SHOOTING OF DR TOZER

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1921, Page 1

SHOOTING OF DR TOZER

ACCUSED AHAIN REMANDED

MRS MORT'S STRENGTH FAlhlNf

A still further stage was reached today (tin the ease of the Lindfield tragedy (says the Sydney "Sun” of January 29th.) Mrs Dorothy Morfc, who is charged with the murder of Dr. To■zer was remanded again— tleis time for a period longer than was granted on the previous occac'ons, on which a magistrate established a court before her.

Tin- accused woman, of course is .still a coniinee of the Reformatory for Women at Long Bay, and as was the ease at the last remand on January I Ith.— Mr K. A. Prior, assistant chamber magistrate at the Central Court, went to the gaol, and established a temporary court in the hospital there. Thh police were represented by Detective W. Barrett, of police headquarters, and Mr Hyman, of Bradley; Son. and Manghan, solicitors, was present in the interests of Mrs Mort. The occupied no more than a minute. Detective Barrett read the charge against Mrs Mort, of having feloniously and maliciously murdered ])r. Tozer, and then applied to Mr Prior for the remand. 'Hie latter granted the request, and the officials

retired. It needed no more than the brief space of time the business occupied to allow of the formation of the conclusion that Mrs Mold’s condition is infinitely worse than it has been since the shooting. It was stated that she has shown no improvement, ft is significant in this respect that from the day following' the last .remand, she had been confined to her bed in the welllit, spotless and cosy ward in which she still remains the only patient. This morning a high green screen partly hid the bed from view, and when the officials entered the hospital l tine of the wardresses was arranging her pillow, and making the sick woman comfortable. Mrs Mort lay motionless. She was wearing a designed dressing jacket of pale blue and a lace boudoir cap interlaced with blue ribbon. Her left arm was stretched upon the bed beside her and with right hand she half-clasped tlie collar of her jacket. Long, thin

arms they are that bespeak her continually ’failing stretngth. The ashen pallor of her face is more pronounced too, and her eyes have sunken more deeply, the rings around them are darker, and there are tiny lines near her colourless lips that were not visible before. AVith the exception of when she said, “Thank you,” in tones exceedingly low to Mr Prior when he informed her of the remand she kept her eyes closed. AA’hen she thus spoke to the magistrate she merely momentarily looked up and regarded nobody in particular. There was no smile and there was no gracious “Gocxl-inorning,” as when the charge was read to her before. She did not even speak with her solicitor.

- HOSPITAL BRIGHTNESS, i Mrs Mort must derive some happiness, though, from her surroundings. The hospitals at Long Bay are famous, ami the ward which she occupies is one that any luxurious private institution would dearly love to have. On her 'table, on all the tables in the ward, in fact were freshly-cut flowers and within reach of her was a little pile of books. All around her seemed bright. One would never dream that beyond the mighty gaol walls was open desolation stretching for miles. The peaceful silence of the place was broken only by the twittering of the birds in the reformatory aviary, and the “goo-goo-ing” of a big and happy baby—the baby of one of the inmates—outside on the verandah of the adjacent ward.