MURDER CHARGE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1931, Page 5

MURDER CHARGE

ROUSE ON TRIAL. BLAZING CAR MYSTERY. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. 1 (Received this da\ at 1.0 p. 111.) LONDON. .January 28. In the Rouse trial cabled on Tuesday, Air I'lnmore defending, urged there was mi ease t:> go to a jury. Justice Talbot declared it was an impossible contention. Air Fin more said the prosecution hart not suggested a motive or the crime, the apparent victim being unknown, with ini quarrel, and no grudge against the prisoner. The ease was so flimsy, uiisulistan;, ial. uncertain and elusive that a jury could not convict Rouse. The case was adjourned.

Early in November the body of a man was found in a blazing saloon ear beta ecu Northampton and the village of .Hardiiigstoiie. Long investigations by the police, who followed up hundreds of reports of missing men, failed od identify the man. It was suggested bv counsel at the inquest that Arthur Alfred Rouse, fancy goods traveller, of Finchley, in whose blazing car the burned and unrecognisable body was found, might have desired the body to be mistaken for his, enabling him to escape liabilities arising from his relations with a number of women in addition tio bis wife. The body has been preserved in spirit at Northampton Hospital, Counsel pointed out that, human hairs wore discovered on n wooden mallet belonging to Rouse, found near the car- Bir Bernard Spilsbury’s post mortem report (made as pathologist to the Homo Office) and many other findings were consistent with the theory that the victim was struck unconscious, and liis body put in the car, which was soaked in petrol and set alight. Rouse, in a statement to the police, said he picked no an unknown man on the Great North Road. He left him alone in the car temporarily, and saw the fire break out. He ran away, panic-stricken.