History revisted: The 1963 double murder trial in the death of Rosalind Balson of Pointe Mitchel Dominica
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History revisted: The 1963 double murder trial in the death of Rosalind Balson of Pointe Mitchel Dominica

By Thomson Fontaine
November 26, 2013, 12:05 A.M


Pointe Mitchel, Dominica (TDN) -- In November of 1963 Dominica was gripped by the murder trial of Harold Joseph and Gertrude Isaac, and hundreds crowded into a packed court room in Roseau to follow the events. The two were jointly charged in the death of Rosalind Balson of Pointe Mitchel.

The case was presided over by Justice E L St Bernard and prosecuted by legal assistant Clyde Crevelle of Trinidad. Clifton Dupigny and his young daughter Vanya represented Isaac while brothers Jenner and Ronald Armour represented Joseph. Six Shillingford’s sat on the twelve member jury panel.

Here is how the Herald newspaper of November 9, 1963 described the two accused. “The two prisoners standing in the little dock appeared unmoved. Gertrude Isaac was dressed in a white dress and white hat and stared impassively from behind her modern spectacles as the jury was empanelled.

“Harold Joseph had on a dark suit and a white shirt buttoned at the throat without a tie. His slight frame and thin face with small mustache and tuft of beard contrasted with the complacent respectability of his co-accused.”

The court heard that Isaac and Balson were previously friends and that they had both returned from Curacao in the early 1960s. In fact, they both settled in Pointe Michel and lived next to each other.

However, at some point there was “bad blood” between them resulting in Balson reporting Isaac and her husband to the Police.

Some time on Sunday July 14, 1963 Harold Joseph was said to have visited the home of Isaac. In the early hours of Monday morning there were shouts of a fire at the home of Balson and witnesses were said to have identified Joseph at the scene. The following day he was observed returning to Roseau where he was treated for burns on his inner arm and a fractured heel bone.

The medical evidence against Joseph was corroborated by Dr Edward Armour who admitted to treating the accused at the Princess Margaret Hospital sometime in the afternoon of July 15. Dr. Vincent Winston gave expert evidence on the post mortem stating that the victim died from excessive burns to over 75 percent of her body.

During the course of the trial, Joseph denied setting Balson on fire while she slept and pointed an accusing finger at Isaac whom he said was the one responsible for her death.

A close neighbor of the victim also testified that only a few days earlier she had witnessed a quarrel between Isaac and Balson. She saw Isaac wielding a cutlass and shouting to Balson “I will mash you up today with the cutlass.”

Lucian Balson the husband of the murder victim described to a hushed court room in patios how he had seen his wife sleeping earlier in one room. He had gone to another room to sleep and was awakened at around 2:00 A.M by his wife screaming “Cadet, fire on us.”

Rushing to her room he took her by the arms as her skin came off her limbs. He then took her to his room and then went for help.

A few days after the trial started the twelve man jury returned a verdict of guilty for Harold Joseph and not guilty for Isaac to a stunned court room. Justice St Bernard then sentenced Joseph to death by hanging.

Just days after the sentencing, hundreds of Dominicans including the leading clergy men in Dominica signed a petition asking the court to remove the death sentence and instead issue a life sentence on Joseph.

The death sentence was never carried out.

Note: Research material was sourced from the Herald Newspaper editions of November 9 and 16, 1963.

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