MOTU RIVER MURDER

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 63, 17 March 1922, Page 8

MOTU RIVER MURDER

TRIAL OF RUTENE TOPI.

, (II TILIGRAP*.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) „ „,.,., „■ g.jggoiiN^ This Day . The trial of the young Native, Eutene ?■' Topi, on a charge of having murdered I Paul.rZambukka .atcthe. ( Motu River on., ,f 4th *■ N,ptMnb?r^-'wa4^ continued .i 11,,, the '•■ StrpremeiCqurt^to-da^.. »■-'■• ■>■■[ -^ * James Harvey Manselli -telegraph' lines- ' man, gave evidence as to the Natives

■who were on the road about, the time of the murder; Teruru Kopii as to;the purchase of' goods "front Zambukka;

■i JBarieta Ta-ngaire as to seeing a bundle t of i notes .in'the'possession of .'deceased; :;, Tuhoromonti as to the search for Zwn"bnfcka'and"the"finding' ofrhis,T)acks.—:;The' latter was present at the' arrest, when accused Rutene asked him to see Wehe Brown and tell her to say what she said to him- (Riiterie). Witness added that about three weeks ago he was on the road from Saxby's to Maraonui, and witness saw fungus on a stump of a tree,

and on going- to gather it saw a shirt

( underneath a log, which was identified as 5 a shirt which Rutene owned. It was a very uncommon shirt, the only one of its description in the locality. The shirt had some blnish black spots on the front and arms. These spots were not part of the pattern! but foreign to the shirt., He put the shirt back under the log.