STILL NO TRACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 128, 15 March 1950, Page 4

STILL NO TRACE

MISSING ASHBURTON RESIDENT SEARCH TO CONTINUE In spite of a widespread search throughout yesterday afternoon, last night and again this morning, the police have no definite word concerning the whereabouts of Leonard Guy Lawn, who was "reported missing yesterday from the Ashburton County Club, where he was employed as a steward.

It was not until newspapers began to circulate in the district that reports reached the police that a'man answering Mr Lawn’s description had been seen in Ralcaia. It was stated that the man was picked up by a car proceeding north, but up to this afternoon no word had been received from northern police stations, all of which have been advised.

" Acting on the latest information at tire time, a search party of approximately 50 men combed an area of about two square miles near Chertsey late last night, but no sign of Mr Lawn was found. The party, under the supervision of Senior-Sergeant C. H. Reardon, was comprised of members of the police force, County Club, Electric Power Board, Junior Chamber of Commerce, R.S.A. and volunteers from Ashburton and Chertsey. At 10.15 p.m., when the search commenced, the only information available was that a person resembling Mr Lawn had been seen by motorists at the Dromore corner at 8.30 p.m. on Monday night and again near Mr C. T. A. Ward’s property (about two miles" south of Chertsey) at 9.30 p.m. the same night. On the theory that the missing man was possibly in an exhausted condition, and may have gone to sleep among the plantations bordering the main road, the search commenced. Armed with torches the men spread out from Mr Ward’s residence

along a side road connecting the main road and the railway line and from this point slowly moved northwards through plantations and across paddocks in the direction of Chertsey. The sight of the long line of flashing lights crawling slowly across the i countryside was rather uncailny and I at one stage, where there was a break in the plantations, a total of 38 torches was counted. Several motorists, seeing the lights and a group of about 20 cars and trucks parked on the main road, stopped to find out what it was all about. Now and again the men struck patches in the plantation which were almost impenetrable and this considerably slowed their progress. A few of the searchers said afterwards that although they were equipped with torches they lost practically all sense of direction and later, when striking a clearing, found themselves heading almost in the direction of the sea.

In the latter stages of the search the men became widely scattered, but most of them had reached Chertsey by 11.30 p.m. The party then adjourned to the Chertsey Hall where a light supper was served, and it was here that word was received by Senior-Sergeant Reardon that a man answering MiLawn’s description had been seen at Rakaia at 2.30 yesterday afternoon being picked up by a passing motorist, who was travelling along the main road in a northerly direction.