BODIES IN RUINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 241, 11 October 1934, Page 8

BODIES IN RUINS.

BURNT HOMESTEAD. POLICE RAKING EMBERS. SEARCH FOR MAORI. (By Telegraph.—Special Reporter.) TE KUITI, this day. Two incinerated bodies were found to-day in a burned room of the Davenport homestead, and one was positively identified as that of a woman. One body was near the front of the house and the other near the back. In the vicinity the bit party of polic-e and settlers were searching vigorously this morning, scouring the fringe of thousands of acres of dense bush. The Davenoport home was picturesquely situated, and regarded as one of the finest in the King Country. This morning it was blackened, smouldering ruins, with three gaunt chimneys standing amidst a mass of embers and lieatdistorted piping.

Detective J. White is in charge of the police party, and yesterday had the help of six constables. They have been reinforced by Constables Becroft and Taylor, of Auckland, and Constable Hodge, of Morrinsville. The headquarters is an iron shed at the site of the homestead. The police think ''ere is a remote possibility that the Maori they are seeking was burned in the fire, and this morning the embers were being raked over. It is thought more likely, however, that he escaped into the bush. The slip on the road, three jniles away from the homestead, has made transportation difficult. On reaching there, cars have to transfer their passengers to a waiting car on the other side of the

Faithful Dog Standing By. A touching incident of the finding, of Air. Edward Davenport near the slip was that his Airedale clog was standing guard over him. It was very hostile when the police approached. There was clay in Mr. Davenport's eyes and mouth, and it seemed that he had been dragged down the bank. The other brother's body, which was found in a whare about a mile down the road, was lying face downwards on a couch of bracken. His .44 rifle, fully loaded, lay beneath him. He had been shot through the neck from behind.

The police are working very hard on their task. They searched until late last night. They started again at daylight this morning.