SENSATIONAL MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 25, 30 June 1913, Page 6

SENSATIONAL MURDER.

CONSPIRACY TO MURDER. TWO YOUNG WOMEN ARRESTED." WIFE'S AMAZING STORY. Melbourne, June 14. A sensational story in which it is alleged that an attempt was maile to poison with strychnine a young married woman at Ascotvale was brought to light yesterday afternoon by the arrest of two young women on a charge of having conspired to murder. The person whom it is alleged the conspiracy was directed is Mrs Florence May King, 'who lives with her husband and 10-months-old boy at No. U, Eastbank Street, Ascotvale. Her husband is employed as a clerk at the parcels oflice at the Flinders Street railway station, and they have been residing at their present address for three months. According to Mrs King's story, nothing occurred to mar their happiness until recently, Mrs King last night stated:—My husband has a sister living at Echuca, and last Saturday night a strange woman knocked at my front door, and said that she had brought a parcel for me from my husband's sister. I took her inside, and the parcel contained blouses for myself, and a jumper for my little baby, Bruce. To my own knowledge I had not seen the woman before,, but, believing that she came from my husband's relatives at Echuca, I showed her all the . hospitality I could. She produced a piece of paper containing written directions as to how to reach my place from the city, and immediately she came inside she complained of not having had any tea, though it was 8 oclock at night. My little boy at this stage commenced to cry, and he jumped out' of bed and rai) into the dining room to us. The woman at once declared that she did not like children. I took her into the breakfast room, and set the table to give her some tea. My little boy meanwhile played about the house. She gave him a date cream, but he did not eat it. She begged me to join her in the tea, and I poured myself out a cup. When I did this she looked at Bruce and said, 'lt's time you were in bed.' I took the hint, and carried him into his room, being only away from the woman a few minutes. "When I returned she was still eating and on sitting down at the table again I noticed that my tea, which did not contain milk, had a peculiar scum floating on the top of it. I sipped it, and remarked, 'What a horrible bitter taste this tea has.' At'this stage I noticed a peculiar pink powder around the cup on the tray cloth, and I at once became suspicious. This, with the bitter taste of the tea, prompted me not to touch it, and when the woman went away soon afterwards I left it on the table just as it was until my husband came home from work-. , I told liim of my suspicions. On the Monday following my husband took the powder which had been round the cup to a chemist, who led him to believe that' it was strychnine. Then he took the tea to the Government analyst, and after examining it the analyst said it contained enough strychnine to poison ten men. "On Tuesday I went to Cote's Book [ Arcade, and asked for a young woman assistant there, and when she came I said to, her, 'I am not dead yet.' She said, 'I don't understand you.' I replied, 'No; but you will before long. Then I went to the Detective Office, and told them exactly wliat I am saying now. <- I have only one woman eneny in the world, .and she will be so until I die. J She has caused so ,much sorrow in my house that death alone can heal. Those marks on the plaster on the dining-room wall were made by her. About six weeks ago she came to the house, and almost banged the front door in. When I went to the front door she was standing with her back to the fence, and, of course, we had a fight. Blows were struck, and the woman fainted. Then my husband said for his sake to bring her inside. I did, and when she recovered we continued the fight in the dining-room. She pulled my hair out, and the silk blouse she was wearing was torn to pieces, and before she was able to leave the place I had to patch it together for her. My husband first met her twelve months ago. He is in a position at the window in the parcels office, where he is meeting strange people all day. "It is all due to a moral lapse," interjected the husband. "After I met her at the window I made an appointment with her under the clock at the station. I immediately told her that I was married. But ever since ghe lias been worrying the life out of me. She used to come to the oflice window and cry for hours, until I took her away from the crowd, and advised her to go home, as I would not listen to her entreaties to leave my wife and son. Then she came out here.

"I telegraphed to Ecliuca, and found that the parcel was not sent to us by my sister," proceeded Mr King, "and the woman's statement about having come from there was all lies."

As a result of allegations similar to the above, Detectives Brophy Rohan, and Napthine were told off to mjike inquiries, and yesterday they arrested Elizabeth Barry, aged 2(1 years, and Clarice Cowell, aged 26 years, and lodged them in the Russell Street police station on a charge of having on or about May 7, at Ascotvale, unlawfully conspired and agreed together to kill and murder Florence May King. Cowell is a saleswoman at Cole's Book Arcade, and Barry is. employed in a tea-room in "The Block."