The Ashburton Sensation

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 14, 1 August 1891, Page 3

The Ashburton Sensation

MOSS CHARGED with ATTEMPTED WIFE MURDiIR. I PEH trariTED PREbri ASSOCIATION. > Ashbttbton, July 30. Albert Edward Moss was charged at the Magistrate's Court to-day with assaulting Mary- Emma Moss, his wife, with intend to murder her, on July 7. The accused had made a miraculous recovery irom the terrible wound in his throat, but it is still bandaged, and- he is very pale. His wife's wounds have h&aled, but she carries the scais on her face and neck, and has lost the-ause pf two of her fingers. The accused saty with- hi*. " iac& covered in his hands, almost niCKionless throughout the heariug. j . Mrs Moss, wife " of accused, gavef evidence that she had known accused since childhood. They^'were engaged in England, and she came to Kew Zealand, at his request, to marry him. They were xaarried in Christchuich, and came to a Ashburton the same day, where a hoi 8; ™^was ready prepared. All went wall to July , H when financial difficmtiesappearedj and a bailiff was put in but left;"th& next day. Accused was much upseti on. the 4th.. He rose aud lit the fire as /usual' and brought witness a cup of cocoa to -Her bed. The dregs were gritty- ' She was Very ill afterwards. She had a pain in the stomach, became weak, he! feet were cold all day, and she . occasionally vomited. She remained in bed that aud the next day. Her husband was much concerned about .her, and also troubled about money. On Sunday she spoke to her husband about the cocoa, saying, she felt as if she had beau poisoned. He 'replied, f Oh! no. I mow symptoms quite well.' On Tuesday morning accused ro^e first. When shaving witness came into the bedroom, and accused passed the razor over her iace. He afterwards shaved nnnself. At breakfest he seemed all right. He . asked' for mouey, and she gave- him her jpurse, containing a few shillings. He went but, and returning in a few minutes, he .'took t tip- the tomahawk^ with which they broke the coal, aud felt its edge. He tiien with both nands, raised the? tomahawk, and struck her three blows on the headi each cutting her. She seized his hand, and he dropped the axe and took a razor from his pocket, and attempted to cut her throat. He cut her aeck and cheeki She caught hold of the razor, i and it cut her fingers. She got &eeranUrah out. On looking back she «aw him cutting his throat. Was taken to fthe. hospital. .More than a week before the occurrence her husband brought hdnie ai'box of 'Rough on Rats.' She had no knowledge of the possible use he could hate tor prussic acid or a revolver. Cross-examined: Her husband at school -was nervous, and did many peculiar t purposeless actions. She couid assign no reason for the attack beyond thathißiniud was affected. He did not know what he was doing. A chemist proved the sale of ' Rough on Rats'- to accused, and his assistant gave evidence of accused trying to purchase prussic acid. Mr Salek, : a pawnbroker, said accused had told him the whole position, and said if he •was sold up he could not siaud the dUgrace, and neither he nor his wife would live to see it. He would never let his wife know what he was. He wanted a Joan of naoney, which witness could not give him. ■ Gross-examined : All this wild talk was caused by an indebtedness of about MO. Mr Brooking, next door neighbour, iiIposed that he heard screaming and scuttiling in. Moss' house at the time of the occurrence. He ran out and saw Mrs Moss covered with blood. With others he went inside and saw Moss lying on the floor in a pool of blood, apparently dead, and a razor close by. A policeman gave evidence that accused , ■on his way to the Hospital, wrote on the .side of the express wagon. • Robbed— leally swindled. I have lost all my k inbney, £185. Where is my wife? A man swindled me.' The constable who had charge of accused in the hospital, said that some days after the occurrence ne said he remembered his wife's hand raised. He had a razor in his hand at the time. He remembered nothing else till he was turned over on his back, and heard somebody say. ' He's dead,' and the Dr ' There's Aery little hope of him.' When charged, accused said. * Not of any malice aforethought/ •Itis a pity somebody did not interfere when the screams were heard. He could not understand how the affair had arisen. He and his wife had gone to school together, and never had a cross word.' The medical! evidence described Mrs Moss' injuries, and could not understand how her skull escaped being smashed. One doctor considered the symptoms . described as sufficient to give rise to the suspicion of insanity. j The hospital surgeon wa<* thoroughly convinced that Moss was not sane when he committed the deed, though sane now. Accuse was able to stand his trial now. , , Accused's counsel oflered no evidence, and Moss was committed for trial at the Supreme Court in Ohzistchurch on August 10th. t