HEAD BATTERED IN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 251, 5 August 1941, Page 6

HEAD BATTERED IN

MAN FOUND DEAD IN STORE. TRAGEDY AT WAITOTARA. DEATH OF ELDERLYPROPRIETOR (P.A.) WANGANUI, This Day. Mr Arthur Harding Parkinson, an elderly man, proprietor of a general store at Waitotara, was found dead in his store to-day, with his head battered. Mr Parkinson, who was aged 78 years, was found in his shop shortly before 8 a.m., his head having been battered by some heavy instrument. Inspector J. Dempsey, DetectiveSergeant J. - Iv. Robertson and Detective J. Murray are in Waitotara making investigations. They will he joined by Detective-Sergeant J. Walsh (Auckland), Dr. T. P. Lynch, of Wellington (pathologist) and the finger-print expert (Senior-Sergeant E. Dinnie, of Wellington) and by members of the .police force from various parts of the North Island experienced in investigating murders. Mr Parkinson, who had kept- the Waitotara store many years, was a widower and lived with Mr and Mrs J. J. Armstrong in Waitotara. He was in the habit of returning to his shop at night to attend to books and to listen to the radio. When it was found that he had not occfipied his room last night Mr Armstrong, accompanied by a .neighbour, Mr M. Grove, went in search to-day and found Mr Parkinson lying dead in a passage at the back of the shop. The passage leads to the hack door of the shop. The front door of the shop was open.