ATTEMPTED MURDER IN DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4131, 17 June 1874, Page 3

ATTEMPTED MURDER IN DUNEDIN.

A case of a most extraordinary character lias been heard in the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Dunedin. It resulted in a Frenchman, named Buisson, being committed for trial for assaulting his wife, with intent to murder her. The complainant deposed that she had been married to the accused, who is a herbalist, for two years, but had lived unhappily with him. She had in consequence left him for some time, and had taken situations. Ho had been in the habit of keeping company with a French woman, who used to visit their house. This woman had been the cause of the misunderstanding which existed between witness and her husband. The defendant promised to be kind to her in future, and she returned homo. On the evening of the assault the defendant was more kind to her than usual, kissed her, and called her his dear little wife, and on going to bed ho also gave her a glass of porter, on drinking which, she at once went off into a deep sleep, her husband's arm being round her neck. While in this drowsy state, she felt his fingers in her mouth pressing her tongue downwards; she also felt a pricking sensation in the root of her month. The strong pressure of his fingers in the hack pare of tho root of her mouth awoke her. She then said, “ My dear husband, do not kill or murder me,” or words to that effect. She also felt her eyes protruding from her head. At this time sho was sitting up in bed; her husband's fingers were still in her mouth. When she felt his fingers in her month, she was lying down. When sitting up in bed her husband said, “That will not do,” and pressed twice as hard. Ho then said, “ That will do.” She felt in great pain at this time, and sank back quite insensible. When she again awoko her husband was gone to his work. She got up at about eight o’clock. Sho felt great pain at the root of her tongue, and was in dreadful agony all that day and the next night. Sho subsequently saw Drs. Burns and Burrows. She had also been examined by Dr. Bakcwcll. Her husband used no threat towards her at tho time of tho assault. After witness had been to the doctors, her husband said that she had inflammation of tho tongue. He at this time said that he hated her very much, and ho wished, sho would go away. Ho also said that no doctors could “ savoy," and that he was as good a doctor as any of them, and, referring to some words used by ■witness, said, “You cannot prove it.” Ho threatened witness that, if sho said anything more about tho affair, he would have her sent to the Lunatic Asylum. He • appeared to be perfectly sober on tho night of the assault.— Dr. Burrows remembered May 30. On that day Kathleen Buisson consulted him professionally. Ho examined her, and found her Buffering from inflammation at tho root of the tongue. She had great pain, so much so that he had considerable difficulty in examining tho throat. The latter was swollen, and yellow matter welled up from behind tho tongue during tile examination. Sho was in a. very excitable state. Ho was of opinion that violence had been applied to the root of tho tongue. In order to effect tins violence, he thought tho woman had been drugged, or she would have used her teeth to prevent it being earned so far. Ho thought the - procedure described by the witness would produce the injury which ho found. If the woman had not awoke the closing of the entrance of the air passage to tho lungs would have caused suffocation.—To Mr. Johnston :

If he had not heard the woman’s statement ho would conclude, on examination, that the ease was a very strange one, as, during twenty-one years’ practice, he had never seen or heard of such a case.