ST. CLAIR MURDER

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 47, 19 November 1929, Page 12

ST. CLAIR MURDER

BRAUMAN EN ROUTE TO MOUNT EDEN ARRIVES AT WELLINGTON THIS MORNING Dominion Special Service. Dunedin. November 18. Escorted by two warders, William Henry Brauman, the St. Clair murderer, was taken north on the express this morning en route to Mount Eden gaol, Auckland, where he will serve his life sentence. Last evening Mr. C. J. L. White, who, with Mr. G. M. Lloyd, defended Brauman on his trial and later presented the petition for the commuting of the death sentence, visited Brauman in the Dunedin gaol. “Brauman expressed to me how much he appreciated the kindness, which had been meted out to him by all in authority, particularly Constable Coatsworth and the other gaolers during his long incarceration here,” said Mr. White before he left for Invercargill this morning. “I too am much indebted to the authorities for the manner in which counsel for the defence were allowed to have many lengthy interviews with the accused great inconvenience to the gaol staff.” Brauman appeared to Mr. White last night to be quite a changed man from what he was last Tuesday afternoon when counsel handed to the then condemned man the decision of the’Executive Council commuting the sentence to one of imprisonment for life. “Apparently the strain had been much greater than we had realised, for the improvement in him mentally and physically is most marked.” Brauman’s departure for the Auckland prison was kept quiet and his appearance on the railway station this morning did not attract much attention. He was obviously a man relieved of a great strain and the haggard look from mental and physical stress seemed to have disappeared. Before he was removed from the Dunedin gaol Brauman was visited by a number of friends, and he made arrangements for the disposal of certain of his possessions and the handing of some money to his youngest son, the one member. of the family who was not called to give evidence at his trial.