GREY LYNN MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 302, 15 September 1921, Page 6

GREY LYNN MYSTERY

“ ■ FRANCIS JEW’S MOVEMENTS JUST BEFORE DEATH SOME .WITNESSES RELUCTANT TO SPEAK By Telegraph —Press Association. Auckland, September 14. The inquest in connection with the death of Francis Edward! Jew, who was found murdered at Grey Lynn on July 17, was continued before Mr. M'Kean, . S.M. (Coroner), to-day. A large number of witnesses werj examined regarding deceased’s movements prior to Jiis death, together with those of his companions. At one stage, His Worship remarked that there had been an extraordinary reluctance on the part of some witnesses- to say what they did 'know. To some extent he was bound*-, by the ordinary rules of evidence, but not to the extent that would apply, in a criminal trial, and he .did not think 1 he should object to the way in which questions wore pub, by counsel for the police. Although the witnesses so for had not shown actual hostility, there had been a good deal of ..reluctance to tell what they knew, and he saw no reason why statements taken two or three days' after' the event should not , be used to refresh their memory. \ Some of the witnesses were subjected I to close cross-examination. Matthew Brodie gave evidence that he was in company with deceased and others about 7 o’clock on Saturday night. Jey was . preity sober; Tom M'Mahon was under the influence of drink. Witness and Cordon tried 1 to get Jew and M'Mahon to go homo, but they would not. Jew was sitting on . a step in a doorway most of the time, leaning against the wall. Jew said he would go to Newdick’s loft for n sleep. Cross-examined, witness Said he thought he heard Jew say he would like to go to deep on the section by the church. He heard Tom M'Mahon refuse to go to tlie section with him. When this question was repeated, witness Raid' he only thought he heard M'Mahon say so. Witness, replying to another question, said that on Sundav morning he had asked Tom M'Mahon how he had got home the previous night. M'Mahon stated that Jew had left him at -the tram terminus and took a car. Ha could not understand why Cordon, who was present nt that conversation, could have said) that M'Mahoh stated that Jew left him at Gregory’s shop

The inquiry will be Continued to-mor-TOW.