CHARGE OF MURDER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3065, 28 April 1917, Page 11

CHARGE OF MURDER

THE HAMILTON MYSTERY

MEDICAL EVIDENCE By .Telegrapli.-rPrcsg Associate. t « „ • , Ha, «'lton, April 27. ill the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr. ltmysoii, S.M., David iuorgan Leckie, alias Morgan, a oucarmed man, was charged that, on or about April 16, 1917, at Hamilton, lie did nuirdor Albort 'Ryan; who was found iu an unconscious condition with a fractured skull at tho Franktqii Junction Hotel on April'l6, and.died on ■ April 18. Senior-Sergeant Cassolls represented The police. Tho evidence was praotically the same as given at the inquist. Under cross-examination, Drs, NooJian and Douglas stated they had seen lio signs of old wounds' or marked depressions in tho skull of tho deceased. Dr. Douglas said the results which ho had seen on the body of deceased might have been produced by falling out of bed or falling against a bodstead. Constable Manor,' of! Tanmarwmii, said that he had taken a statement from accused, in which the latter alleged that deceased had assaulted him ■without provocation, and had kicked him when lio was down. When in tho ... hotel deceased had made a savago How at him, and, in self-defence, accused bad picked up what he took to bo a soda-water hottlo, mid struck deceased. . Accused was committed for trial at the criminal sessions of tho Suprome Court at Hamilton. PUBLISHING MOVEMENTS OF TRANSPORTS •- — '■ —V CHARGE AGAINST A NEWSPAPER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin,, April 27. The "Evening Star" Company and Professor Bddford were charged under the War Regulations, the former with. 1 publishing and the latter with communicating information with reference to the movements of transports engaged on a voyage, the course of which was partially north of the Equate. The' defence was that the transport, having returued to. New.Zealandj the restriction of the regulation was exhausted, also that the interview complained of was followed by a series of articles on the same subject, in which - fuller particulars of the same kind .were given and passed by. the Censor. The case was adjourned for a week, to procure a statement from the Censor as to bis position.in the matter. AUCKLAND PAPER PROSECUTED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, April 27. 'A conviction, was recorded against the proprietors of the "Weekly News" on a charge under the War Regulations of publishing a statement regarding the ■departure of a, transport and giving itho date. The Crown solicitor explainled that the breaeh was due to inadvert- ■ ence, the defendants believing that permission to publish after a fortnight, piven early in the war,period, was still in force. '' • ' ! The Magistrate 'said that no doubt the breach was due to inadvertence. Defendants were ordered to pay costs.