THE COOPER CASE.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1923, Page 3

THE COOPER CASE.

[by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] FURTHER EVIDENCE. WELLINGTON, May 15. Cross-examined by Mr Wilford, Miss McLeod states that sho thought that from two to five minutes elapsed between the time when Mrs Cooper took tho child away and came back to witness. Cooper arrived about fifteen minutes later.

William James Welsh deposed that lie knew Miss Mel .cod and had had intercourse with her. The result was that she became pregnant. Later Cooper saw him regarding the adoption of the chihl. Terms were fixed some days later and witness signed an agreement at Cooper's office. Cooper also signed one copy of the agreement. Witness did not sign his correct iiiuuo. Witness later asked Cooper about the adoption papers. He said -Miss McLeod wanted them.

In reply to .Mr Treadwell, witness said Cue per mentioned the name of the adopting parent, hut he had forgotten

Duncan McLeod said that Cooper told him he thought it was his duty to help witness’s sister. Gut wanted £SO. Cooper said that when the child was horn it could be adopted. Subsequently Cooper told him that certain people had motored from Palmerston North to adopt the child. Florence Brown, in evidence, said she formerly lived at Cooper’s. .She saw McLeod’s baby when it was six days old. It was a healthy child. Cooper told her that some people at Palmerston North lmd adopted it; he also said that Miss Lister's baby was adopted at Palmerston North. Witness remarked: ‘'lt is strange that the same person should adopt both children!" Cooper said it was not the same person but they were- close relatives.

In answer to Air Wilford witness said she did not know Cooper was a mesmerist. She had never been under bis influence, but he seemed to have a great control over his wife. So lnr ns she knew, Cooper and his wife lived happily together. Lily Lister deposed to the birth of MeLccd’s child at Newlands. She understood it- was a girl. Dr. Wright, practising at Jolmsonville, deposed to being asked by Cooper to attend a single gill wbo was about to be confined at bis place at Newlands. flc agreed to do so and subsequently found .Miss McLeod and tier baby there. It was a female end a healthy child. He told Airs Cooper tho regulations prohibited more than one patient being kept at a maternity home unless it was registered, and she replied that Cooper took these girls in out of goodness cf heart. Cooper had previously told him there was no money in it. AVitness then described the finding of the body of the baby in the grave at Newlands. Tt was a female child, and bad several injuries on its body. At this stage the Court adjourned till 10 a.m. to-morrow. TO-D AY’S KYID KNCK. WELLINGTON, A lay 10. When the Cooper ease was resumed this morning. Dr. Wright, continuing his evidence detailed the result of the post mortem examination made by himself and l)r. .1 rector on tbe body of the child taken from the grave on Copaw's propei t.v. the evidence bring on tbe lines of that given in tbe Lower Cburt. The conclusions drawn from the examination were that it was probably a full time child and had lived at least five days. Tbe injury to the knee indicated violence, either hclore or after. The same condition applied to tho opening in the abdominal wall. These injuries were not caused while the body was being exhumed. There was nothing to show what the actual cause, of deatli was, but there was conclusive evidence that the child had lived. The child might have been anything from five t.> IVnrtccn days old. It bad dark hair and probably bad been in the ground two months. '1 he injuries visible on me child could have boon caused during its burial. To Air Treadwell—lf be said in the Lower Court that the child had black hair it would have been correct. In the Lower Court he fixed three days as the minimum time which the child had lived.

Counsel then submitted to witness certain propositions from admitted medical authorities which went in the direction of proving that there was difficulty in determining the age of a dead child from its height and weight, with most of which the witness agreed. In the case ot the decomposed body of a young child, age was largely a matter of conjecture. There were several tests determining whether the child was of full time, some of which were not very certain. Tho condition of purification would he affected by the class of soil in which it was buried, and by drainage, whetherit was putrifled before burial and whether it had been removed from one grave to another. The body had been washed before being weighed at the morgue. The weight was approximately four pounds. It was his opinion Ibe body found had not been in the ground more than two months, but he could not say it had not been there four or live months. To Mr Wilford—He could not say definitely what was the cause of death. When the Court adjourned for lunch Dr Hector was giving evidence eorohorat'ivo of that given by Dr Wright.