Verdict of Wilful Murder.

Manawatu Herald, 6 April 1895, Page 3

Verdict of Wilful Murder.

On Thursday the Coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Charles Nicholson. On Monday morning a woman named Annie Friend was taken to the Wellington Hospital, suffering from concussion of the brain, where she died Bhortly before two o'clock on Tuesday morning. Charles Nicholson, with Whom site had been living, was arrested and charged with her murder. He wai remanded till Thursday. The evidence showed that the woman had been much knocked aboiifc;* ' She was suffering, so Dr Cahill said, from an injury to the brain. . She had two black eyes. At the post mortem examination marks of extensive bruises were found round both eyes ; there were bruises on the upper parts of both arms — apparently finger marks, due to being roughly laid hold of. There were also bruises on another part of the body. He examined the interior of the skull ; there was a large blood clot on the outer surface of the brain. This caused compression, to which he attributed death. The clot of

blood was evidently due to the rupture of a vein or veins on the surface of the-brain, and not of an artery. The PjPVy, in all probability, had been'lpjed either by a fall or a blow. He diefnot think a direct blow would have caused it unless it was very severe, but if the blow caused the head to strike against a hard surface, such as a wall, that would be sufficient to cause the injury. Unconsciousness would come on slowly in this case, as the vein ruptured was email and would bleed slowly. A fall on a flat surface would not have produced the symptoms he saw. He thought the injury was most likely caused by the head being hit against % wooden wall.

It was proved by Constable Black that: he found a quantity of clothing at deceased's house bearing blood stains. The paper on the walls of the bedroom showed marks of blood to ft considerable heighth.

Sjfrs Burton, a neighbour, deposed to fi^cholson holding the deceased by the throat in the yard on Saturday, and about an hour afterwards heard soreaminj?, and the woman said " Charlie, leave me alone ; don't hit me any more." Some time after the d«M»»ed called at witness's house, her necktie and apron were covered with blood, and her face was bleeding. On Saturday night she heard deceased groaning.

Other witnesses also gave corroborative evidence.