LANCASTER TRIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1932, Page 5

LANCASTER TRIAL

DRAMATIC SCENES MRS MILLER QUESTIONED. 'United Press Association—By Electric ' Teiegraph—Copyright.)

MIAMI,, August 8.

The trial of Captain Lancaster on a charge of murdering Had'eh Clark®, was continued to-day, Mrs Miller 'being /Subjected to heavy -cross-exam-ination by Mr Hawthorn. Mr Hawthorn: Would Lancaster give you money he had if you needed it,- —Yes.

Would he die for* you, —Yes. Lie for you ?—Biil doesn’t lie.

Steal for you ?—He doe-idt- steal. Wouldn’t he steal a chicken for you? , -

Mr Hawtchrn referred' to the excerpts from Lancaster's diary, *in which he wrote of stealing chickens and rabttt.3 with Clarke, fcr. thei.- t dfie. “Y T es, be would do that,” she laughed. ;

* Or a rabbit?—Yes. Or a duck?—No. Yes, we did have duck once., i The crowd in the courtroom, larger than on any‘previous occasion, laughed at eaoh response; ■ Mrs Miller testiAed that Clarke had a violent temper, and frequently was in a high rage at bis mother nhd’ Po gy Brown, a girl he brought to the house on several occasions.

During the recess, she. gave way to her amotions, outside the courtroom, and Lancaster, appearing highly perturbed, motioned to the newspaper' man to come to him. Whatever he planned to stay, was interrupted by his chief counsel, Mr James Oaraon, : After a dramatic session, featured by a verbal' clash between Mrs Mi lit r and Mr Hawthorn., the State, -this afternoon, nested its case,.

Mrs Miller left the Court room in a iitate Off- semi-hysteria, crying, “They are crucifying me.” She had testified for a period of over an hour and a quarter, regarding h©r tangled lovelives, with COarke and Lancaster. Asked by Mr Hawthorn as to tile, tilings she believed Clarke lied about, she said he lied about his age, experience and education.

Lancaster took the stand, and in reeiponSa to questioning by Mr Carson, related the story of bis early life, his, service with the Australian and Brit ish forces during the War. H© gave gave his; age ais 34, and seemed eager to g;tfc his * story before the .jury. Captain LanbaiAer,' continuing, related in detail his experiences up to the time that he lef% Miami on March 6th., foity-six days before Clarke was killed, on a‘western aviation ventua’e, by which ha had hoped to gain funds for living expenses for Mrs Keith Miller, Clarke and' himself. He told* of, his meeting with Mrs Keith Miller in London in the year; 1927, and of his joining her on a London-Australllan flight. He ail.o revielwed his financial and aerial reverses in the United States,

Tlie accused will be questioned further on Tuesday.

EVIDENCE BY ACCUSED.

OF HIS LOVE FOR MRS MILLER

vlteceired this day at 19.15 a.in.) MIAMI, August y.

Lancaster testified to-day that Clarke had promised him, before lit left ior the West, that he would care for Mrs Miller, ‘‘so that I would remember his friendship.” He said thut Clarke had made the promise after he cautioned Clarke to keep Mrs Millei •from drinking too heavily during his absence. When she drank heavily her conduct was not normal, Lancaster said. *

“1 spoke confidentially to Hadeu before I left about my love for Mrs Miller, and urged hirfi to take care of her. Lancaster told how his admiration for Mrs, Miller, had'turned to Jove during, the London to Australia flight in 1927-1928. : J

“We were., in the public eye at that time, of course, but after our arrival in Australia we had little opportunity to see each other. Since the long Australian flight my love for Mrs • Miller lias increased during the years, I treated Hadeu confidentially from the start of our acquaintance, and' I was very fond of him.” Lancaster said that he refused proposals on the western trip to fly a plane for the purpose of smugging alien Chinese or narcotics into the countryfrom Mexico,

Lancaster denied riiat he had threatened, in the presence of business associates, to return to Miami from bis western trip to get rid of Clarke. His denial contradicted ,t(he earlier testimony of J. F. Russell, “When Russell told me of reports that Chubbie was in love with Haden, I told him I wanted to, hear no more almut it as I did not believe it. I knew Chubbie.”

Lancaster said that the conversation took place in Los Angeles while Russell was unsuccessfully attempting lo persuade him to fly the piano for alien and narcotics smuggling purposes.