THE WEST COAST TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1014, 16 November 1917, Page 6

THE WEST COAST TRAGEDY.

SUSPECTED MURDERER ARRESTED. HOW THE DETECTIVES KEPT WATCH. (Pee Press Association.) (.HRISTCHURCH. Nov, 15. This evening about 6.65 o’clock two Christchurch detectives arrested a man who gave his name as William Jiggers MacMahon, and he was immediately charged at the Police Comt with committing the recent Runanga^murder and robbery. . , Detective Abbott, who made the arrest, with Detcctivc-Sergt. t'onolly, made the following statement to a. newspaper reporter in which he gave details of events which led up to MncMahon’s arrest “To day,” he -aid, “a. telegram came from the Coast containing some important information, and acting on it we made diligent search for a woman in Christchurch who was .supposed to be the wife of Mac.Ma.hon. It .took us some time to locate her, but we. eventually did so, and shortly afterwards we found out that a man answering to MacMahqn’s description had been seen in her company at 1 p.m. to-dav. We then searched the town, and carefully watched all trains which left, especially the.one. which left for the ferry boat. We came back about 6 p.m. to,the Empire Hotel, and there was MacMahon having dinner with the woman. ’After the couple, had finished their meal MacMahon left the hotel alone about 5.30 p.m., and Detective Conolly and I accosted him and brought him to the detective office, telling him we had heard that he had come from the Coast and that we wanted him to account for his movements. MacMahon had a small brief bag in his hand when we accosted him and tin's he carried with him to the detective office. On the way there he remarked that, he had been oyer to the Ooa.it buying land. We tusked him what ho had in the bag, and he replied: ‘Oh, just a few odds and ends,’ hut _he seemed disinclined to let. us open it; in fact he refused to. We told him that we wanted to see what was in it. MacMahon was sifting on a. chair in the detective's office with the bag on his knees. He opened it slightly and slid his hand in and began fumbling in the bag. Wo were both watching him very closely, and suddenly .Conolly grabbed Mao-1 Mahon's hand and pulled it out ol the bag, as ho had his suspicions that all was not right. It was just as well that he' did so, for MacMahon'. had a .38 Automatic Colt fully loaded in his hand! Wo wrested the pistol from him,- and 1 handcuffed him. Resides the pistol there was in the bag a quantity of banknotes in bundle* of twenty, tied up in elastic bands, just as they are sent out. from the bank. Altogether there, would be about £IOO of so in, the bag. We placed MacMahon in the watch-house, and went ba.ck to the Empire Hotel, where his supposed wife was. We took the woman to whore she. and MacMahon had been staying at a boarding-house in Gloucester street, just opposite the least Christchurch school. Here Conolly and I recovered a largo number of banknotes, silver, ami copper coins. These were all in a steel trunk. The banknotes were wrapped up in paper, and were a number of brand-new £5 notes stiff in book form, a- they are before they are issued by the banks. These, new notes are all identifiable, .and were identified a.s part of the proceeds- of the robbery. The money has not been counted .-o far. but, from all appearances, it. seems that.- it is practically intact."

11l the course <>i further conversation. a press representative was told (hat besides the pistol ami money in MacMahonY brief hag. there were about 100 loose cartridges. for the pistol. I here is not the slightest, reason to suppose* that MacMahon is a returned soldier, lie is_ believed to have been about Christchurch for a year or so, and had frequently travelled to the West Coast. From jtapers ip his possession, he may be from America.

MacMahon is a strongly -binlt man, appar cntlv alxu.it 30 to 35 years of age.

When charged at the police station ho said nothing. He was - examined by the police doctor, but it i.s understood no marks were, found upon him. . ,

He will appear at the Magistrate’s Court this morning, when he will be remanded. GPLYMOUTH, Nov. 15. The murderer, who was arrested at CJmsUihmoh.. was.traced frtjaJiom- Jty .Detective Ward, to Hokitika, where he hired a. motor car to go to Otira on Monday. He bad been in Greyrnouth lour months ago, posing as u travelling agent for an agricultural implement, but was absent tuil.il four days before the murder, _ when he left his hotel and disappeared, saying he was going to the Christchurch races. He returned again after the races and was shadowed by the police till his arrest. A candle found in his room .in the hotel, stuck in a floor-polish tin, the lid of which was found in the whare near the scene, of the murder, put the police on Ids track.

A BIG COUP

ITRTHEK PARTICULARS OF THE ARREST. (Psr Press Association.) GREYMOI’TTI, Nov. 16. Having little or nothing in the way oi identification, the police have been working behind a maze oi dues. in regard to the arrest of MndMahon, at Christchurch, Detective Ward has had him under surveillance since Wednesday last, when he was reported to have said in front ot an hotel that lie possessed an automatic revolver, and could five it rapidly. The nt-s i suspicions, were aroused when _ lie •...•rived at an hotel on Saturday evening, and said he had just come from Christchurch. and that his luggage was at Ulack()j!l. He disappeared from the. hotel on Saturday night,- but returned on Sunday morning with the luggage, and _ left Hokitika, at midday on Monday, taking a special car to Otira. where he caught the coaches. A search in his room at the hotel resulted in, (ho residue of a. caudle being found in a. tin, which also contained a half stick of liquorice. The. candle is deemed to fit in with a story of a. man who occupied an empty house in the. vicinity of the tragedy, and the liquorice, with ihe statement that the suspect suffered from a. cold. 'Hie suspect L said to have been on the Coast months ago. and was acting as a, barman in one of the hotels from whence, lie it ml a barmaid disappeared some time ago, and were sup nosed to 1«- married. He claimed to deal in land and cattle-,, although very little, is known as yet to hi.-> antecedents. Hu- arrest is considered a big’coUp tor the police, who have had tt very trying and perplexing time. The search in the bush continued all day yesterday, over one hundred and twenty miners from the State mine, assisting.

accused before the court,

RK.MANDKD TILL .SATURDAY WLLK. ( HRLSTCIIURCIL Nov. 16. Williimi Kggcr-i McMahon appeared in t) 10 Police Court this morning:, and was charged with the murd*■ rof ,loun CoulthavclT attempting to murder William Hall, attempting- to murder Isaac dames, and with stealing: £5659 16s 3d. Chief Detective Mcllvency asked lor a remand till Saturday, November 24. at (liridcimrch, and this was granted.