ALLEGED MURDER

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 100, 28 April 1921, Page 9

ALLEGED MURDER

THE DEATH OP PATRICK RICHARD ELLIOTT

INQUEST AND MAGISTERIAL

INQUIRY,

1 (BT IBLBGRAPH.—raaSS ASSOCIATION.) PALMERSTON N., This Day.

The inquest regarding the death of Patrick Richard Elliott, of Ongoroto, and the Magisterial inquiry into the charge against Hakaraia To Kahu of murdering Elliott were resumed by Mr. W. G. Kenrick, S.M., and Mr. M'Dowell, Acting-Coroner, sitting together. There! are 35 witnesses, and the inquiry is not expected to finish until Friday. Mr. H. T. Gillies, of Hamilton, is appearing for the Crown, and Mr. Davy, of Rotorua, for the accused.

Eva Jones stated that Hakaraia and EHJott.called at her house at Ongoroto on Easter Sunday and got a dog. They said they wore going shooting, but did not return. She saw the dog at 7.30 next morning. Martha Cook deposed to hearing two shots in quick succession at 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon coming from the river. Paora Te'Hiko, a railway surfaceman, stated that h© called at Elliott's house at 6 o'clock on Monday morning. No one was there. On Tuesday morning he went to where Hakaria said he had left Elliott at the latter's house on Monday morning. ' Edward. Francis M'Caffery deposed that Hakaraia. on Tuesday said '*; had left Elliott in hie house after dark on Sunday night Hakaraia said he had fired two shots at a shag. Accused said that oh Wednesday he had looked up the river for Elliott, with no success. Dr. Burtram stated that with Dr. Price, in the presence of Dr. Hay (representing accused), he had made a post mortem examination of Elliott's body. They found a slight wound on the head caused after death, and a. gunshot wound about three and a-half inches long in tlie back of the neok. It appeared to be a double wound, a 6 would be caused by two barrels of a shotgun, /and would cause instant death. It was impossible for a man to inflict such a wound on himself. There was no sign of singeing. There 1 were several pellets in the ■wound. One part of the wound was more swollen than the other, indicating either that one barrel was a cbokebore or that both shots were fired from the same bore at different distances.

Dry Price gave corroborative evidence. William Henry Hazard, gun merchant; Auckland, stated that Constable Wright, on, 2nd April, handed him the doublebarrelled gun produced in Court. One barrel was a cylinder; the other a chokebore. He ha^ also received on various dates cartridges fitting the gun, a Quantity of pellets, No. 3 shot, 'and empty cartridges caees. He considered the latter had been fired from the gun. He thought the shots fired at deceasedl were fired together, as he would drop at the first shot, and there would be no time to fire another. ' ' ■ -

The police produced photographs of deceased's body'and plans of, the locality of the tragedy. . :