Acquitted of Charge of Wilful
pp. 39-40 · Read in the full issue
Murder
From Our Own Correspondent
Port Moresby, Sept. 26.
IN the Court of Petty Sessions, Port Moresby, on September 21, before Mr.
W. R. Humphries, R.M., the hearing was resumed, on adjournment from Kairuku, of the charge of the wilful murder of Ernest Jones, made against Margaret Sinclair, a widow, of Palms Plantation, Hisiu. Mr. E. B. Bignold appeared for the police, and Mr. R. D. Bertie for the de fendant.
Evidence submitted by W. H. H.
Thompson, A.R.M. at Kairuku, was that he visited the plantation on September 15 and found the body of Ernest Jones lying on a bed, in a pool of blood, with a large wound in the throat. There was a knife lying under the body, which ap parently had been taken from a nearby drawer, containing woman’s clothing. He found a woman’s clothing, bloodstained, in the bathroom of the house. Later he arrested Mrs. Sinclair on a charge of murder.
The witness said that the murdered man had been living with Mrs. Sinclair.
He usually occupied the same dwelling and worked on the plantation.
Evidence was given by Dr. T. W. Jen kins, Mr. P. D. Ross (Obu Plantation), Mr. L. Clunn (trader, of Aroa), and a native, Kapa Matai (employed as cook on the plantation). The latter said that the man and woman had been drink ing gin together on the night of Septem ber 14.
The statements showed that defendant,
in conversation on the morning of Sep tember 15, said that the whole thing was a mystery to her—that she knew nothing until she woke up, in the night, and saw the deceased’s condition; and that, fear ing he had had a haemorrhage, she tele phoned for assistance. She said that the man had previously spoken of doing away with himself.
Mr. Bertie, for the defence, submitted that there was no prima facie case and no evidence whatever that the deceased was murdered or that the defendant was guilty of it. He asked that the case be dismissed and the defendant discharged.
Mr. Bignold was satisfied with Mr.
Bertie’s submission and that no jury could convict on the evidence submitted by the police.
The Magistrate dismissed the case and the defendant was discharged from cus tody.
M. Charles van den Brock d’Obrenan. who is in charge of the Oceania Museum in France, left Marseilles recently by the “Eridan” to spend eight months in Tahiti and the Marquesas Group to carry out research work in ethnology and folk-lore.
He was in the Pacific on board the yacht “Korrigane” in 1935, collecting native curios.
Captain Algar Ronald Ward Robert son, R.A.R.0., arrived in Fiji recently to take up the posts of Accountant-General and Deputy Treasurer, Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Commissioner of Stamp Dhties and Government Storekeeper.