BATTERSEA. TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1924, Page 3

BATTERSEA. TRAGEDY

INC TEST VFRDICT. \UfiTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE AHSOCIATION (Received this day at 10,21 a.m.) LONDON. Sept. 0. At the inquest on the Battersea tra gedv, a verdict was etiirned lin'd Joshua met liis death t the hands of Peggy Mercer, who then eoiumittei suicide, while of unsound mind, owing to Joshua's action towards her. The Coroner’s Court was crowded mounted police preserving order ill tb< crowd outside. The first witness was Mrs Joshua, who was heavily veiled, and in a voice scarcely audible said she married Joshua in IS!Hi. She last saw her husband on August lJtli. when she loft him to go to Scotland. There had never been any ituliup"iness between herself and her husband, and to talk ol a divorce, hut her husband drove a motor cat himself, and was often away at weekends. LONDON. September 0. Joshua’s wife added that she had never heard of the dead woman. Miss Mercer, a sister of the deceased woman, identified the body ot Joshua as that of Basil Montague, whom her sister had introduced under that name.

The Coroner read a letter from tli dot eased to her sister. The letter which was found in the Hat and enclosed a marriage ring, said ‘‘forgive the cowardly act. hut T have decided to end it. I married Joshua in June. He said then he had divorced his wife and had only lived with her for her daughter’s sake. He deceived me and destroyed the marriage lines so nobody should know, hut I still love him and he loves me. Otherwise, I would not have taken this great rsik. T am afraid every day someone is coming for me. The sister broke down and was led. sobbing from the Court. The Coroner said the dead girl’s diary sbowpil she liad boon with •ToMiua every Sunday and Tuesday from January to August, going to theatres, playing golf and motoring.