BRUTAL MURDER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 251, 10 August 1950, Page 4

BRUTAL MURDER

MAN BATTERED TO DEATH SUSPECT DETAINED BY POLICE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Frederick Andrew Stade, aged 54, a nightwatchaian at the Wellington railway station, was battered to death at 1.17 a.m. to-day. His body was discovered face downwards 20 feet from the western entrance in the main concourse leading to the platforms. Two minutes before the body was found the Johnsonville train had left the platform not many yardsi away. Vicious blows had been dealt to the skull, apparently with a neavy weapon. One of Stade’s dutiqs was to change the platform Indicator to the time of departure of the next train, which \£ould have been 2.30. The indicator had not been changed, so It was presumed that Stade was making his way to No. 1 platform to carry out his duty when he was attacked.

The body was in full view of the station entrance. The police immediately cordoned the city and guarded all roads leading out of the city with patrol cars. Late buses leaving the city and all cars were checked. At 3.30 a.m. a man was detained for questioning. Stade was a veteran of the Firm World War, serving as a private in the New Zealand Machine-Gun Corps. He left New Zealand on June 12, 1917, in the 26th Reinforcements, and served in France, where he was awarded the D.C.M. He lived at 23 Garfield Street, Brooklyn, Wellington. Suspect Placed Under Arrest AJoout 11 o’clock this morning a 50-year-old labourer, who had'been detained for questioning since about 4 o’clock, was placed under arrest, and is to appear in the Magistrate’s Court this afternoon. The man was detained by a police patrol-car in the city about 4 o’clock this morning in the course of a concentrated search of the city by patrolcars. '-, . The body of Stade was fojmcMymg on a pool of blood between the central time-table kiosk and the row of telephone booths near the Johnsonville platform. The head had been battered by a heavy object, although no other part of the body was injured, and there was no evidence of robbery. A night telegraphist, Mr S. G. Reid, heard screams and looked put of his office window into Featherston Street, but saw nothing.' Shortly after he heard another scream, and looking through the first-floor window, in to the station concourse saw Stade lying on the ground. Reid thought Stade had fainted, and he telephoned the control operator to examine him. Stade was found to be dead. full name is Frederick Andrew Stade.