ACCIDENT OR MURDER?

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1774, 12 June 1913, Page 5

ACCIDENT OR MURDER?

PECULIAR CASE IN MELBOURNE. By Telegraph—Press Ar-sociatiorf^C-op jxir ht (Rec. June 11, 8.20 p.m.) Melbourne, June 11. ' The inquest on the death, of the vifo'. of George Samuel Capeness, a commercial traveller, has been resumed. Evidence was led to show that the deceased had contemplated suicide. 'She was said to have remarked once: "Don't .be surprised if you, hear the worst in the morning." ; A woman testified that a year ago she took some poison away from the deceased, who said then that she had no desire to live. ' Another woman gave similar evidence. Tho inquest has been further adjourned. There are some unusual features about the Capeness case. When the inquest commenced (on-May 16), Capeness testified that he resided in the Oxford Chambers. _ At five o'clock on the morning of his wife's depth he was informed by the caretaker, that his wife had fallen out of a window. Witness asked his wife what had happened, and sho replied that she did not know. Witness and his wife had occupied the same room, and Capeness said he last spoka to her at a quarter past ten on the previous night. Witness and his wife had not lived very happily •owing to his attachment for a young girl. Capeness said his wife was a sleep-walker, and he believed that it was this that had caused her death. His wife had cften requested him to give the girl up f and ho had 1 tried, but he had found tho attraction too great. The girl had accompanied witness and his wife, at the wife's request, on a holiday trip to Tasmania lost Christmas.

Normafld, tho. caretaker of Oxford Chambers, gave endence that he- had heard a scuffle and then someone running away. He had heard » tremendous scream a few moments later, and his wife had also heard it. Then he heard a fall. Ho went downstairs and found that the woman, Mrs. Capeness, had been carried into the basement by a constable. .Tlie noise of the scuffling had lasted about five minutes. He .had heard no voices. An attempt to open the window would not oxplain the sound which he took for scuffling. The caretaker admitted that his hearing was not too good, owing to ear trouble. He slept on tho third floor, a distance from Oxford Chambers of about 'thirty-five feet.

The medical evidence was to the effect that, there were no signs of injuries that could not'be caused by a fall.