THE RANDWICK MURDER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 193, 24 November 1910, Page 5

THE RANDWICK MURDER

ACCUSED ACQUITTED. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Sydney, November 23. The jury acquitted Nurse Brown on the charge of the manslaughter of the girl Ivy O'Brien, the victim of the Randwiclc mystery. Out on the sandhills at the back of the Kensington racecourse in Sydney, on August 24, a tram conductor, going on early duty, found the body of a young woman of 21. She proved to be Eileen Alice O'Brien, and the story of how she met her death afforded sensational reading. A nurse named Eleanor Brown and her son, John Brown, were arrested in connection with the girl's death. There was evidence that in addition to undergoing an illegal operation, the girl took a drug' in poisonous quantities.

From the first the police were satisfied that the girl had not died where the body was found—which is 300 yards from tlie nearest habitation. A young woman in Paddington told the police that she saw a sulky being driven rapidly in the direction of' Kensington the night before the body was found. It contained two men and a woman. The woman sat in the middle, and was supported by one of the men. The girl took particular notice of the turn-out, for the woman's head was swaying from side to side. Soon after she saw the sulky being driven back to Paddington without the woman. The deecased girl's mother is Nurse Roe, and she told the police that her daughter left home shortly after 10 o'clock on August 22 for the purpose of paying the rent to an estate agent at Bondi. Evidence at the inquest, however, seemed to show that-Mrs. Roe knew more of her daughter's movements than she professed. The chief witness was Mrs. Phoebe Harriet Nock, who said that .she was at Nurse Brown's house on August 22, when a woman in a nurse's costume; -whom she subsequently identified as Nurse Roe, came there. Mrs. Nock returned to the house next day, and at 11 o'clock a young woman came to see Mrs. Brown. Ten minutes or so afterwards Mrs. Brown came to her in an excited state and said, "Phoebe, this o-irl has fainted." The girl was reclining in a chair on the balcony, with her hands twitching. They carried her downstairs, and Nurse Brown asked the witness to go to Nurse Roe's, and ask her to come at once. When she went to Nurse Roe's nurse was not in, and she left the message. Next day she met Nurse Brown , ,l! etom Park laces - Nurse Brown hil'll'" Ar 6 " 7 v'V' 01 '. ollt on the-sand-hills. Mi.>. Noek said, "How cruel they were, and Mirse Brown replied, "It was better to put her there than to throw her over the cliffs, ag her fath mother wanted to." Mrs. Roe was asked by the coroner if she had said this, hut she denied it. '

Mrs. Brown was charged with having sain the girl and Brown was charged of!] , 0 r ! ng hev to have committed «n,l St " n V'«»»'»"

nJr,.°° n w ". ql ' itted on Oc tober 31, e Ciown authorities stating that thev had no evidence to offer against him * Nurse Brown was admitted to hail in the sum of £IOOO. 1 m