LEVIN MURDER CHARGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3597, 10 February 1927, Page 3

LEVIN MURDER CHARGES.

SLOMAN ACQUITTED INSANITY PROVED. At the Palmerston 'Supreme Court on Tuesday, before His Honour Mr. Justice MacGregor, William George ..Sloman, was charged with the murder of, his wife and daughter at Levin on November sth, 1925. •Mr., Cooke appeared for the Crown and Mr. Oram for accused. The following jury was empanel- , led: Messrs D. Collis (foreman), E. Shaw, D. McTnnis, G. W. Keeling, J. W. .Levons, E. P. Peterson, E. Townlcy, C. Cook, G. Gleudinning, J. C. Johnson, H» Gray, and A. .Stubbs..

Outlining the case to the jury, Mr. Cooke stated .that accused had lived at Levin for seven or eight years, being in business as a poultry farmer. On November 4, the day prior to the tragedy, a youth named Strong, in the employ of accused, had left for his own home after'work, accused at this time being in an apparently sound state of mind. Next morning Strong, on going to work, found the house shut up and no one about. Looking through a bedroom window, however, he had seen accused’s son lying on his bed with his head in a battered condition. On the police being summoned it had been found that Mrs Sloman and the daughter, Rita, were in a similarly battered condition, and that accused was in an unconscious state, having taken poison. Mrs Sloman died on the way to the hospital, while Miss Sloman died in the institution.

In evidence, Arthur Horace Strong stated that he had been employed by accused for two years. On November 4 witness had been in conversation with accused for some time prior to leaving for home, and his demeanour at this time was by no means unusual. The next morning, at 7.30 o’clock, witness, on arriving at the farm, found that none of the Slomans were about, and, after knocking at the house for some considerable time, he had gone round to the window of the boy Sloman’s bedroom. Inside he had seen the boy in bed with bis head covered in blood. Witness had thereupon summoned the police, and an investigation of the house had shown Mrs and Miss Sloman in a similar state, with accused lying unconscious.

Examined by Mr. Oram, witness stated that Sloman had been a good father to his family and had always been considerate to witness. Never, to the best of witness’s knowledge had accused lifted a hand tb his children. He knew that Sloman had suffered from insomnia and had taken bromide to assist him to sleep.; Mr. Oram: I would not be stretching it too far if I were to say that Sloman was a devoted father and husband? ’ Witness :• No, you would not. Continuing under cross-examina-tion, witness stated that he knew that, for some time prior to the tragedy, Sloman had been suffering from financial and other worries, causing him to be in a depressed state. Counsel: Could you say that he was of a vicious character? Witness: He was a kind, gentle man. CONSTABLE’S EVIDENCE.

On oath, Constable Bagrie, who had been summoned to the house following on the discovery of the previous witness, corroborated the evidence regarding the finding of the bodies. Mrs Sloman’s head was badly battered; she was smothered in blood and was apparently in a dying condition. The boy and girl’had also been, battered about the Lead, while Sloman was lying on a bed near his wife in an apparently unconscious condition and with'• froth 'round his mouth. In the scullery witness had found a blood-stained tomahawk, while on the table there were spread out three letters, .reading as follow: — “Dear Ern, —My brain seems to have gone, and I can’t endure life any .longer. I can’t leave my wife and children to suffer; I have sent them to heaven and am going also. May God forgive me if I have done wrong, but I can't see any other way. Good-bye.—W.G.S.” “Charlie Odlin. —-Forgive me for my rash deed. I could not stand it any longer and let my wife and children suffer. Yours. —W.G.S.” ; “Official Assignee.—Realise what you can,op my estate; pay the creditors, and remit the balance to my brother in, Adelaide. Insurance A.M.P.p .mother and children’s money,,in Savings Bank.” Continuing, witness stated that lie had summoned medical assistance and had assisted in the use of a stomach pump on accused, who, on recovering, had commented that the e.yanide had not done its work. The four Slomans had then been sent to Palmerston North by ambulance.

To Mr Oram: Witness had been stationed at Levin for 18 years, and daring the period of accused s residence there he had found him a good citizen. William Morton, accountant at the Levin branch of the Bank of New Zealand, deposed that, from a careful examination of the writing, he was of the opinion that the letters found on the scullery table had been writen by accused. In evidence, Dr. L. J. Hunter, practising at -Levin, stated that, from the nature and extent of Mrs Sloman’s injuries, it was apparent that she could not live more than an hour. It was obvious that Sloman himself had taken poison. To Mr. Oram: Witness had treated accused for kidney trouble

prior to the tragedy and had advised him to undergo an operation, one that would be serious.

