later accused again mentioned Australia. 1 think he fold me they would be going to Australia 011 May 20 or May 12. Accused asked ,me if he and my sister could come and stav with me for a few days as the boat had beeu held up. He said they were leaving Christchurch on the night of May 15 and would leave for Australia from Auckland. Accused gave up the tenancy of the fiat on Thursday, May 13. They were to come to stay with me until they left on the Saturday night. Thev came to us about 12.30 a.m. on May 14 and arrived in a rental c.ar, accused driving. Aty sister had au appointment to have a permanent wave at 10 a.m. that day. Accused aud my sister left about 9.50 a.m., my sister hurrying to get to her liair appointment. 1 went with my ch'dd to the door and waved to them. r have not seen my sister alive since then. ' ' Witness then identified clothing produced in the court as that worn by her sister the last time she saw her alive. "Accused came back to my home alone at 12.50 p.m. that day, Friday, and got my sister's red shoes. He told me he and my sister were going to say [igoodbye to people called Hazeldine at Dunsandel. I asked him to have dinner but he said my sister and he would have soniething to eat in town as he had to meet her at 1 i>.m. when she came from the hairdresser. I had never heard that they had friends named Hazeldine at Dunsandel. 'I saw accused about 5.30 p.m. at my home the same day. He came alone and was earrying my sister's handbag, her black sucde shoes and her gloves. I said: ' Where 's Bert?' — my sister's pet name. He said: 'She's staving out there.- The woman's sick and its the least she can do. ' He meant at Dunsandel. I asked him, what he was doing with the purse and he said: "The kids were getting into it and she asked me to bring it home.' . I asked how many kids there were and he said three. He said my sister was eoming back on tlie Saturday, that the Hazeldine 's car was in the g arage and if it. was not ready in time he would bring her from Dunsandel by taxi. I said: 'She'U come in and say goodbye to us, won't she?" He replied: 'Oh yes'." After he had taken the purse into a room and returned, he had "blood on the left sleeve of his coat and on his left trouser leg, continued witness. "1 tliink he said: 'We went out tp see if we^could get a rahhit hut we.only got a hare.' It looked as if something liad heen carried on his left arm and the blood had dropped on to his trousers. I think he said: 'Look at the hloody mess on my coat.' "He went into tlie wash-house to try to get the blood ofl: but it would not come out. My motker-in-law said: 'Give it to me. Men aren't much good at things like this.' "He handed over a ro>uiid brown bottle which he said he got from the man Hazeldine to take out stains. "My mother-in-law said: - 'I wonder if this is animal blood or human blood. I was always taught that with. animal

oiood you use warm water and witn uuman blood cold water.' "Accused said: ' j. Uou't know. At ihe siiop we always soaked our apron.and eoals in cold waieh ' Aly mother-in-law iried to spoiige tlie stains from tne coat. ile said a taxi w;i.-> i-onimg lor Jum about 6.45 p.m. My mother-in-law and 1 went out aiul when we returned about "S.k'O p.m. accused was not at home. ile arrived about 9 p.m. and we-all went to bed about 11 p.m. Tluu eveuiiig accused waslied iiis feet atiu the foot of Jits soeks. "Next morning, iSaturday, 1 got breaktast ready but accused would not etit anytliing. Ile had a cup of tea. He borrou ed tny bicyele and went away to the L'nion Steani SJiip (Jompany's otfrce. He returned about noou and had lunch. He said he liad been in eontact with my sister an'd said that i. the Hazeldine 's car was not ready she would be driven lo Lyttelton by a taxi. I said: ' Nie '11 eqme in and say good bye." Accused said: 'Ves, she said tell •Jean 1 'II come in and say goodbye.' "After lunch accused took" his white samoyede dog for a wallc. A taxi called for him about 2.30 p.m. and he put his white dog in the boot of the taxi. He kissed tny mot her-in-la\v a'nd mi goodbye and said: 'When Bert eomes, 'don't detain her. She'll be running late. ' Accused got into the taxi and drove off and 1 (lid nof see him again before he was arrested. "My father lent accused the shovel" (produeed in court), continued witness, "and it was returned to my house on the night of Friday, May 14. At 11.30 p.m. §pn -May 15, I identified tlie body of a woman as that of my sister. "Aecttsed was awfully good to my sister a,nd she was terribly fond* of him and looked after hjm we.ll. . I . have I never known my sister to have used guns. I have heard of her going out shooting on one occasion. That was with Air. Clark, their Ihudlord." To Mr. Hay witness' said she knew accused and her sistey went on a trip to "Waikari a'weelt before the body was found. . Hazeldine 's tTnknown. Constable E. F. Smith said he- had lieen stationed af Southbridge for eight years ahd Dunsancl.el was in hip jistrict. He had made Pxtensive inquiries in an endeavour to trace anyone of th'1 name of Hazeldine but 110 one of that name had ever resided in~the district. • George Wood Sim, a butcher, said he emploved accused - from December* f, ,1947 to May 12, 1948. "He assured me he was a widower with two of a family. " he said. "Later he brought a wrman to the shop and introduced her as his wife He gave me his name ,as SHv'k. He made friends readily. ,He was away from work on two occasions with maiaria. While -he was with me his average wage was £9/2/9 a week." The Court adjourned im'til torfiOrroW.