THE CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1049, 11 February 1911, Page 6

THE CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY.

j WOMAN'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH i :. THE INQUEST. t f DETECTIVE HADE'S STATEMENT! |" EVIDENCE OF MALE ACQUAINTANCE f '' i SIONS OF PRUSSIC ACID. j ' Br Telocraph-Prcss AssociaUon-Copytleht. | Christchuroh, February 10. Tho inquest'oil Ethel Bradley, the. victim of tho tragedy in Caslicl Street, ■ was' resumed tiMlay, be'foro Mr. H. W. Bishop, coroner. '. Chiof-Detcc-tivo Bishop conducted tho caso for tho pojicc. Ernest Bradley, brother of tho deceased, said her nanio was Ethel Mary Bradley. Sho would, bo thirty-four on tho 18th of nest month. Tho last timo ho saw her was at mid-day on Tuesday, % when? sho was at his placo for dinner. Sho was then in good spirits. Ho knew sf nothing whatever to mako her take hcr-.lifc. . Sho was a divorced woman. Sho was married^ to a man named Farrant .tot Clutha many years ago. Far- . rant, was a steward on ono of tho Unio'd.Company's boats. Ho believed they lived together threo. months,. and then:ho left■ her.«; Sho subsequently ob- : tamed a divorco in Clutha. Ho under-, stood;that;sho was keeping, .company with a-young main in Sadler's tobacco- , nist ■ Sho never spoko to witness about-being in trouble. She, however, always took a gloomy aspect of .life. Her general health was good. [, Clara Annio Bradley; wifo of tho pre-' I nous; witness, stated .that deceased spoke as if; sho was .very fond of. tho i young; mau, and;as if sho wero goinp; } to marry him. ~._.'. . I ' Julia David, 1 of Timaru, sister of . deceased/stated rthat. .deceased told Jer sho was.going to marry-Jack at JSastcr, and was then going to AusI, tralia:-. > ' To ,tho coroner; Sho understood de- [ ceasod-occasionally went to tho shop to i meet; Jack. . . . » ■'■';. / ' ' ■ ' j ' ,'.'-' Vary Unhappy. .G..T. Weston, solicitor, by whom dei sfasei ™s employed as' housekeeper, j stated that on February 1 ho received » letter from her stating that sho was my sorry sho was leaving. nest week, i as she felt sho was not experienced L enough for tho work, and sho was very i ( t unhappy, so sho thought", it'best for ' ;■ «H for.her to leave. Sho hoped they !■ would get somcono on Friday week, arid ; bo sho would stay oil fill then. Sho I ■ w " s , .the.whole timo sho was I with him, continued witness, and ho had assumcd'if.wa'sihor usual:tempera- - ; Blent;;,;'?; ...'■-•'"; '",...,; ■: ■• :.-..- ,;- ; .; • ."Joshua Reuben Chapman, bookbinder/ i £avo evidence as to .finding tho bodv. • Edward Eadc,. polico detective, de- ;', posed that tho body was in tho right-of- ! way on tho south "sido of tho tank. j Tho body was about two feet from tho" r " wall of Lewis and Anderson's warc- : house, and from her head to tho tank ! tho distanco was about 13ft. 'Tho body : was-lying face down, with tho right j sido of tho chin resting on the ground. Her belt,,and clothes were unfastened at the waist. 'Hdrwould say sho had boon: dead sevou or eight hours. Deceased .had no hat i on, and ■ uono was to bo seen. Tho belt was lying by her sido, just as if somcono had: Undone it, and -left it thoro> • ■ Witness - found ; no trace of tho hat. Ho found no trace or marks of violence. Witness - photographed tho scene of tho locality, and also the body. Thcro wcro ■ curious coloured marks on tho left thigh. Known Dtccasad for Nine Months. . Harry Alexander Jack, a'youthful- . looking man, said ho was a hairdresser i at present in the employ, of Walter i whoso r shop, was near tho fend ; of thd lano whero tho woman was'found dead.;; Witness was a singlo roan, 23 years.of age. Ho had known deceased '- for about nino months. ...-■■ ' To the Coroner: Ho met her casually ono night in Colombo Street".' They I had never! been introduced to one. another.' Sho was standing in tho street, and lio thought ho knew her face. Ho •' -said '.'Good night" to her, "arid" sho answered "Good night." Ho went with her to tho railway station, and subsc- . qucntly homo with her. After that ho saw her'at othcr'times, generally once a' week, .somctiuios " by appointment, sometimes casually. \. Ho novor met her by appointment in tho shop or in Cashol Street,' but.in Oxford Terraco generally, , . by Montreal I w To Chief Dotectivo'- Bishop: Witness went'to Dunodin; in-'Juno; and stayed thcro , three weeks. ; On January 17 ho rrceived the postcard produced. From November up till tho Now Year ho met her occasionally. Ho last esw heralivo last Friday night at about eight I o'clock: Ho left "her outsido her ] brother's placo thero at about a quar- 1 ter to nine. Witness had novor known ; her to keep'company with any'other | nan, but ho had seen her talking with ■ other men in tho street. Ho had never had improper relations with her. On '; , Tuesday night ho left off work between : 8 p.m.' and 8.20. Ho went down to tho Zetland Arms Hotel and had- a ! drink with n casual acquaintance- Ho was thcro about fivo or ten minutc3, and then left. Ho walked about tho ttrcets'.till about nine, . and coming back along Cashol Street; met Mr. Prico at tho Zetland Arms Hotel. At iibout ten minutos to ten Mr. Sadler, his employer, c'amo along to tho hotel. : Witness loft,them with Sadler. They : . walked down Cashel Street into High Street.;., At about 11 o'clock ho and '■ Sadler* returned to the shop, which , they entered. They shut tho door after them.,: Tlicy remained in the shop I'iom 11 o'clock till shortly after i o'clock;in tho'morning.' Thcro was n '■ ano else there: "All they did there was to go through tho,books. Tho Constable' 3 Bull's-oye. Continuing, witness said tho con-itablo-'threw his hull's-eyo on them in ' Cashelc Street. Ho just said to them '. "Good, 1 night." Witness did not re- i member him saying, "Hello, what gamo's this?" Ho was positivo ho was ' not trying to '. get past- tho. constable •: without being seen. 'After pasfr--ing tho constablo ho went home. When ho left tho Zetland Arms shortly nftcr eight ho ' did not go* towards Durham Street, and meet or srdeceased:. by tho bridge. Ho would swear that ho had _never on any occasion had tho girl in Sadler's shop at night. From 11 o'clock at night till 2 in tho morning ho'and Sadler wero the only two persons in tho shop, * To the coroner: Ho had riover discussed marriage with• tho girl. .Ho could not suggest any reason; why sho should think ho was going to nlarry her. He had looked on her-mora as a friend. Ho had not had any lovo passages with iior, nothing, beyond a fow remarks. Ho could not suggest why sho should speak of,him to her friends in terms of affection. She had never told him sho'was'in' lovo with him. Ho had not been,paying attentions to any other woman. - There was nothing between them that could lead her to think that thcro was' any . attachment'., between them. --■•..'•. . . ".--., To Chief-Detective Bishop: Ho had never seen deceased in-tho shop, but she had been in tho shop when a man named .Bussell had it, ' .

