THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9653, 18 November 1909, Page 5

THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER.

trialTof~roberts. By Telegraph—Pivss Association. GHKISTOHUHCH, November 17. ■ Th* trinl of Roberts for the murder of Alice Newman, opened at the Supreme Court to day, before Mr Justice Denniston. The gallery of the Court room was almost fully occupied during most of the day, among those present being several ladies.

The appearance o f prisoner has not noticeably altered since his arrest, though he is ltss spruce and dapper looking than when he first (Came before the Magistrate's Courc. His position did not seem to weigh heavily upon him. When he entered the dock there was a nervous twitching perceptible about the mouth, but this disappeared in the course of a few minutes. Prisoner was permitted to sit down on a S2afc in the dock.

Prisoner-evinced only mild interest n the evidence, only occasionally raising his head and regarding wit nesses with a gaze that indicated that their te-itimuny was interesting him.

Prisoner pleaded "not guilty," and was defended by IVir W. J. Hunter. Mr T. W. Stringtr, Crown Prosecutor, appetred for tha Crown.

The case for the Crown was stated by the Crown Prosecutor. He said that the evidence would establish that the girl met her death at the hands of the prisoner. She had been employed as waitress at the Silver Grid restaurant kept by Mr bums. For some time she had lived with a man named Read, as his wife, airi had a child to him. She had a great many admirers, amone them being prisoner He evinced a very strong jealousy of anyone having anytning to do with the girl, and had interfered with people who went out with her. Counsel detailed the visit of prisoner to the Silver Grid on the night of the murder and the convert tion which he had with Warwick. The girl had evidently been shot with a revolver in her own rornn. Prisoner was not seen to go through the main building after the tragedy, but after using the weapon he could have gone along either of the two corridors and down either of two fire escapes. The movements. of prisoner hefore and after the commission of the mur der were outlintd, and counsel read a lettor which accused wrote to Mr Burns and which contained some important statements. The only possible defence waa that the prisoner was not responsible for his actions and that he was entitled to be acquitted on that ground. The onus of proving that however rested on the defence. In opening for the defence, Mr Hunter submitted that the Crown had failed to show that Roberts had not left the Silver Grid on the night of thd murder after saying he would see witness Warwick at 8 o'clock next morning. There was also nothing to show that Roberts had a revolver on him when he was at. the Silver Grid. Another significant fact was that there was no blood found on the prisoner or on his clothes. Further his whole conduct was inconsistent with the commission of a brutal murder. In regard to the inciiminafing letters it would be submitted that there was no confession contained in these letters which the constable said prisoner was writing in the Prebbleton Hotel when arrested. They weie simply letters of a lad «.f suicidal tendencies, and it badr.ference to his own proposed suicidr. These letters were in'pris" oner's possession before the tragedy took place. The evidence wa? Nt sufficient to prota beyond, all r»asonabl < ''oult tiat the prisoner commitU.. l!.e crime. There was also the d fence that the prisoner, if he did commit the crime,- was not responsible for his acthns, and evidence would be called to show that he had not a reasonable or ordinary degree of mentality. Evidence was then given or outlined by Counsel for accused.

The ca.ee. was adiouraed till tomorrow. '