Murder Charge Hearing Adjourned For Fortnight

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28080, 22 September 1956, Page 12

Murder Charge Hearing Adjourned For Fortnight

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 21. After the evidence of 16 witnesses, officers and members of the crew of the freighter Waitomo, had been concluded today, the hearing of a charge of murder against Henry Erskine, aged 49, donkeyman in the vessel, was adjourned for 14 days to enable police and medical evidence to be called. Erskine in charged with murdering Victor August Kure, a seaman in the Waitomo, while the vessel was at Papeete. Tahiti, on August 20. He is represented by Mr G. C. Kent, with him Mr G. Smith. Mr R. W. Birks is prosecuting. Mr M. B. Scully, S.M., was on the Bench. Edward O’Gorman, a fireman, said he was in the engineroom of the Waitomo shortly after 3 a.m. on August 20. When Erskine came into the room, O’Gorman asked him what he was doing there, and Erskine replied: “The ship is on fire.” To Mr Birks, the witness said Erskine took a fire extinguisher out with him. Erskine entered the engineroom again 20 minutes later, and just stood there. O’Gorman said Erskine had access to oil stores in the engineroom when on dav shift.

To Mr Smith, O’Gorman said: “I have known Erskine for 10 years off and on,. and could not wish to meet a more generous or better person. I have never seen the accused aggressive when drunk. When Erskine first came into the engineroom, he was in no condition to think clearly.” Thomas Edward Doyle, a mess boy in the Waitomo, said that he had a few drinks with Erskine on August 19. Erskine was then “pretty drunk.” Dean Gordon, fourth engineer of the Waitomo, said that, on the wav back to the ship after shore leave, he saw Kure. Kure was then alone and intoxicated. About the same

time Gordon saw a man staggering and throwing his arms about. He thought this person was Erskine. Kure and the donkeyman would be about 60 yards apart, and the witness presumed that Erskine was calling out to Kure.

The second engineer of the Waitomo, Kenneth William Elms, said Erskine had keys to 10 or 12 stoves. Five of the stoves would be oil stoves situated in the engineroom. When Elms asked Erskine for his keys after the fire, the accused replied that they were still in his pants in his cabin. Elms described an extensive search he had made for the keys without result. The keys had not been found since. Erskine was good at his job. and seemed to get on very well with other members of the crew. The chief cook of the Waitomo, Albert Charles Keith, said that between 1.20 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on August 20. Erskine banged on his door and called out, “Open up.” The witness did not do so. Erskine sounded completely drunk. To Mr Kent. Keith said Erskine must have been drunk to have knocked at his cabin so early in the morning. He had never known Erskine to “pick a fight” with anyone.

The chief engineer of the Waitomo, Talbert John Maxwell, said he saw Kure at 6 p.m. on the Sunday, and he was then intoxicated. To Mr Smith, Maxwell said Erskine was one of the best men he had had working for him. He had one fault: drinking when in port, but it was in his own time. He was always polite and civil.

Maxwell said he would be very surprised to learn that Erskine was violent towards anyone. Mr Birks called five other members of the crew, who described the fighting of the fire and the discovery of Kure’s body.