"Sons Struck Me During Seance.”

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 368, 24 February 1937, Page 8

"Sons Struck Me During Seance.”

MOTHER’S STATEMENT IN COURT

Three sons walked into a spiritualist chapel. ’They locked the door. “Sit down!” they shouted to their mother. One struck her; another talked of “hypocrisy and lies.” Thus the seance ended.

That was the story outlined to Kingston (England) magistrates by Mr Lefroy Oweii, representing Mrs Marian Hill, of Wellington crescent, New Malden, who had taken out summonses against her three sons.

The sons, George Packman, of Rose-bery-road, Norbiton; Arthur Packman, of Hanworth road, Han worth; and Jack Hill, of Thrigby road, Chessington, were charged with •assaulting and threatening their mother. The summonses were dismissed.

The chapel, a small affair, said Mr. Owen, was in the yard of Mrs Hill’s house. On Sunday, November 8, just as those present were about to sing “Nearer, my God, to Thee,’’ Mrs Hill hear a scuffle. Her three sons .pushed their way in. George (the eldest) ordered her to sit down and told her that they had had enough of her. He hit her in the mouth, added Mr. Owen. She tried to leave, but George, “worst of the three,” kept pushing her back into her chair.

Answering Mr E. Cobbing (defending) Mrs Hill said the sons came in with a notice from her husband for her to quit the premises. George Packman explained that he went to the chapel solely to read a notice to quit from his step-father. He did not strike or threaten his mother. Neither did his two brothers.

He was going to read the notice when Mrs Hill became very excited and tried to turn out the light. He put up his hand to stop her. George agreed, however, that he called her a hypocrite, and added that the chapel was originally a workshop. Mr Owen thought the room looked more like a chapel than a workshop, for there were “purple strips around the pillars, and a Bible.”

Arthur Packman denied the assault. At this point the magistrates dismissed all the summonses.