MURDER TRIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1921, Page 5

MURDER TRIAL.

THE MATTHEWS CASE. DEFENCE PLEADS INSANITY. TRAGIC FAMILY HISTORY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. The trial of Reginald Matthews, on a charge of having murdered Clarence Edward Wagstaffe at Timaru on October 27, was continued to-day, before Mr. Justice Herdman. Additional evidence for the Crown was given by Annie Philipson, with whom accused had often stayed, and who identified various articles as being the property of Matthews. Rose and Annie Philipson, daughters of the previous witness, gave similar evidence. All three were lengthily cross-examined as to the character of accused, and his views regarding social and sexual matters. Further technical evidence closed the case for the Crown. Opening for the defence, Mr. C. S. Thomas said that the jury, before convicting Matthews, must be convinced that he committed the act, and that the man, when he committed the act, was sane, and not insane. To solve the question as to whether Matthews was sane or insane was a task which rested on counsel’s shoulders, and he hoped to be able to prove conclusively that Matthews was insane. He proposed to lead evidence regarding accused’s hereditary history and his personal history. Both, said counsel, were most extraordinary, and he went on to give instances of suicide, lunacy and habitual drunkenness amongst relatives of Matthews. An unclfe had committed suicide, and two cousins were committed to an asylum. “Let us look and see exactly what the result of the union was between these two unfortunate families,” Mr. Thomas continued. “There is only one thing you would expect to find where you join up two families with insanity and vice on both sides, and that is insanity, and you find it. This young man’s eldest sister was committed to the Seacliff Asylum years ago. She was there some time, and Dr. Mcl\illop will give evidence that she was let out apparently quite well, or as well as it was thought she would become. She had to be brought back, and to-day Dr. McKillop will say that she is hopeless, and there for the rest of her life. A brother of accused began to show signs of abnormality at the age of sixteen or seventeen. These increased, and finally he did very much wha£ accused did. He got out* a gun, had an argument, and shot at a man. He was committed as insane, and put in Seacliff He was' there for a very short time, and then disappeared. Another member of the family was born an idiot.” “That is the history of the family of this young man,” Mr. Thomas added.

“Is it not exactly what you would have expected in this young man, coming from forebears such as described? Now, in a Iqt of these mental cases there is a starting point, back to which the doctors are able to go. He is born probably predisposed to insanity, and doctors are able gradually, by tracing back, to find a point when the strain has caused insanity to evolve. I cannot strongly enough impress that heredity on you, because a great deal of my defence will be based on that.” He added that he intended to call Dr. Crosbie, superintendent of Sunnyside, and Dr. McKillop, superintendent of Seadiff, both known as mental experts. Both would say they had not the slightest doubt that Matthews was suffering from paranoic insanity, with sexual and persecutory delusions, as well as being a well defined epileptic.

Some evidence on these lines was taken before the court adjourned till to-morrow.