CHOW VATS MURDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 171, 21 July 1922, Page 6

CHOW VATS MURDER.

CHARGES AGAINST TOI.DY. CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WAXGAXUI, Thursday. Tlic hearing was continued this afternoon of the charge against Louis Toldy of having murdered a Chinaman named Chow Vat on May .'ll at Cordon Turk, about three miles from town. Mr. Marshall appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Treadwell for the defence. Detective Cameron produced a dark tweed overcoat and oilskin which admittedly- belonged to Toldy. He quoted a conversation with Toldy when the latter said that neighbours declared they sawhint at homo at six o'clock. The detective said that the neighbours, when consulted by the police, said the time was seven o'clock. Following on this the detective told the accused that investigations of the statements proved them to be vitally incorrect, and he therefore arrested Toldy. The accused had a half-sovereign in his possession. 1 Witness and Detective Quirke walked 'from the scene of the murder to Toldy's j home by road in 3S minutes, and across I the fields in 30 minutes. Witness also said that a washtub full of soap suds ! was in the whare at the time he visited ! it. Detective-sergeant Quirke's evidence was on similar lines. He said the accused declared he had only two overcoats. Inspector Totihy produced another written statement signed by Toldy in which the latter said he was in bed from two to five and from six to nine on the day of the murder. .Senior-sergeant L-opdell said Toldy told him lie had not gone as far as Gordon Park Koad and that he got home at 3 p.m. and went to bed. Kwong thong, Chow Vat's employer, said Vat neither drank nor gambled. A lady who passed the whare at 5.30 to 5.40 said a light was burning. W. Stewart, a boy living nearby, said he heard four shots about 5.4.3 and saw two men running along the road in the semi-darkness. He told his father later, but nothing was done. Other witnesses said they passed along the road early in the evening, and if Vat's body had been there they must have seen it. One witness said he passed a man going at a great rate toward the town, but could not tell who it- was. Mary O'Donnell said that, when cycling home to Long Acre after 10 p.m., she saw a body on the road. She had first seen the accused in the distance on the Monday before the murder, and again on the Wednesday morning. Richard O'Dotmell's evidence related jto the events of the Tuesday and Wed- | ncsday and did not correspond with j Toldy's account. He said ihat on Wcd- | nesday lie saw Toldy on the road, and I Toldy went off into some bush, sidling j round a tree as O'Donnell passed. Toldy then had a light gabardine overcoat over I his arm. On the Friday, when he saw I Tcldy again, the latter scorned confused. j To accused's counsel witness said there | was no difficulty in seeing Toldy in the bush. ! TO-DAY'S EVIDENCE. ACCUSED SEEN IX VICIXITY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WAXGAXUI, this day. Hearing of the charge against Toldy was continued to-day. A number of witnesses living in the vicinity gave evidence that they saw accused at various times in the locality of the murder on the day of the murdfer, and the previous day. Xothinar important was elicited. It is understood that the analyst's report, not yet presented, shows that no blood stains were found on accused's clothing.