INTENSIVE POLICE INQUIRIES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 299, 14 September 1937, Page 12

INTENSIVE POLICE INQUIRIES

Death of Storekeeper

SEARCH FOR WEAPON IN ROUGH COUNTRY

Dominion Special Service.

Christ church, September 13.

Police are still searching for the weapon with which William Gaby, <o-year-old Arundel storekeeper, was killed on Friday night. Interviews and many other lines of inquiry are keeping police officers busy. This morning police from Temuka and Timaru, with Inspector T. Shanahan in charge, were busy at Gaby’s small home at the south end of the Rangitata bridge. A close search for the weapon wa.s being made on the land surrounding the cottage. A police party from Christchurch, headed by Superintendent A. Cameron, has arrived, and includes Detective-Sergeant J Bickerdike, Detective A. A. Herron, and Constable J. B. Kearton, photographer and finger-print expert. Inspector Shanahan, with Detective-Ser-geant Thomas and Detective N. Kempt, who were engaged in investigations on Saturday, are still at Arundel, and are now being assisted by Senior-Sergeant D. J. Hewitt, also of Timaru, Constable D. Callanan, Geraldine, and several other constables.

The scope of the intensive police inquiries extends from Christchurch to Dunedin. Movements of travellers are being investigated and a careful search is being made embracing everyone who is known to have called at Gaby’s store on the day and night of Friday. As far as is known, the last person to see him alive came to his door at 8 p.m. on that day. The nature of the wound suggests that Gaby was struck with a heavy blunt instrument, but of a type that is not yet known, lie was severely battered about the forehead, but when a post-mortem examination was made at Timaru during the week-end by Dr. B. Thomson, assistant pathologist at the Christchurch Hospital, it was found that the skull had not been fractured. Residents, as well as police, have taken part in the search under the control of Sergeant M. E. Hill, Temuka. They had an almost impossible task, for the somewhat rough, gorse-covered country would make it easy to hide a weapon and the river would also present an easy means of disposing of it. Owing to lack of facilities for boarding visiting police at Arundel, accommodation was booked for them last night in Geraldine, where, it is understood, Superintendent Cameron will stay during the inquiries.