Stories and gossip have surrounded Devonport-based Nurse Elizabeth (also known as Elspeth) Kerr (nee McArthur, 1887-1969) ever since her three court appearances in 1933. She was ultimately sentenced to six years' 'hard labour' in the prison laundry for the attempted poisoning of her eight-year-old foster daughter Dorothy Betty Cameron. At that time, two bodies were also exhumed to test for a barbiturate called Veronal. They were Kerr's deceased husband Charles and one of Kerr's patients Emma Elizabeth Day. More recently in 1992, there was the discovery of a skeleton allegedly linked to Kerr.

I have already read a few of Scott Bainbridge's well-researched and written 'New Zealand true crime books'. His latest, published by Bateman Books, doesn't disappoint.
Although I would have liked an index, the book flows very well and recounts in great detail both the background and events surrounding the three trials. Bainbridge also discusses possible motives such as drug addiction, a personality disorder, or even love triangles, along with detailing the alleged substance used, namely Veronal. Both Emma Day and Charles Kerr had significant amounts of Veronal in their systems, as did Betty Cameron, who lived.
However, there were no witnesses to the alleged poisoning or poisonings, no confession or confessions and one is innocent until proven guilty. Bainbridge is certainly faithful to the facts as the story develops. He does note that at the time locals claimed all sorts of motives and more recently other names have surfaced as possible additional victims. Ultimately we will never really know the full truth about the extent or otherwise of Kerr's involvement, but this book certainly raises possibilities.
There was a local Devonport-based newspaper from the early 1920s to the late 1940s, the 'North Shore Gazette', with the masthead title varying from time to time. Unfortunately, surviving issues from the early 1930s are very few and far between, especially for the crucial 1932 to 1933 period. With its staffing limitations, it is doubtful anyway that the 'Gazette' would have 'scooped' the stories away from the much better resourced 'Auckland Star', 'New Zealand Herald' and 'New Zealand Truth'.

david.verran@xtra.co.nz