CHARGE OF MURDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 63

CHARGE OF MURDER.

CASE AGAINST MRS FARNDALE. AUCKLAInD. February 17. 'The charge of murder preferred againsfi Florence Farndale. a young married woman, was commenced at the Supreme Court to-day. Throughout the proceedings the prisoner kept up a continual sobbing in the box. Mr Tole, in opening the case, said th« charge was one preferred aarain6t Mrs Farndale for the alleged murder of an infant child only a few weeks old. The prisoner, he said, 'was the wife of a medical man who had been Ihing in Fni, but for the last few years had been absent in South! Africa. Early in 1907 the prisoner cam« to Auckland, and after In ing for a while in theWaikato with her parents came back to Auckland. She took up her residence at a boarding-bousp known as Sunnyside. She was expecting motherhood at the time, and on November 11 went into a maternity home, kept by Nui-sp West. There sh< gave birth to a healthy child, but ther* could be no doubt it was illegitimate. II would appear that she displayed none of that attachment which might be expected on the part of a mother. Moreover, sh* seemed anxious to get rid of the child and have It put into a home. On one occa6ion she got into a cab. and went to three different homes but failed to hava the child taken in. Later she went to Mrs M Donald, the police matron, and told he< that the child belonged to a woman who was dead, and she (accused) was desirous of get! ing it into a home. Thi" statement the evidence would prove lo be untrue. Several nights afterwards accused left th« boarding-house with the child late at nisrht. She returned, and remained at the hou«o for some time, but the baby had disappeared. Her demeanour was just the same as usual, though at all times there was a my6terious quiet reserve about her. Accused was afeked once how the baby wa? getting on. and she replied. " Oh, it id getting on finely." The next development was on December 6, when a lad found dead baby at the high-water mark at Pon' sonby. Evidence would be produced \A show that the body was that of Mrs Farn-. dale's baby. Mrs Farndale. indeed, admitted the fact, and had told the police a fetory that when she was travelling in a ferry boat the boat grave a lurch and the baby fell o\erlioaid, but -=he told no one about it at the time. The ca-se stand 1 part heard.