BEDROOM DRAMA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20115, 8 December 1939, Page 9

BEDROOM DRAMA

AUCKLAND HOTEL GASHED WRISTS CASE ALLEGED SUICIDE PACT POISON FAILS TO ACT COUPLE FOR TRIAL (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Evidence alleging a suicide pact was given in the Police Court when a man and a married woman, who were found with their wrists gashed in the bedroom of the Station Hotel on November (i, appeared before Mr. F. H. Lcvicn, S.M., yesterday. The accused were Francis Leonard Laurie, a storeman, aged 39, and Josephine Norton Laycock, aged 34. Pleas of not guilty were entered by both the accused, who were committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Laurie was charged with attempting to murder Mrs. Laycock on November 6 and aiding and abetting in the suicide of his wife, Beatrice Florence Rita Laurie, bn November 5.

Mrs. Laycock was charged with aiding and abetting Laurie in attempting to murder her.

In a statement made to DetectiveSergeant Walsh at the Auckland Hospital, Laurie said he became friendly with Mrs. Laycock, who lived next door to his home at Belmont, about a year ago.

“I became violently in love with Mrs. Laycock,” Laurie continued. ‘‘We talked things over and decided the only tiling' we could do was to go away together and then die together. Mrs. Laycock agreed to this. Wife Informed “I found I could not do without Mrs. Laycock, and told my wife I would see her and try to get her to go away with me. I went to Laycock’s house and Mrs. Laycock said she would come away with me. I returned to tell my wife we were going away together and would end it all. “I told her I intended to lake with me a bottle of poison and we both intended to drink some, and that when the poison took effect I would sever an artery in Mrs. Laycock’s arm and treat myself in the same way. My wife asked me to give ‘her some of the poison, and I pouted a quantity into a small glass,” Laurie added. ‘‘My reason for doing this was because I did not want to leave my wife to carry on alone. ‘‘When I left home about noon, I look the remainder of the poison and two safety-razor blades. 1 arranged for a taxi to call for Mrs. Laycock, and I came to the city to wait for her. We drove to the Station Hotel in a taxi. I booked in as Mr. and Mrs. Laurie. At about 2 a.m. we decided to carry out our pact. I got up and poured half the poison into a glass and handed it to Mrs. Laycock, who drank it. The poison appear*! to have no effect on her and, at her request, I gave her some whisky. This also did not have the desired effect, and I gave her my portion of the poison, hoping it would have the desired result.. It did not. Wanted to Complete Fact

"I then asked Mrs. Laycock if she still wanted to complete our pact,” Laurie’s statement continued. “She emphatically answered: ‘Yes.’ “I procured one of the razor-blades and endeavoured to sever an artery in her left wrist. This bled freely for some time and then stopped. I again asked her if she wished to carry on, and she said ‘Yes.’ “I then made a second attempt, deepening the first cut. This caused intense bleeding, as if the main artery had been cut.

"I then decided to sever an artery in my own arm. I used the other razor-blade and cut my wrist, which bled freely for a time but later stopped. I then deepened the cut with a view to reaching the artery. It caused intense bleeding, but it stopped again.

“The next thing that happened was the housemaid knocking at the dorr,” Laurie stated. “I made a second incision in my wrist, I wanted to hurry things along. I thought Mrs. Laycock ’ was dead, and I wanted to follow her.” Told of Wife’s Fate

Detective-Sergeant Walsh said that when he interviewed Laurie in the hospital he explained that 'he procured the poison from the medicine chest of a trawler. “He nsKed me if I could tell him anything about his wife,” said Detec-tive-Sergeant Walsh. "I told him she had been found dead, and he said: ‘I am glad that she is gone.’ “He also asked me if I would be seeing Mrs. Laycock. I told him-she was very ill and I might be seeing her. He then said: ‘lf she is not dead, give her a push off for me.’ ”

Interviewed at the Auckland Hospital, the accused Mrs. Laycock made a statement to Detective-Sergeant Walsh. The statement detailed the movements of the two accused after their meeting in the city until they retired at night. “We went to the bedroom about 8 p.m.,” it continued. “I undressed as soon as we went in. Frank placed a small bottle in the drawer of the chest, first scraping off some of the label. Refusal of Whisky “Shortly after he got up and poured about half the con'ents of the bottle into a glass. He told me it contained poison. I asked for a drink of whisky before taking the poison, but he would not give it to me. I tried to put him off giving me the poison. I asked him to put it, down the sink. I eventually drank it. I lay on the bed but I could not go to sleep. He gave me a second glass of poison, which had no effect, and then gave me a good deal of whisky. “I did not lose consciousness,” Mrs. Laycock stated. “My body felt. dead. I could' not get out of bed. Frank accused me of being a coward and that. I was trying to cheat him. He struck me about the face. He then

got a razor-blade and wanted to cut my wrist. 1 did not want him to do this. He caught me by the left arm and cut my wrist. I remember him using a razor-blade on my wrist the second time. He said he had to get the cut deeper.” Letter Left For Husband

The letter left by the accused Mrs. Laycock for her -husband was produced by Detective-Sergeant Walsh. In part., it stated: “Darling Dave: When you receive this I shall be miles away from Auckland, perhaps dead. Dear, Frank has been in love with me for 12 months. He told Rita and has given me no option but to go away, as he threatens to kill her and himself. “I can’t face that, so I must go with him.

“Dave, I have only loved you and David (her son) in my life, and we have had 15 of the happiest years together. Think of that and try not to miss me 100 much. Frank seems to be mad. He will not listen to any reason. You know I have never wanted any man’s love. It has always come my easy-going way. I have been so happy, if only this tragedy hadn't happened.” Detective-Sergeant Walsh gave evidence of visiting Laurie’s home on November 6, when his wife was found dead with her head lying on a cushion near a gas stove, the five jets of which were turned full on. Near the body, he said, he found two bank books, in one of which there was £l3 in notes One book was in her own name and the other in the names of her husband and herself. He also found a note which stated: “I leave everything I possess, personal and otherwise, to my sister and my brother, to be divided equally. Please cremate me. This is the only wav. Love to all. Forgive me.—Rita Laurie.”

The accused were committed for trial.

Both counsel applied for bail. It was granted to Mrs. Laycock in the sum of £250. with a surety for £250, a condition being that she stayed with her mother.

In refusing Laurie bail, the magistrate said there were peculiar features about the ease which made it undesirable that boll) the accused should be released.