THE STYCHE CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 229, 22 November 1900, Page 2

THE STYCHE CASE.

(pbr mm immmo*-) Ohebtohomh, November 81. , The Styche esse wae ** ie Supreme Court ***}*/» w " wit ~ camination of the *xnert wttoaejej r the defence was resumed. Thome* . Joy detailed the r*iult of tb*«mination he made en the or*neu* iteraoon of the original brttonr•** jpies made by Gilby, aad described hat he considered were the varmtiona. [e wag cross-examined at ooawlenbw mgth by Mr. Stringer, and la th* Dune of hit examioatfae, struck * umber of lettem en Styohe's typ*rriter in court. He admitted tuft here was a resemblance between tb* riginal letters and Oilby'a copies, Ml lid not consider that it wae more eo ban that between any ordinary oopltf if typewritten matter. It was quite Kwsible that a fall on to a chair Mot* ailing to the floor, would produoe aQ ;he damage suftcrod by the machine, Herbert James Cunnington, meohaniceJ ragineer, said that he had acta tb* nachine now in Court about thrc* nonths ago, at the police station, H* »nsidered that mott of the injuria* night hare been caused by a fall fxcaa the table in Rhodes' Ones. He had wamined the original letters aad topis* with Joy, and agreed entirely with bis evidence. He could sot undertake to swear that the letters had been written on the machine new in court. To Mr. Stringer: Ha was not a specialist, and, after baring eriticaur examined the letters, he would any ft was probable that the machine in Court had written the letters. Then wen marked peculiarities in the original letters, and that machine would nroduoe some of them. From a mew pemsual of the letters one would draw the conclusion that they had beta written on a machine with a rertieel stroke over "3," bat it wen pomibfai that might hare been done on another machine. Alfred Smith, mechanical and electrical engineer, said it was quite pet* sible for all the damage to the machine to be sustained by a fall from a table. He could qui'6 imagine tin key bout oeing damaged by striking a obair oa its way to the floor. Tbe accused, Henry Vincent Styoba, then gave evidence. He said he we* in no financial difficulties, and wai now in a better position then when he wat married in 1801. His wife had beta delicate since their marriage, and, en •he; had been getting weaker, daring the present year, she consulted Dr. OUyton of her own accord. After referring to oonrersations with Dr. Clayton, be detailed the occurrences of October 3rd, on the evening of which day he called on Dr. OUyton, at the letter's request. Dr. Clayton saii: "It was not altogether about year •rife that I waatedto talk to yea. la fact, I am rather short of meaty, tnd hare been trying to Mis* £IOO, and thought that you through /our wealthy employen might be ansa te help me." Witness said he himtatf hid no money to bad, and asked what security the doctor had to offer. Tat doutor replied that ho had aone. After come further rtisnnaaa* <s to a losn, Clayton said that asm* tied friend had offered to girt or km! aim £2OO for a very small favour h putting a patient out of the world. Ea xplsioed that it eould be very oejujr lone, it simply meant giving a liti** ixtra morphia, Some mott talk followed, and Clayton then said ha had hod much annoyed at receiving toast wonymous letters. He would hand hem to witness in the order he had received them. Witness read thee* nostly to himself, but the light waa bad and a part of one of the letters waa indistinct, and he could not make it out very well, and the doctor, noticing 'bis, asked him to read it tat cloud. When he haded over the setter card ha said," Now, don't yon think this reftra toMra.Stycne." Witness replied that it was very suggestive. When speaking about the Tetters, Dr. Clayton eaia he thought the word "terrible" indicated that a woman bad written thaau After having read the latter Met witness said that whoever was the writer wasa coward, using no pronoun; he, however, thought the letters were a hoax, and told the doctor at. The doctor said the proposal wuabsord, and that the job wu worth mere like £2OOO than £2OO. Ha then atked if witness would go halves in getting in a detective, but witness replied that h* thought it would be better to watt to see new things developed, aad in that Clayton agreed, and said ha would stow witness any further ooHeanoadence. The domeitk relation between himself aad his wife were the hsppieat that could be imagined. There had never been any friction between then, and he had always paid her ortry pov sible attention. la 1803 he took oat a joiat life insurance policy for XSftQ, to* main object being to provide a fafHwfm for his wife in oase of hia death. Of late years, since he had mastered tat machine, he had never £ssd a vertical tttjko in mistake for;«S* He bad never seen any of ta* original letters produced until ha saw them at Dr. Clayton's home, a»r had he written any of them or any nut of them. H* had never found himself making taw blunders as appeared in the letter*. Ha waa not at the office after bueineat Lours, nnd he did not know of his own knowledge whether anyone eould obtaia access to the offices after. He did not know until alter his arrest that folding doors had beta found unlocked. The type-writer usually stood at the end of the table, and, ueMtiontoaehaJraax which he sat, there was another ehsjf at the and of the tab)*. He Wwald ewfcar that be had accidentally kaoekad i the machine from the table to the floor, his coat sleeve catching in the nuehina as he was moving soma books from th* table to the counter at hie back, la ito fall the machine etrusk the chair by the table. He had not tampered with the machine in any way, and ho ooald not say that he knew whether it bed any characteristic defects. Mr. Stringer asked no questions. The Court adjourned.