202:
The prosecution claimed that Bolton was having an affair with
Beatrice's sister, Florence, who had moved in to help look after Beatrice, and that Bolton had poisoned his wife with arsenic he possessed for use on his farm. It also alleged that he and Florence had destroyed Beatrice's diary. Bolton's
262:
published an article suggesting that
Florence (who committed suicide some time after the events) was responsible for her sister's death and that she had also killed others. It is claimed that a note existed in which she admitted this, but that the note was suppressed.
203:
defence argued that
Beatrice could have been poisoned accidentally, by arsenic entering the water supply. Water on the Bolton's farm was tested and found to contain arsenic, and traces of arsenic were also found in Bolton and one of his daughters
218:
on 18 February 1957, aged 68. According to a contemporary newspaper account, his execution was allegedly botched – instead of breaking his neck instantly, he was slowly strangled to death. Shortly afterward, the
249:
In recent times, there has been speculation as to whether Bolton was guilty. His son, James Bolton, has attempted to clear his father's name. Sherwood Young dealt with the issue in his history of
227:
and in effect, the practice of capital punishment ended with Bolton's execution. The death penalty faced statutory abolition for homicide and most other crimes when
Parliament passed the
398:
393:
388:
373:
343:
368:
231:. (The last vestiges of the death penalty in New Zealand – for treason and similar acts – were abolished with the passage of the
238:
In the parliamentary debate on the death penalty in 1961 the Bolton case was referred to (without naming him) by two Labour MPs
383:
378:
246:
as an executed murderer whose guilt was doubted by counsel, his doctor and the clergyman who officiated at the execution.
403:
206:
Despite this evidence, a jury quickly found Bolton guilty of murdering his wife, and he was sentenced to death. He was
191:. He married Beatrice Mabel Jones in 1913, but Beatrice died on 11 July 1956 after a long and debilitating illness. An
328:
250:
224:
173:
199:
in her body, and a police investigation was launched. Bolton was formally charged with her murder in
September.
408:
279:
220:
291:
258:
363:
358:
85:
8:
177:
149:
324:
211:
66:
228:
352:
344:
Investigate magazine issue containing an article questioning Bolton's guilt
243:
239:
165:
74:
48:
133:
188:
169:
215:
184:
105:
70:
44:
207:
196:
192:
307:
Crime in New
Zealand: A Survey of New Zealand Criminal Behaviour
139:
95:
309:. Wellington: A R Shearer Government Printer. pp. 64, 68.
321:
Guilty on the
Gallows: Famous Capital Crimes of New Zealand
304:
350:
172:his wife. He is known as the last person to be
292:"Abolition of the Death Penalty Act, 1989"
164:(13 August 1888 – 18 February 1957) was a
399:People executed by New Zealand by hanging
394:People convicted of murder by New Zealand
233:Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 1989
389:New Zealand people convicted of murder
374:20th-century executions by New Zealand
351:
13:
14:
420:
337:
251:capital punishment in New Zealand
225:1957 New Zealand General Election
369:20th-century New Zealand farmers
16:New Zealand murderer (1888–1957)
305:Department of Justice (1974) .
294:. New Zealand Law online. 1989.
168:farmer who was found guilty of
323:: Wellington: Grantham House:
313:
298:
284:
273:
1:
266:
7:
384:Executed New Zealand people
379:1956 murders in New Zealand
280:Official NZ History website
10:
425:
404:People executed for murder
155:
145:
131:
127:
119:
111:
101:
91:
81:
55:
30:
23:
221:New Zealand Labour Party
176:before the abolition of
174:executed in New Zealand
319:Sherwood Young (1998)
187:and grew up in nearby
409:People from Whanganui
259:Investigate Magazine
115:Beatrice Mabel Jones
86:Execution by hanging
183:Bolton was born in
162:Walter James Bolton
82:Cause of death
178:capital punishment
256:In January 2001,
212:Mount Eden Prison
159:
158:
67:Mount Eden Prison
416:
331:
317:
311:
310:
302:
296:
295:
288:
282:
277:
195:found traces of
150:Death by hanging
146:Criminal penalty
136:
62:
59:18 February 1957
40:
38:
21:
20:
424:
423:
419:
418:
417:
415:
414:
413:
349:
348:
340:
335:
334:
318:
314:
303:
299:
290:
289:
285:
278:
274:
269:
229:Crimes Act 1961
132:
102:Criminal status
77:
64:
60:
51:
42:
36:
34:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
422:
412:
411:
406:
401:
396:
391:
386:
381:
376:
371:
366:
361:
347:
346:
339:
338:External links
336:
333:
332:
312:
297:
283:
271:
270:
268:
265:
157:
156:
153:
152:
147:
143:
142:
137:
129:
128:
125:
124:
121:
117:
116:
113:
109:
108:
103:
99:
98:
93:
89:
88:
83:
79:
78:
65:
63:(aged 68)
57:
53:
52:
43:
41:13 August 1888
32:
28:
27:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
421:
410:
407:
405:
402:
400:
397:
395:
392:
390:
387:
385:
382:
380:
377:
375:
372:
370:
367:
365:
362:
360:
357:
356:
354:
345:
342:
341:
330:
329:1-86934-068-X
326:
322:
316:
308:
301:
293:
287:
281:
276:
272:
264:
261:
260:
254:
252:
247:
245:
241:
236:
234:
230:
226:
222:
217:
213:
209:
204:
200:
198:
194:
190:
186:
181:
179:
175:
171:
167:
163:
154:
151:
148:
144:
141:
138:
135:
134:Conviction(s)
130:
126:
122:
118:
114:
110:
107:
104:
100:
97:
94:
90:
87:
84:
80:
76:
72:
68:
58:
54:
50:
46:
33:
29:
25:Walter Bolton
22:
19:
320:
315:
306:
300:
286:
275:
257:
255:
248:
244:Fred Hackett
237:
232:
205:
201:
182:
161:
160:
123:James Bolton
61:(1957-02-18)
18:
364:1957 deaths
359:1888 births
240:Walter Nash
166:New Zealand
75:New Zealand
49:New Zealand
353:Categories
267:References
92:Occupation
37:1888-08-13
253:in 1998.
189:Mangamahu
170:poisoning
223:won the
216:Auckland
185:Wanganui
120:Children
106:Executed
71:Auckland
45:Wanganui
197:arsenic
193:autopsy
327:
208:hanged
140:Murder
112:Spouse
96:Farmer
325:ISBN
242:and
56:Died
31:Born
235:).
214:in
210:at
355::
180:.
73:,
69:,
47:,
39:)
35:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.