TAMAKI TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1929, Page 10

TAMAKI TRAGEDY

CORONER'S FINDING

POLICE CRITICISE!)

FATAL BLOW ON THE HEAD

(By Telegraph.) {Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. The Coroner (Mr. I l'. K. Hunt) this inorninjj gave his reserved decision in the inquiry regarding the deatli of Elsie Walker. Ho. found that "Elsie Walker died about the first day of October, l r.t2S, somewhere between Papamoa and Auckland, and that the cause of her d-«*"i-

was concussion following a blow on the liead, but whether that blow was accidental or homicidal there is no evidence for me to determine." STORY OF THE AFFAIR. Air. Hunt said: "The deceased, Elsie Walker, was a w'ell-dcv.eloped, healthy girl, 17 years of age. She had been .living for about twelve months with her uncle and aunt at Papamoa, and received a small wage and assisted in the household duties. : On Monday, Ist October, there were present at dinner Mr. and Mrs. Bayly, their four sons (Trevor, Godfrey, Tom, and Charles), and a relative who had arrived that day, Miss Audrey Bayly, and Elsie Walker. The eldest son, William, had left home permanently about a fortnight earlier. Dinner was over about 7 o'clock, and Elsie, assisted by Tom, washed up. The others Vent into the billiard-silting room. Tom joined them later. Elsie did not. About S p.m. Audrey Bayly left Uic sitting-room for a glass of water. Klsio gave her a glass. This was in the kitchen. That is the last limo Elsie yas seen alive.

"At 5.30 p.m. Godfrey wont to bed. He says lilsio .was, not in her room, and he did not see her iv the kitchen. Trevor spent the evening out. The other members of the family chatted in tho sitting-room until about 11 o'clock, when they went to bod. Nothing unusual attracted their attention that evening. There were three dogs on tho farm, ono tied up near the garage and two at tho back of tho house. Had a stranger been about, ono might have expected that they would have barked and attracted attention, but they did not. Trevor returned home nbout 2 a.m. It was a moonlight night, and he saw that the gates were open and that tho niotor-iyir was gone. He did not tell his parents till the morning. Then it was- found that not only was the motor-car missing, but Elsie Walker had gone, too. Later it ■was found that £7 had been taken from Audrey Bayly's handbag, and &'•> Jos from Mr. Bayly's trousers, which had been hanging in a spare room. The car key had been taken from Mrs. Bayly's room, and a cheap silver watch from one of the boy's rooms.

STATE OF THE BODY. "That same morning (Tuesday) the, car was found deserted in Station road, Papatoetoe, close to the Great South, road. It had been driven "00 miles (luring the night, and there was stiil petrol in it, and it was in good order, ■which shows that it had been deliberately abandoned and not descried because it could travel no further. On JViday evening, sth October, the body of Elsie ■ was found under some shvulis and bushes iv a scoria paddock at T'annißrc, near .Mount, Wellington, eight miles from the deserted car. Only tho feet of the 'lend girl were projecting from the '■■■•.-;hos. She was dressed just as"she \vu:i when last seen at Papainoa. She had her house dress on, an apron in front of it, sand shoes, but no hat. She had on a boy's overcoat, which belonged to Godfrey Bayly. No money was found on her, nor was the missing 'watch.. Her dress and clothes were stained. -These ■stains ■were examined by a bacteriologist, and conclusively prove that a man had ■been with her. Those'stains were 3\ot on her dress at dinner on Monday. She did not wear an apron at that meal, and they would have been clearly vis- j ible and would have been sure to attract notice. A post-mortem examination of tho body was made by Drs. Murray and Gilmore, two of the most experienced pathologists in,the Dominion. This examination was.exhaustive. They say there was no evidence as to tho actual cause of death, but in.their opinion death was due to no natural causes, poison, or exhaustion, but was probably caused by concussion following n blow on the head. They had [ found, on reflecting the scalp near the .top oii the skull on the right side, a '. small area bruised. This bruise was ■ recent and aute-mortem. The brain . was much congested, this congestion ; not being post-mortem congestion. They '. also, from an examination of food in , the stomach, came to the conclusion ' that tho girl had died about four hours fii'tcr a meal.

"Tho evidence I have heard," said tho Coroner, "satisfied me that tho deceased was an. honest good girl. She had money owing to her by the Bayly's, and had a few shillings in a purse ■which she left at home. She could have had any money she- wanted from her father. I do not believe she stole a watch or money. I have seen a ground plan of tho homo. It would be a simple matter, while tho family was in the dining-room at one end of the house, for a person to take money from a room at the other end. The girl did not intend to leave the house for long, or she would have been differently dressed, or would have taken other, clothes with her.

SUGGESTED EXPLANATIONS. "TJie cvidenco also proves that the "deceased could not drive a c;ir. A man rirovo it. Ho had to change a wheel on tho road, a task which was beyond 1;ho ability of tho girl. I am of opin- t | ion that either tho girl discovered a thief iv tho yard and he struck her, rendering her unconscious, and took her away with him in. tho car, or ho induerd her, -which I think more probable, 'to accompany him for a short run in the car, and theu attempted to assault her, during which attempt she received the injury to the head. The man drove on through the night, hoping against hope that she might recover, and when she. did not ho feared to stop till he decided on si placo to conceal the body. Ho drove to the Quarry road, and hid the body. Tho position of the- body, •with tho coat pulled up at tho back of the head, proves to me that he pulled tho body under the shrubs, and then drove tho car as far away as time or the light would allow —eight miles from Papaloctoe —and either walked or (•aught tho early bus or train to Auckland. Who thai man was, there is not sufficient cvidenco for mo to say.

POLICE WORK OKITICISED. "I very, much regret that I find it my duty to draw attention to tho way the police handled this case in the early stages. Tho Superintendent of Police of tho Auckland District was present throughout tho inquiry. Ho must have seen, as I did, the mistakes that were made, and tho inefficient way tho inquiries were carried out. I feel sure ho will sco the necessity for holding an inquiry at onco into Iho wholo matter. Tho' public arc entitled to better service .from the police than they received in this case. It is possible^ that suspicion may rest against a perfectly innocent man for the rest of his life. This might havo been avoided had prompt and intelligent inquiries been made'