Shots Raise Hopes Of Finding Deerstalker

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30411, 9 April 1964, Page 3

Shots Raise Hopes Of Finding Deerstalker

(N.Z. Press Association)

NAPIER, April 8.

Hopes for the safety of Peter Neverman, the missing Napier deerstalker, were revived when three shots were heard by a search party today.

The 10 parties which have been in the search area since 10 a.m. yesterday have also found further footprints, another deer carcase, another fern bed, and numbers of old camp bivouacs.

The footprints are possibly the same as those found some days ago, and the deer seemed to have been dead about a week. Its head was removed, possibly as a trophy. None of the camp bivouacs or the fern bed were new.

The search leader, Inspector C. J. Bell, of Napier, said

indlcationa were that Mr Neverman must be wandering about in the bush. There was no evidence that anyone else had fired the shots. However, he could not rule out the possibility that they were fired by hunters who, unknown to the searchers, might be in the area. Inspector Bell said the parties would come out at nightfall. In the light of the information they had a decision would be made on whether the search would be continued tomorrow. If all the clues found had not been properly followed up by tonight, the searchers would definitely go back in tomorrow.

He was hopeful that Mr Neverman would be found, but would be a little surprised if he were.