ONGAROTO MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 101, 29 April 1921, Page 5

ONGAROTO MYSTERY.

THE DEATH OF ELLIOTT. TRIAL OF TE XAHU. EVIDENCE HE BANK NOTES. ROTORUA, Thursday. ; The coroner's inquest concerning the death of Patrick Richard Elliott, whose body was found in the Waikato Rives near Ongaroto on April 7 w*ch a gunshot wound in the back of the neck, and the magistrate's inquiry into the charge of murder against the Maori Hakaraia Te Kahu, were continued together to-day. Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., was on the Bench with Mr. T. McDowell as actingcoroner. Mr. J. D. Davys (Rotorua) appeared for the defence, and Mr. H. T. Gillies (Hamilton) conducted the prosecution. Te Kume Hemopo, a millhand, residing lat Mokai, said he knew Hakaraia Te Kahu, whom he saw on -Saturday, March 25, in company with others playing twoup. Witness next saw Kahu on Monday morning in witness' house. llakaraia had a big coat (produced). Witness thought Hakaraia spent most of Monday with a two-up school. Witness saw Hakaraia talking with Sarah Rameka that evening. He gave her a note or b notes. Witnes? did not know their dei nominations. Sarah Rameka and Hakaraia were in witness' hou&e when he . went to work at half-past five next j morning. Hakaraia was not at home : when witness returned at 7 o'clock for . breakfast. i .Sarah Rameka said hhe was a widow ! living at Orakei Korako with her ' parents. She knew Hakaraia. He used jto come to Orakei Korako on Saturday afternoon. Why he came she did not know, but lie always came to her parents' home. He never asked her to marry I him. Witness went to Mokai on Thurs- ' day, March 24, and stayed with Hemopo. Kahu gave her nothing that day, but he ?ave her £2 on the Monday. She did not ask for the money, but made some sort of request. She did not notice what Kahu was wearing on the Monday. ! Both she and Kahu slept in Hemopo's 1 house on the Monday night. Kahu left | i before breakfast for Ongaroto on horseback. Witness went to Ongaroto later the same day to get a saddle from ! I KahuV whare, and she and Kahu rode I ■to Orakei Korako, where Kahu stayed ; the night at her house. Kahu did not mention to her anything , about Elliott's disappearance. J PURCHASES BY KAHU. • .Tames L/eonard Hamilton, grocer's' assistant at the Mobai store, stated that on Thursday, March 24, a Maori boy came into the store with a written order ] asking the manager to let the 'boy have a suit of clothes, and charge them to W. Kahu. The order was signed "R. Elliott." Witness made out an invoice debiting the I purchase to R. Elliott per Kahu, because Elliott had an account at the store, and , Kahu had not. On the Saturday night I Kahu came into the store and bousrht a pair of rubber heels, cigarettes, and a ! pair of ladies' stockings. Witness booked J the purchases to Elliott. This had often ; happened before. Witness did not know ! that Elliott ever objected. Kahu also i bought a fplt hat on the Saturday night, ; for which he paid cash. | KAHU AT TWO-UP SCHOOL. j ! Clyde Graville Xorman, labourer, said Ihe was at the Mokai sports on Monday, , March 28, and was one of a school play- ! ing "two-up." Kahu was there, and I asked witness to chancre a £10 note for i I him. Kahu produced a £10 note from i la. brown purse. Witness changed it for < him. There were other notes in the j purse. Witness changed the flO note. \ I which he was almost sure was a Bank of i New Zealand note, into one £5 and five [ single pound notes. Witness afterwards ! changed the £10 note at the Putaruru HoteL ! I George Robert Kfrmour, fireman, to- , j ployed 'by the Taupo Totara Timber ', Company, living in Mokai, said he saw Kahu at Mokai on Good Friday. Kahu asked him for 10/. Witness replied that he. had nothing on him. Witness j saw Kahu aeain on Monday, March 28. Kahu was playing in a "two-up" school, and witness saw him lose £5 with one bet, which he paid with a £5 note. Wit- ; ness also saw Ka.hu take a £10 note j from a brown leather wallet, and Clyde I Norman changed the note into ten single ' pound notes. Witness saw other notes j j in the wallet, which made a roll an inch I thick. He heard Kahu say that if he I lost £10 he had plenty more to follow. Robert Davis, bushman, employed by the Taupo Totara Timber Company at Mokai, said he was playing with Kahu !in the "two-up" school on Monday, j March 28, and on one occasion Kahu I gave him a £5 note to pay a £2 bet. Witness did not know what he did with the , £5 note, but the following day lie paid i a £5 note to Selim Beca. an Assyrian ' hawker. Witness saw Kahu in the bil- : Hard saloon on Monday night playing : pool and betting. I EMPTY CARTRIDGE CASES. Joseph James George Australia Thorndon, bush foneman, who was also in the "two-up" sehiil at Mokai i-n r.l>e I Monday, gave evidence to seeing Clyde I Norman change a £10 note for K.ahj. ]He also saw Kahu later <tith a t"> note. ' ] On April 3. when engaged in a search for : I Elliott'* body, witness found two empty j cartridge cases on the bank of the Wai- ] kato, 200 yds or more upstream from ! where lie had seen bloodstains. He ! identified the two cartridges produced, ! which bore hi.- initials, .vhioh he had j placed on them when found. ! William Herbert Ellis Lesley, ! labourer, living at Mokai, said he saw Kahu mako a £1 bet in the "two-up" • school on the Monday. Kahu gave a £-5 j note, and received a £1 note back. Witno?s also saw Kahu with two £5 notes and other notes in his hand. Selim Beca. Assyrian, storekeeper, o f I Putaruru, *:iki ho went to Mokai on j Thursday. March 14. On Easter Monday j Kahu came to witness and bought a p&'r iof boots, giving him a £5 note in pay- ' ment. and receiving change. Albert Beoa. a ten-year-old boy, and a son of the previous witness, gave evidence a.= to ohtain'»ic monpv orders at the Mokai post office on Tuesday for £140, which was handed to him by his father. The money included two £10 Twin- and six £5 notes. Frederick Kerry Caterer, relieving postmaster at Mokai last Easter, gave evidence as to receiving money from tae boy Bera. He took the numbers of the notes larger than £1. Among them was a £5 Bank of Xew Zealand note numI bered 485614. Among the notes witness remitted to Hamilton on March 31 was a £5 Bank of New Zealand note numbered 325986.