SERIOUS CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 139, 15 June 1922, Page 11

SERIOUS CHARGES

ALLEGED 'ATTEMPTED MURDER

FOUR MEN ON T.RIAL.

(BT TELEGRAPH.—PRESS; ASSOCIATION.)

HAMILTON, 14th June.

At the Supreme Court to-day, Herbert Holgate, Alfred Glover, Conard Grundy, and Richard Daly were charged with attempting to murder William Thirwell Routledge at Kopaki on 18th March; with assaulting him with intent to do greviouß bodily harm; with doing actual bodily harm, arid with assaulting him. The last-named charges were also preferred against them in relation to James Courtney, who came to Routledge's assistance, when the latter was allegedly brutally assaulted by the four men. .

Evidence given stated that Routledge was a ranger employed by the Acclimatisation Society, and. on a--particular day went to the Kopaki bush settlement, below Te Kuiti, and asked for a room at a boardinghouse. He was given a "shake-down" in the smokerobm. Just before tea the prisoners asked Routledge to have a drink, but he refused. They then apparently mistook him for a police spy, and later on commenced to discuss his occupation. After he had gone to bed ho was awakened by the smashing of crockery, and was dragged out of bed, and the prisoners severely assaulted him. He ran away, but they overtook and severely handled him again afterwards, dragging him by his feet to a creek and threw him in. The cold water revived him somewhat, and when they had gone he crept out of the stream into the scrub. While lying there he heard the men return, and what they said indicated that they intended to finish him. He remained quiet, and aiter they left again he managed to get away as far as a.settler's hut. The men were not" drunk, although under the influence of liquor. Holgate, it was stated, was the leader of the gang, and was largely responsible for urging them to do what they did. James Courtney, who went to Routledge's assistance, was also handled very severely, and had he not had sense enough to agree to tell the police that he had a fight with Routledge he probably would have lost his life.

Routledge said that during tlao assault Holgato urged the others to kill hini, and ' when hiding in the scrub after escaping from the creek lie heard one man remark: "Oh, well; he will be dead by this time, anyway." Courtney in his evidence stated that when he interfered on Routledge's behalf he was severely ill-treated, and later, when he asked what they had done with Rouiledge, he was again knocked down, and Glover said: "We will cut his throat; I've got a stumpy pocket-knifo somewhere." Glover searched his pockets, but could not find tho knife. Witness eventually got away by promising that if interrogated by the police he would say lie had had a, fight with Daly. Later Grundy got witness down again, and said he would choke him. Glover said, "Just say the word; I'll take him away and cut his throat.''

The case is proceeding, and is creating much interest, the Court being crowded.