TOWNSEND’S TRIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1930, Page 3

TOWNSEND’S TRIAL

MENTAL EXPERTS

SAY ALCOHOLIC FRENZY

Bv Telegraph—Press Association >

NEW PYM-OUTH, Nov. 19.

The trial of Alexander Townsend, charged with the murder of his wife, Cora Alice Townsend, was continued this morning.

In answer to the Chief Justice, Doctor Walker said that it would be accused’s state of mind to which was added the sudden impulse, that was partly responsible for the. crime, j,. His Honour: Did you regard the fact that the accused took a gun with him as a matter of importance? Witness: I did not. He did not take it to Vickers’ home. His Honour: Did you regard as of any importance, the fact that, though the gun was not taken to Vickers’ house," lie left it in the street, and further the fact that accused did his best to get the wife out of the house? Witness: I did not connect the two, in to my opinion as to his insanity.

Can you not see that these are matters of very great importance?—lt is possible they are. May not they all indicate he nad formed the intention, hut not to commit the act in Vickers’ house? —They may be consistent with tbe intention to commit the act, but they do not preclude the possibilty of acute homicidal impulse. Do you recognise that acute homicidal impulse, per se, does..npt come within the legal definition of insanity?—T think it ought. to. : You are not here, any more than T am here, to say what the law ought to be.

Dr W. J. Reid gave corroborative evidence of insanity of accused from the medical point of view

Dr G. P. Adamson said that from accused’s actions during the visit to him on January 20 last, he had formed the opinion that lie was not quite right in the head. The Court then adjourned to lunch. .It is probable that the trial will not -i&nclude until to-morrow.

NEW PLYMOUTH. Nov. 19

At the Townsend murder trial, Dr Adamson' added that be ’knew, from Ins'contact: a,s a practitioner with Mrs Townsend, that she expected that her life would he' ended in this way, but her citing oijt itfta.t she would prefer to be.,slip.t c]id not. indicate in any way, in the opinion of witness, that the accused knew then what he was .actually doing. He thought, from AvWI.MrS ‘TowMend thad said to-him,' that,the actual murder, had been gone 'through many times previously as a' .threats', awl she had said'that she expected that .her husband would murder her. as lie carried a. pocket knife about.',with him for that purpose. She did not know whether lie was mad, or bad. Nothing In the conversation l)e----twoon the twoyof them in, the sitting room suggested to witness'', that the accused. knew what he was doing. W hen. accused said: “I’m a dead man

now !” lie might, have realised, at the .moment, what he had done. . His Honour: Does not that indicate that, he knew he had. done wrong ? i Witness J..could not say , that. If his senses had returned, or partially returned, how. . do. you account for him going back and'finishing the deftd.2, ~ . ; It might have, been: part of the nnpillsty '' . c,. This ..concluded. ;• the case., for prisoner. • ; ' , Mr Weston intimated that he wished, to call evidence in rebuttal on bell alf of the Crown. ■Hr John Williams, Medical Superintendent cl Porirua Mental Hospital, said that he saw Townsend on September 18, on September ‘2B, and on November o and 12. At no time did Townsend,- in his opinion, show signs of insanity. “In coming to that conclusion,” said the Doctor, “I have taken a mild account of the story told hie by the accused and of the evidence in case. At Hamilton, Townsend commenced to drink too- heavily, for. it happened that alcohol had a : specific action in a certain type of drinker, causing him to be suspicious, cantankerous and truculent. Obviously.;- the natural truculence in the man had become more marked. Drinkers, as' a whole, were divided roughly into tv-o classes —convivial and industrial. The convivial drim.er was one who had an occasional “burst,” got drunk and staggered home. It was rare for such a man to commit crimes, particularly . homicide. Townsend was not. of that class. He. was an industrial drinker, one of those continually having liips, that resulted in the system ibecoming sodden with alcohol. The specific effect of alcohol in this form of drinking, was to cause some loss of control in higher feeling, and the man became truculent, impolite, apd .moody. Doctor Williams said he did not think - that when Townsend entered Mrs Vickers’ house he intended to inurder his wife. He had been drinking all day. It probably was his intention to get his wife and daughter to go away with him, and discuss a settlement, and possibly to start life over again. Thwarted in his desire, 1 1 is natural resentment became diffiirl.t to control, hut he managed to control it until 2 a.m. Nurse Patchel ' oticed a change come over his face. That was probably an indication that one of tbe«° violent crises associated with alcoholics was about to return.

“It is a matter of hypothesis what was tin- stimulus of the state.” said Hr Williams, “hut T am inclined to think that it was his wife’s laughing

at a joke about his .umbrella. Seeing' her laughing there broke the last!' thread of self-control. He advanced upon her with the intention of cut- 1 ting her throat. Thinking, that lrp“ had completed his work, he left to go 1, away, hut. at the door, he found that she was still alive. Resentment .and anger surged up still further. He became in a state of blind rage and said, “T’U fix you.” His work finished, lie realised what he had done, became frantic, and rushed away to where his gun was hidden; blit his first plan of shooting himself had gone by the hoard. I think lie was frightened to shoot himself. He put off the moment. by thinking. ‘l’ll go and clean the rest up!’ He obviously knew that he had done wrong, because he expected the police to take him.

“I do not consider that Townsend suffered from any mental disorder.” concluded Dr Williams. “His symptoms, in general, were those characteristic of the soaker. JHs crime was the characteristic act of the soaker. He was not insane in the legal sense when he committed it; for, though it may be possible that, for a second or so, he did not know what he was doing, he knew what he was intending to do. He knew it was wrong, and wlujn, it- was finished, he knew he had dope wrong. He was stimulated to come back a second time, against his judgment, through his extreme rage.”

Dr H. K Jeffreys, Medical Superintendent of Nelson Hospital, and mental export, said that every man who was drunk was, strictly speaking, insane at the time. Therefore, in that uense, Townsend was insane at the time that lie committed the crime, hut he was insane in that sense alone. Tn two interviews with Townsend, he had fomid.no evidence of insanity, and, on hearing the evidence, be could not reconcile the conditions mentioned witH aii" known form of insanity. His opinion was that the crime was committed in a state of alcoholic fronw.

The court nclionvmvT till to-v-m-iv'-. the Crown Prosecutor having further evidence to call in rebuttal.