Diss Family History Group

PEASENHALL TRAGEDY.

GARDINER’S RE-TRIAL.

TO-DAY’S HEARING.

SENSATIONAL INCIDENT.

ANONYMOUS LETTER OF CONFESSION.

The trial of William Gardiner, accused of the murder of Rose Harsent at Peasenhall, was resumed at Ipswich Assizes this morning before Mr. Justice Lawrence, when the court was again crowded. Prisoner was conducted from the prison to the court room by an underground passage, and thus escaped the notice of the crowd outside the court. A large number of women were among those in court. Prisoner appeared to be perfectly calm and collected.

THE EVIDENCE CONTINUED.

A bricklayer named Borgess said he listened at the ventilator of the Doctor’s Chapel, where prisoner and the girl were, and heard an exclamation from one of them.

Mrs. Dickinson, who lived next door to prisoner, said that on the night of the murder Gardiner was in her house from midnight until 1.30, when it was daylight.

Herbert Stammer, a neighbour of Gardiner’s, said that on the morning of June 1st he noticed there was a fire in prisoner's washhouse.

John Richards, secretary to prisoner's employer, identified the handwriting of certain envelopes, as well as the envelopes themselves, as similar to these used by his firm.

William Harsent, deceased’s father, and Police-constable Nunn described the discovery of the body of the deceased, and the constable spoke to the finding of the medicine bottle smelling strongly of paraffin, with a label with directions for Mrs. Gardiner’s children. He also spoke to finding certain letters.

A witness stated when he listened outside the Doctor’s Chapel he could hear the words spoken distinctly.

There was some friction between counsel and witness in cross-examination, and the learned Judge told counsel he had drawn it upon himself; he had put his questions offensively.

Counsel: I did not mean it.

The Judge : I know you did not.

AN ANONYMOUS CONFESSION.

At this stage Mr. Wild caused a sensation by reading an anonymous letter of confession of the murder. The letter was extremely lengthy and purported to be written by a maltster. The writer said his motive was jealousy at the girl’s unfaithfulness. It concluded: “I cannot tell you my name, but I shall commit suicide before long.”

(Proceeding.)

YESTERDAY’S EVIDENCE.

The following were among the witnesses examined yesterday:

John Guy, late Superintendent Minister of the Wayford Circuit of the Primitive Methodist Church, said Gardiner was Sunday School Superintendent in his chapel at Sibton. Rose Harsent was also a private member of his church. An inquiry was held in the church into the alleged conduct of Gardiner and the deceased. Witness presided over this inquiry, which ended in a deadlock. There was no corroborative evidence on either side, so they arrived at no conclusion one way or the other. After the inquiry witness saw Gardiner privately. He said to him, “Be very, very careful in the future. Let this be a life lesson to you.” Prisoner replied that it would be.

To Mr. Wild, Mr. Guy admitted that he had sworn before the Coroner that Rose Harsent was present at this inquiry, while afterwards he discovered that she was not. Although the result of the inquiry was unsatisfactory, Gardiner was not asked to resign his office, although he offered to do so. Asked why he, as Minister of the chapel, allowed Gardiner to continue in his offices in the church after so unsatisfactory a result, Mr. Guy said he had no power to accept his resignation.

Endeavouring to get witness to give the exact words used by witness at a district meeting subsequent to the inquiry, Mr. Wild asked if he ever used the words, “So far as I can make out, there is nothing in the charges against Gardiner,” but the witness would not commit himself to an assertion that he had used these words or any words, which would bear that construction.

Mr. Wild : I will not ask you any more on that point, but will call evidence.

A REMARK FROM THE BENCH.

When Mr. Guy’s examination was concluded, the Judge remarked that it was an extraordinary thing that to-day the witness was asked if he had made the remark that he did not believe the charges against Gardiner to two persons named Tripp and Goddard, while before the persons to whom he was said to have made the statement were Fiddler and Potter.

AN AGED LABOURER.

Henry Rouse, a labourer, aged 73, said he had seen Gardiner and the girl Harsent walking out together one evening, and told Gardiner in “meeting” afterwards that he was bringing disgrace on his chapel. Prisoner said to him, “Have you said anything about it?” Witness replied : “No, I have not even told my own wife.” Gardiner said, “If you say nothing about it, I swear it will never occur again.” Some time after witness was preaching in the chapel, and noticed prisoner make an improper gesture towards Rose Harsent. “I stopped,” witness continued, “intending to order one of them out of the chapel; but something came to me and said, ‘Do not disgrace the man in public.’”

Mr. Wild created some sensation by impugning the veracity of this witness by saying that this was not the first occasion on which he had made groundless charges against people. Witness also admitted having once been the subject of a scandalous story himself, which he declared to be quite baseless. Questioned as to prisoner’s gesture in the chapel, witness acknowledged that it might have been seen by all the members of the choir. Asked if he thought Gardiner would commit such an indiscretion in full view of the choir, all that witness would say was “Well, he did.”

ROSE HARSENT’S MISTRESS.

Mrs. Crisp, in whose service Rose Harsent was, stated she had accused the girl some time before the murder of being in a certain condition, but she had denied it. Witness further said that after falling asleep she was awakened by a sound as of someone falling and a scream. She did not think it was anything serious, so she did not go down.

While Mrs. Crisp was being cross-examined her husband got up and said, “May I speak?”

The Judge (sternly) : No; sit down.

Mr. Wild: Is that the deaf gentleman?

Mrs. Crisp : That is my husband.

The case was then adjourned until to-day.