On oath, Dr. J. L. .Fraser, formerly medical superindendent of the Palmerston North Hospital, deposed that Mrs Siornan was dead on arrival at the institution, death having been duo to shock and internal haemorrhage caused by a compound comminuted fracture of the skull. Accused had remained at the hospital for three days, and during that time had expressed a desire to witness that nothing should be done (o aid the recovery of the two children.

In reply to Mr. Oram, witness slated that, accused had been in an abnormal, state during his stay in the hospital and had been suffering frommelaneholia. - OE UNSOUND MIND.

Mr. Cooke (in rc-examination): Was accused insane or suffering from delusions? Witness: He had no delusions as far as I am aware of, but I considered him of unsound mind.

Mr. Cooke: Would you be prepared to sign an admission to a lunatic asylum from what you saw. Witness: Yes, quite prepared. Then you mean that, during the time Slomaoi was 1 under your observation, he was insane ? —Absolutely. In evidence, Detective Russell, stationed at Palmerston North, deposed that accused, on being arrested, had stated that the tragedy was the result of a few moments’ madness.

This concluded the Crown case, Mr. Cooke obtaining permission to call later, if he thought necessary, further medical evidence concerning accused’s sanity or otherwise. Since his arrest, Mr Cooke mentioned, accused had been examined by two good docters and the medical superintendent of the Porirua mental hospital. CASE FOR. DEFENCE.

Mr Oram then opened for the defence, intimating that he would endeavour to prove insanity, which he was quite confident of doing. Beam! that which counsel would call, the jury would find to support the contention for the defence the absence of motive.

The court then adjourned for •lunch.

Opening the case ior the defence, Mi Oram called Ernest Morton Ryder of Levin, farmer, who on oath stated that he and accused bad been neighbours ror a number of years. Witness had always found accused a man of kindly disposition who was on tho best of terms with his family. In evidence, Charles George Howker, of Palmerston North, builder, stated that he had known the Sloman family for a period of 15 years. Always accused had been on good terms with the rest of the family,, but some time prior to the tragedy he had acted peculiarly. ‘ ~r • , Thomas Hobson, Mayor of Levin and a neighbour of the Sloman family, deposed that, from liis observations, lie had always believed that accused was a good husband and a good father. Henry Walkley, another neighbour, gave similar evidence. William Egbert Apps. of Levin, stationer, deposed that be had known the Sloman family in Wellington and bad always remained on terms of friendship with them. Sloman had been an ideal father and an alert business man, hut, when seen by defendant a week prior to the tragedy, it was apparent that a change had come over him. In his conversation ha had not been quite rational and, instead of keeping to one subject, he bad wandered, switching quite suddenly from poultry farming to religion and then back again. Reierences to the assistance of Providence had been interspersed through his conversation, and lie had intimated that he was in a hopeless financial position. In evidence, Richard Harris, a neighbour of accused, stated that lie had been on very intimate terms with the Sloman family, Having the freedom of the house. From June of last year onward accused bad suffered from bad health, and, with increasing financial worries, had broken down. Witness had advised him to take a trip to Australia, but accused hacl not agreed to this. On the Wednesday prior to the tragedy accused had been unable to do his work, not because of physical inability, but because of mental stress, and witness had carried on in his stead, accused taking bromide and being asleep by 12 o’clock. To Mr Cooke: He knew that accused had contemplated suicide, and he had stressed on him the disgrace that would attach to his family if he committed any rash act. ! In evidence for the defence, John Miller, of Palmerston North, registered medical practitioner, stated 1 that the kidney trouble accused had suffered from could lead to melancholia, delusions and even insanity. Dr D. J. Brown, of Wellington, deposed that in the course of gaol work in the capital city, he had seen accused on about half-a-dozen occasions and was fully of the opinion that he was suffering from an acute depressive type of insanity and was totally irresponsible for liis actions of, November 5. To Mr Cooke: It was possible but unlikely that the realisation of his having killed his wife and maimed his children might have brought on insanity. Witness would rather believe that the insanity dated from prior to the tragedy. Dr P. F. McEvedy, of Wellington, stated that he had seen accused on several occasions in gaol and had found that, although lie knew he had done something wrong, he had far from a proper realisation of the seriousness of the crime he had committed. Witness, as a general medical practitioner, believed that’ accused had not been responsible for his actions of November 6, which, he was confident, had arisen from the mental state he was in.

