THE MOUAT CASE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 May 1925, Page 3

THE MOUAT CASE

[by TEI.rjOHAPH—PEP. PRESS ASSOCIATION-! ('ll RISTCII FRCII. May l.'b There was again a large crowd of spectators when the trial ol Frederick Deter Mount was continued. Li i h-- eour-e of cross-e xami na t ion. Drolessoi Gowlaud said lie laid not had p-r-onal exo-wieiiee ol a hun-aii holly that had been burnt, hut there wore eases of the destruction of the human body bv file in an American work, by Betel-soil and llayie--. It showed that tlie use of lire to destroy the human body in order to remove evidence ol crime was a somewhat common - eeurrenee in criminal eases. In one instance cited, a man weighing KiOlhs wa- l.iiriieil experimentally. No pieces ol hone over two inches long were h-lt. All the pieces that could tie idontiued I as bone* would go into a large cigar ho.x. Mr Thomas (for tin- defence): "In eivmatioii. i- it possible to hill'll a. hod v in lhrco or lour hours ’ Professor (low land : ” Yes !. The shortest time in whie'n body has been burnt i-, one hour.”

Are you aide to .give the jury any Instances of the burning of a body in a 'grat wit hunt drafts, Id inches by II inches hv seven inches b- No. be-

cause the dimensions are not given in the quoted eases.

YESTERDAY'S EVIDENCE. CIIRISTHCRCH. May 11. In the Monat ease. evideue was ) given to-day as to Mount's movej moats after his wife's disappearance on February 20th. , and as to lhe iires burning in the house and garden. The police detailed the finding *d the hones among tin- ashes. Alexander Augu-tus Biekort m. anafvsl, gave evideme that l.e examined the waste pipe t prndueed i. and had found that it showed eoiouied mailer, lie also examined pieces of hlunkel, and two tests showed a r aeiion lor blood. On March 2llh. he went pi Moual Vs house and look a piece id colon red matter from the edge ol the hath. He did not say. that human l-load was shown. There were not sitllirienl grounds to work on. lie did not, pretend lo express any opinion as to Iho ago o! Ibe blood on t lupine, but on Ihe .-in 1 ii seemed to l-e a recent stain. Mr Biekerton was rn.-'-examined as to hi' tests for Idt.-nd. and their i<liability. In reply to bis Honour. Mr Sim - idlin' defence) said he did not -ay w hot her one ant hnrily or aunt h--r v ;s rigli I . hut Ihe ease Id' the dele:!'' was tha: Ike a lit hnri I b-s were in a state of chaos. The ease for the Crown has row closed. The defence w ill he taken tn-

,| FI! V VIF Fl's Ml IF ATS lIOI'SK. CHIUS'K lIFBCII. May 11. Tiie jurymen engaged in l In- Moual trial tili- aflernoon. al the l'ei|uest o| Mr C. is. Thonui'. leading counsel tor the delenee. visiied Mount's bungalow in Beeklord Rond. and saw l-*r theiuseivcs the ash heap' in which the human holies were Initial, and also the dining mom Fireplace, which has label! an important place in the ease lor, the prosecution. Spci ial intsri-'l icntred in the dinfor some ;it teiiLion. Mea-uremcnt s Were taken and the Registrar explained various points of i nlerest all lulling to dilL-ren; rooms. Some time was span i in lh- grounds round the bungalow, where the jurymen made <-b'.-r----vations for theni'o!vr.-. TO-DAVS I’IGR F.FDIXGS. ( lllilSl'l II IRC H. May lA. The Monat murder trial was rct-unu-d tiii- morning. Dat- - ii\- 'I lu.mps.m tv-ealh-d. -aid sin e tie- . i i - -t in Mill'll hill. | art ol the m- 'thin al L- 'kl'nid Sti'Cl't !■:*-'! I f'll 111! jj, 11'. .vMIK-MIIH'. Tiie help Where the •'smagnum bom had h-'t u f mild had been dot ui'l.e ! and a large -inimal 1 1- • 11 - was now lyne. I li'-re. ; BEFENT E CALLS No EVIDENT L. { !'I lIMSTCII F I!Cl I. May 13. The defence called i.o evidence. In opening his ,-uiilre.-,- lor the Crown Mr Donnelly said: ”1 am sure it is with great leelings cf satisfaction that you are approaching the end el this long, dillicuit. and very important trial. It was the right -al the accused to say that the Crow n ease had I- iled in the burden ol eotahli-king guilt. Il v,as linon this privilege that the accused rested his defence. 'I lie etidetuo for the Crown which had been laid before the -fury (luring the hast lew dies, was the only evidence. It sloeii ah- ne. uni'piitradictcd and unchallenged, except to tin- extent that it wo he criticised, commented upon and explained in Die addresses ol counsel lor the defence. Mr Donnelly continuing. said the jury must remember that direct evidence m eases of that nature was not requisite. Facts did not lie and could not he mistaken, and circumstantial evidence had been relied upon It'oin the earliest times. All the tacts pointed to Mrs Mount's death at Mount's hands. There were a few simple facts the inference I rout w hich was beyond dispute. First, there wa.s that Mrs .Moual was left a.l.me with Mount in the house. The second was that she had not been seen again. The third was that he should know what became of her. because he was the last person with her before her disappearance and was her lui'baml. The fourth was that be persistently made I a Ist* statements to the police. The tilth was that she had not been semi sinte she went into the house with him on the evening ol February IGlIi. A hundred and one points of evidence showed 'he was alive in the house that night. A woman could not he snatched or pluck,,,l oe.t of the world. She must have been alive in the hotlsc and her body must have been destroyed, dismeiuber-.-(I or altered. Thirty one hones lound i„ the garden had been shown to he the hones of a small woman. They o-ii't belong tn her. The answer to all the i|iii‘stiiins suggested by those taels was that she was dead and that she m.-t her death at Mount's hands. Donnelly alter speaking for one and |, a |f hours concluded by saying

that anv Mi 'gcstion of suicide was hi pcless. The Crown's ease was that .Mount committed the crime callously. Mr Thomas, for the defence, said there was no evidence that Mrs Mount was dead, and no direct evidence that she was murdered. *1 he bones obviously were human bones, but it could not be said because they were found on the section that there had h, eu a murder. I lie lone-, might hate been left by Maoris in the sixties and seventies. The Crown bad not proved the bone- were those of -Mr- Mount.