ALLEEGED CASE OF BLACKMAIL

Taihape Daily Times, 28 November 1917, Page 4

ALLEEGED CASE OF BLACKMAIL

A CONSTABLE'S WIFE ON TRIAL, At the Magistrate's Court, New Plymouth, Mrs Naughton, ot Hawera, wife of a constable, was committed for trial on a charge oflL blackmailing Frederick B'ienkiroa Peart, a retired schoolmaster and now editor of a newspaper at Raglan, ? of sums of £2O, £ls, and £35. * Sub-Inspector D.-H. 1 Hutton, who> prosecuted, said that in Auckland Ellen Vosper, an unmarried woman, gave birth to a male child in October, 1914, of which Peart was the father. When she arrived in Ne"w Plymouth' in February, 1916 she had adopted the name of MPs Hetherington. Miss Vosper was a simple woman, easily, imposed on, and of the type generally, called soft. When she left Auckland she had £9O in the Auckland Savings Bank. Miss Vosper first lived in roomsi in Vivian Street, where she met the accused, and at her suggestion took a house in Morley Street Mrs Naughn ton introduced her to the landlady as her sister. Miss Vosper had no furni- t ture when she took the house, and 1 she purchased some from Mrs Naugh- i ton 5 paying. £2O as the first instalment, and then £6O. Constable ~$ Naughton was present both times when she paid the money. She considered then that she had settled in full for t-he furniture, but on removfng from Morley St.- to Vivian St. more? was added, which' the Naughtons brought with them, and she was- unable to pay for it. Mrs Naughton accordingly took over the house, paying the weekly Tent, and at her request •had to hand over to Mrs Naughton; all the furniture: Miss Vosper had to' go out working earning from 16s to 20s per week, and Mrs Naughton took her earnings at the end of the week* Ultimately the accused got the name of the father of the child and thei* commenced to victimise the unfortu* . nate man. He came to New Plymouth and he was on Marsland Hill wherl the accused and Miss Vosper saw hinffrom the house, arid accused sent Mis* Vosper to him With the proposal that' the child should be adopted, and that he should pay her £2O to enable this to be done. He was told that he" would be free and'would not be asked for any more Subsequently he received a threatening letter from Mrs" Naughton, a nd agreed to pay 7s 6d a week. A further threatening letter arrived, which said that the matter would be taken to court and that she would tell his lovely life to his wife* !On February 16 ? when he came to New Plymouth, he paid £2O to accused in order that the child might be adopted There was 1 no intention on the part of Miss Vosper that the child should be adopted On May 12 accused demanded a further £SO in order to have the child adopted by a lady in Otago, and told him that if he paid" the amount he would be free for ever. After this Constable Naughton was-, moved to Hawera, and then Peart found that he had been victimised. The sub-inspector, in conclusion, referred to the six letters written toPeart by Mrs Naughton most of them being of a threatening nature.

Ellen Vesper gave evidence that Mrs Naughton found out her secret, and told her that she could take her to the Police Statiotr at any time because she had changed her name,She continually threatened her. Wit* ness had to hand over to Mrs Naughton all her earnings. Mrs Naughton also received from witness' brother some £9 or £lO. After Mrs Naughton got hold of Mr Peart's name, and -he came down to se her, and pfomised to contribute 30s per month. She told Mrs Naughton she did not want the child to be adopted, and accused replied that they need only say it was going to be adopted in order to g&Zs the money. It was never her intention" that the child should be adopted, and she had never given Mrs Naughton permission to arrange for anyone toadopt the child. When Mr Peart gave her £5 at the first after giving £2O to Mrs Naughton, she immediately handed her £5 to Mrs Naughton after Mr Peart had left the room. She had no intention of going to Raglan as Mr Peart thought. She knew it was wrong to have told the untruths; but simply had to do as Mrs Naughton told her, or else' -sire would have had to leave the house.The first suggestion that she was to go to Raglan first came from Mrs. Naughton. On April, 1917, the child was placed by witness in a licensed house in New Plymouth, and had been there ever since, witness paying 10s. per week regularly. She had not been consulted about any other transac* tions, but had received a letter from Mrs Naughton written from Hawera. In this accused said "I have told an abominable lot of lies."