His Honour : Would you be prepared to sign a warrant of committal now? Witness: Yes. And at 'any time since you first saw him ? —Certainly. CONFUSION AL MELANCHOLIA. Dr Henry Tizard, medical superintendent of the Porirua mental hospital, stated that, from an examination of accused, he was of the opinion that, when the tragedy occurred, accused had been suffering from acute confusonal melancholia, which was one phase of manic—depressive or circular or alternating insanity. Accused had probably not understood what he was doing, the confusional state being such as •to render inoperative his reasoning powers. Accused had told witness: I never felt I was killing them; I felt I was protecting them and just keeping them asleep. I was on the verge of bankruptcy and did not want my loved ones to suffer.” Witness was quite confident that accused had not been responsible for his actions. The evidence witness had heard that day had strengthened his opinion. Mr Cooke: Would you have been pre Sared to sign him up as a lunatic on lovember 5?

Witness: Yes. . And he is in the same condition now r —To all intents and purposes he has

recovered, but I don’t consider that he yet realises the enormity of his offence Would you be prepared to sign him up as a lunatic now?—No. sides tho evidence already tendered But you would have done that on November s?—Yes.

In reply to further questions, witness stated that accused bad apparently had a suicidal intent lor some time prior to November 5, but that on that date there had boon added a homicidal intent. This, Mr Oram intimated, concluded the ease for the defence, counsel tlier asking that His Honour direct the jury to bring in a verdict of not guilty on the ground of insanity. • His Honour: I can’t do that; that is a matter for the jury to decide. Mr Cooke stated that he could not argue that Sicilian was not insane at the time of the tragedy, and, consequently, would not address the jury. HIS HONOUR’S REMARKS. Summing up, His Honour stated that the facts in connection with the case bad been proven and even admitted. There was no doubt that accused had killed liis wife by smashing her skull with a tomahawk, and the only defence to a change of murder arising therefrom was one of insanity. Under those circumstances, the only question that affected the jury was whether the evidence had proved insanity. It was abundantly plain that the acts of accused on the night of the tragedy were either those of a fiend or a madman. “We know that lie was not a fiend,” proceeded His Honour. “We know from the evidence of neighbours and friends that he was a good husband and father and altogether a law-abid-ing citizen, and yet we know that, or this particular night, he broke out and committed these terrible offences. So the question arises: What was the state of mind—was he sane or insane?” PARALLEL CASE. It was a particularly singular thing in connection with the case that in one of the modern books on crime and insanity—that by Dr W. C. Sullivan — there was to be found an exact parallel with the present circumstances. Dr Sullivan had written and his conclusions had been agreed to by Dr Tizard in evidence: “It is rare in melancholia for the crime to have any element of malignancy about it; the suicidal melancholic who kills liis wife usually kills her as being, so to speak, a sharer in liis own personality, and when he rationalises his impulses, whether before or after the act, lie explains his conduct by saying that his motive was to save his victim from suffering and to protect her against some more terrible affliction wlfich threatened them jointly.” Continuing, His Honour said that the Crown Prosecutor had decided not to contest the defence of insanity, and to liis mind it was impossible to suggest anything else as the reason for the crime. The evidence had shown, to His Honour’s way of thinking, that accused had done the terrible deeds when labouring under jin obsession of mind such as to render him incapable of knowing wliat lie was doing. If the jury accepted that view, then they should return a verdict of not guilty. “It seems to me,” concluded His Honour, “that-that is the only conclusion.” QUESTIONS FOR THE JURY. The jury retired at 4.20 o’clock, living directed by His Honour to return answers to two questions: (1) Was accused insane at the time of the commission df the offence witli which ho was charged; and (2) do you acquit him oil the ground of liis insanity? Forty minutes later the jury returned with affirmative answers to both questions, and His Honour thereupon ordered accused to be detained in strict custody in the public prison at Wellington until the pleasure of the Minister of Justice is known.

SECOND INDICTMENT NOT PROCEEDED WITH.

Regarding the second indictment — that relating to the murder of the daughter—Air Cooke intimated that he did not wish to proceed any further, and His Honour accordingly entered a stay of proceedings under section 435 of the Crimes Act, 1908.