"> To- tho coroner: Sadler had had tho shop-, since- November. Sadler sonio tips ago told witness ho went to school with her ouo;night when they passed her. -Witness could not account in any way 'reason for, tho prosenco of her dead body in tho right-of-way, closo to tho shop. • Medical and Other Evldcnoo. Wm. Hjv Symcs, medical practitioner, who stated ho examined tho body, doposed thero wero no marks of violenco except abrasions on tho right sido .pf tho faco .and chin,'■•and' « foiv bruises.'; .Tho-.wholp appcaranco of tho'body pointed to poisoning, and an examination of tho blood and tissues had revealed evidenco of prussio acid. Tho body could.not havo been found in tho lano beforo 2.5 a.m. Tho coroner said ho wanted to know whether'tho woman had died where sho was found or had been carried thero. Dr. 'Symcs said ho would look into tho matter. A. A. . Bickerton, Government Analyst, stated that ho esamined ■ tho' stomach and contents - and found traces of prussio acid. ■~'•• Constablo Cudby gavo evidence as to seeing Sadler and Jack in Cashel Street at 2.10 a.m. Constablo'Rough stated .ho visited the land; at, 2.5, and saw no sign of deceased. At; 4 a.m. ho '. went through tho lano again, and found no sign of tho body, though it was broad daylight. The coroner said witness's evidenco introduced a.now clement. It made it appear most strongly that sho had htxn taken to tho lario after daylight. Chicf-Detcctivo Bishop asked for an adjournment, .and stated ho', would bring evidenco to show that tho woman was seen' going to *tho shop . shortly .after 8. Sinco then all trace of her was lost. _ ; Tho coroner" said another question' was: What had becomo of tho hat? Tho inquest was then adjourned till 11.30 next Friday. •