SINGULAR CASE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 271, 12 August 1919, Page 8

SINGULAR CASE

CHARGE OF AIDING AND A RETTING SUICIDE fOUNG WOMAN COMMITTED - FOR TRIAL " 'STRANGE SPIRITUALISTIC SEANCES ■ Br' AMoclation Auckland, August 11. A .«inoUlar oase was down for hearing yit tee Bolico Court this morning in the > ! ffliap6,o| iv dh'argc against a young woman '■■■ 6? 10' jeftrs,' natoed Pearl Burke, of having aided and abetted another yoiinj Jessie West, in the commission ,io'f.' , sni!dld&. Jessie West wis the woman ,who .drowned herself in Whangarei Harbour under such strange circumstances one msM at the ljcginn% pf last June, ivaljuite" into the'' wiiter in tyer eteepinc '■y atare ironj the stops of the town wh m. and Pear) Burko it was who accompanied ' 1 her to the water's edge. Accused afterwards returned to the hotel whera both gills were employed. The proceedings in Court were only formal. Burko is at present in Auokland Hospital, inving collapsed on hqr way r, •, down., from the north, and accordingly depogiitioM only could be taken.- - . deposition was that of Cor-■-oner J. M. Killen, who fonnally deposed to the evidence given by Burke at tho inquest, .and this was followed by the story of William Robert Wesi, faultier, of Cambridge, who told, the Court that !he married the deceased woman, then named Bissett, at tho Registry Office, Hamilton, in January, The deceased girl was then 30 .years of age. Subsequently she went away to Auckland on holiday, and thence to Whangarei. ■ Shej wrote to him from Loth places, ier last letter being from the Whangarei Hotel. They had lived. On gooid terms and had never had an angry word. The. evidence of Ellen Murphy, cook, of Symonds Street, Auckland, and employed at the WJxingarei Hotel at the time of the suicide, was read. She told the Court that she shared ropm 13 with Wrat, and the accused occupied an adjoining room. The d'av after witness commenced, work at the hotel iiho deceased woman said she had a great friend named Fred Potts, a contraetoi •! and builder, 1 of Cambridge, of whom she • was "very fowl, and who had shot him- ! self. He was a widower, with several -1 children,' and had got into'financial dif'Acuities.; _ In order to assist him she had married an old mjn name?; West, from whom she hoped to get money to give to Pote. Sho had failed, howover, to get any money from hor husband. She told fitness th,at , her maiden naitoe was Bissett, and her part ents had died some time/ago. Discussing Ppfcts, TVest incidentally mentioned that she was a believer in spiritualism, j and had attended one meeting in Auck- ; land. When deceased discussed , this which was ' frequently, witness laughed at her and she became very angry.' West was continually speaking of "Freddy" Pott? and declaring that . . she. wanted to join him and could not : live without hiin. She also informed ■witness that before she went to that

• ~spiritualistic meeting she wanted to . drown hereelf, but eha had found that ;._she could''communicate with'him and "'"did not \want' to do so now. Later she "'said'that•'Freddy's spirit wanted her.to . join liim and that it had communicated ' with'her by knocking on the table. Wit'."nefls laujjhed at her, but- shortly after , v Pearl 'Burke came' West proposed that .'.they hold a, seance ill the bed-room;-'and' witness raised no objection and; made arrangements for. a tiieetinij a<t 7.30. She got'- a tljree-legged . iloweistand and put a chair bottom on it. • ' Jessie Wet-put tho light out, and thoy begaa to din? "There is a Happy Land, ■ Far, Far Away." Witness heard three faint (kupeks on the bedroom floor. Oiib of the. table legs was slightly raised aa though it'had made the noise. Jessio West remarked that the result was no good, as she could not intercept them. On tho occasion of tho first knock she evening,-spirit friend," bunas'"the other knocks were faint she abandoned the 6eance. Witness attend;.,.ed,.no more. meetings, but Jessie West 'V.'„#w| .Pewl.-Bttrke continued to hold meet.\;]injj3, M witness being, in bed in the root* '-, -oh one. or/two occasions. The proceedJ - ingsC. were.' .similar: West endeavoured , to . speak to Potts, asking if he were happy, and purported to get - replies. These were to the effeot that he was .. not very happy/ but happier., than he was on earth.' Pearl Burke inquired of the '" spirits, about, her dead brother. Accused had told witness that.she (Burke) had intended to drown herself, about a fortBight beforo the-tragedy occurred. Jessie West told witness that she intended to drow© herself '.'so as'to be able to meet "Freddy," but ■ that she . woula not drown ' herself "at. Whangarei. Hue added that she would get a few days off and go up to the Waikato. Witness told her that if sho did take a few days off she would tell other people about it or else iollow her and. stop her. .After that she was more reserved J»"V.Svord? "witness, but sne, became very "friendly'with Pearl.Burke. . Witness wag in the bedroom several times 1 when the'j .• had, been talking together, and *uey ' stopped taiking immediately she came in. In the week before the suicide they were exceptionally friendly. On Julie 2, ... .when Avitness returned from the sbe asked the accused where tho deceased had gone. The accused replied: "She _ Y has drowned herself." • ' '."y'"'t''stiit'eiiieiit to Constable Martin by handed in. .In this tho' /gave a.detailed account of the. .seances'. Deceased frequently said she M '.'w6'uid'''cohimit suicide by drowning her".self.in'the. Waikato River, and intimated

her. intention of asking, for two days off

for the purposo of going there. Continuing, the statement recorded that at about 7.15 on tho night of tho tragedy "tlie late .Icssie West and myself held a spiritualistic meeting, in her room. The light 3 were turned out as usual, and w» placed our hands on the 'table. The deceased said, 'Jessie loves Freddy/ and .tluWtable knockcd three times, which deceased said meant 'Yes.' Then she said, 'Hoes-Freddy want Jessie?' and the tablo again knocked three times. Tfien slio said, 'Is Freddy happy without Jessie?' and the tabic knocked once, which deceased said meant 'No.' This seance

lasted until 8.10 p.m., nnd Mi»n 'lei.eased ':. lighted a candle, and said she was going. '"to meet Freddy, and that she would ho wcr'-so much happieij and he would be ;■ happier, too. She at this time had her .costume on, and she told mo to go,and . put my coat on. This I did, nnd I joined her ajnin in her room. She said, 'We'll go now,' and then we left the hotel by tho back enhance. Deceased said, 'We'll go 'down oh to the wharf.' and accordingly wo did so. Deceased, on the way to the wharf, kept talking about her Freddy calling her. At \\io wharf deceased took off all her clothing with Hie exception of her nightdress and a pair of white stockings, and after handing them to uic went down tho wharf steps and went quietly into the Water. After she wont into,the water I watched her for three or four minutes before I left tho wharf to return to tho , hotel.",• The statement added that accused did not tell the truth to the police at first because We«l. had told her not to say anything. Tho depositions were then over to the accused in hospital, before Air. Hunt, S.M., who committed her for trial at t,he Supremo Court. Tn the proceedlnes at the hosnital Mr. Moody formally objected to "Miss Murphy's evidenco relating to conversations (it which accused was not present..