KALGOORLIE HORROR.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 161, 9 July 1926, Page 7

KALGOORLIE HORROR.

MURDER OF DETECTIVES. THE SHOCKING DETAILS. PERTH, July 8. The inquest concerning the deaths of Detectives Pitman and Walsh, whose bodies were found in an old mining shaft near Kalgoorlie, was continued to-day. The accused, man Evan Clarke, licensee of the South Boulder Hotel, was called by the Crown to give evidence. He said that when he took over the hotel the accused, Treffene, was a barman there and remained in that capacity until June 0. After witness bought the hotel he began trafficking in illicit gold, Treffene being associated with him in buying and disposing of it. Witness financed Treffene and allowed him to purchase gold ore on the hotel premises. The ore was kept in the hotel and when sufficient had accumulated it was taken into the bush by Treffene and Coulter in Clarke's car. On April 27 Treffene and Coulter took a load of goldbearing ore in the car to the bush. They had a shotgun in the car. Later they returned and called him aside. Coulter said: "Pitman and Walsh came upon us to-day, and Treffene shot Pitman before I knew what had happened. I then shot Walsh." Clarke went on to say that Treffene did not deny Coulter's statement. Neither did Coulter deny Treffene's statement to the effect that Coulter shot Walsh. Witness asked Coulter what he had done with the bodies. He replied: "They are still at the treatment? plant. We tried to burn them, but they would not go into the furnace." Coulter then said he wanted Clarke to go with him that night in order to prove an alibi for Treffene who would be working at the hotel, and also to "clean things up." He asked Clarke to take a knife and a saw. Clarke agreed and they went in the car into the bush to the treatment plant. While witness remained in the car Coulter went to the plant with the knife and saw. Coulter several times returned to the car for whisky and on one occasion Coulter said he had the bodies in the furnace. "I have burned their heads," he said. On another occasion when Coulter was at the plant witness could hear sawin°\ When Coulter finally returned he paid he had burned as much of the bodies as he could. Coulter then brought several parcels to the car and drove to the abandoned shaft. He threw the parcels and the tools down the shaft and they drove home.— (A. and N.Z.)