WAITEMATA HOTEL FATALITY

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 166, 15 July 1910, Page 3

WAITEMATA HOTEL FATALITY

TUCKER WumiTED ; FOR TgrAU ) :.-■ ON" CHARGEOF MURDER. I In the Police-Court "yesterday" after- . / noon .hearing, of ~:the ;charge .against i Charles': Tucker," that", on the - Ist" July -he- did commit murder; by;killing, one i John=Mason Price,, was concluded/"Subi.lnspector Henirey conducted- I locution,, and..Mr:.J". Rr-Lund-bir-the-'de- ".-'- ---■fence. .' ..-..-.. ~.;,":'-:-. :•'-.■■.■'...-'■'•. ■■'"-"— Donald Robertson, musician, said-: that he .heard two blows'struckj as of a'-fi3t striking hare..flesh.;. After he heard'the first .blow he rushed to -where the sound came from, hut before he' reached' the spot-he heard another blow'struck..Witness arrived in- time to see Price" sink down and fall on Ms back. "He did not : eee-the-accused. - . .'-,,; .'A'A .A Edwin Uren Hurley, labourer/said that he had been "working mates" with the Accused • for some.time. AOn the .Ist. •July he met the accused at about eleven o'clock.in the- morning,, and thereafter,; several times during, the day: At about a-quarter to five he saw •Price! aid v another man at the bar counter.; He went -jip to get hi 3 drink,: which I was'at'the tune on-the. counter, and Price asked him if he was going to ci turn it on." He replied: :."Kt(, not. for, cadgers." Price toldahim to take back his and struck him. three, or four blows on;tha head. Witness . did. not 'hit .Priced" He only pushed him. Then, Tncker T ; caraia on the scene from another- parf.of ; ;the bar.-He-heard Tucker say: ;'?Hi±-eoiue-: one your size," or. something like.'that,' :and . the. next .thing, he heard was" » thud, as of a man falling, and. looking ; round; he. sawaPrice' onathe .floor;. .Tucker went awayi and; witness, a'fter;.remaiiimg there, a. few minutes, ' time Price was picked up. and .taken out of .the' bar, went; out also. ; Hevdid- not .know when' he.left that Price, was dead, . ajid,.did..not..hear it. till,about.'an hour afterwards..-He.saw Tucker.:.when, he .went;..to;.his..own home at, about-.10.30. p.m. Tuckerwas there ; waiting for.him. Accused asked him: "Did -you kno.Tjt that - the .man I .struck, while taking yova- A. ". part' "was ' dead?"' "Witness .replied .that lie had .heard,.-but -he. did; not .believe ; that; it was co.a Tucker/did; not sug-. gest at that time that he (witness) : had ever" struck Price. ', ■::.\:i -'Susan' Held,, a - boardinghouse-keeper -in Wellesley-atreet, in.. whosevhoiise .Price lodged, •said..that~Price-'was;a..veiy'.quiet, iuo£ensive .man,, very -reserved . in- hia manner,'and hot the, sort oi man to. enter upon a quarrel readily, a..: ..'../.:.- | •a Constable MaeNamara, •of Eden Te> race station, was one of the officeraVwho \ arrested the .accused..... Se~- firsfc._-saw Tucker■*i.a"'Nfc'^(ili-strteli~4"t. ; 'lL , 4s ,! 'j;m.'. ! Witness was in company withl Sergeant Cowan.' Sergeant Cowan said: "Are;you Mark Tucker?" and .he. said: "Ko;, Tm JTred..Tucker." _H«. aske.d.>hati..ali.tt'' -trouble was. about;, and.: the....Sergeant; told him that.there. had;.been a .fight;at the Waitemata..Hotel;" : .They' .did;.not - apprehend Tucker, but at. his suggestion went.to the house with him to. see whether i^^-^ckerAvas.there; Of course, Mark; Tucker wasTiipt Constable 'Thomson- and witness; were left to watch the the" scf.geani; ..telephoned for.™ a .mofa-'rcompleto description. When: he . .came back.'- he said thah Cfiafles r was' the" hatne of the man wanted," : and'-th£E"'he7~waa. the nian to ing. They knocked and "tblor'Tuck'eF to come, put, but he would not come 7" v He went to ..the back door, was~mefc ..there by. Constable Thomson,..and'Tvituess.ro,n xouad .from, the frpnf-;asa;>t-rested.him.. ."On the way. ttf"the-'"Statioa Tucker asked witness, whether he. had see.a Pat Hurley. Witness asked: Pat Hurley?" . .Accused, replied;.; "He's the man that all the trouble, is. about. He quarrelled with -a:man,: and/got the worst of it.; I stepped in to keep him .quiet,- I hit the man a couple" of times, and he fell to the floor. ASh'ortiy "after- i -wards I left the hotel; I" didn't know till afterwards that a'man had'beea killed:"; Constable- Thomsdhj" of Auckland : sta"tion," told. how'he 'had" stopped accused at the; back door of, his house,'and "before the arrival of - Constable MacNainara, arrested him . on- a.charge o£ " murder. He gave. evidence'Aas "to tha etatement -made by - accused-: to him, which :.was the Bame in'effect as that made by him to ConfitableMacNamafa. To him Tucker, said, further:; "lifter. it» was over I went to the-Thames and Waverley Hotels./ .-We were all-drunk at the time." When accused was -airrested he was perfectly sober:-A.:•■-..' Asked" the ' usual questioh s *hs--ato whether he had anything to Veay,:-aci cused: said: in a perfectly -level voice*. 'T reserve my" defence." .... During the hearing ;Mr. J. R. Luhdon, counsel for the accusWd,' put" only one question,, and afchat to: the "first withesa.