TO-DAY'S EVIDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 116, 12 November 1931, Page 15

TO-DAY'S EVIDENCE

PURCHASE OF A RIFLE (iiy Telegiaph.—Press Association..) PALMERSTON N., This Day. The hearing of the chargo of murder against Norman Robert Decke was resumed to-day. The Court was again crowded. Norman Peter Hansen, salesman for a firm of ironmongers, said he knew the accused in a business capacity. Witness sold him a rifle on 18th July of .22 calibre. The accused bought two packets of cartridges the same day. The rifle would take Nobel cartridges, which were branded with the letter "N" on the base-. The accused called on witness on 27th July regarding the rifle, and complained;that the firing pin was broken. A new; firing pin was ordered. Erie Hollier, a salesman in the employ of the same firm, said he sold two packets of .22 cartridges on 27th July. He could not say if they were sold to Decke. No other similar cartridges were sold-that day. Henry William Smith a farmhand, said that previous to June he worked for Mr. Saunders at Fitzherbert West. He met the accused there and occupied the same room. The accused owned a motor-cycle. Once in May he went to Otaki on it. Ho said he was "going to see a bloke." To the Crown solicitor witness replied that the accused on his return merely said he had seen the chap. Continuing, witness said that on 23rd August at 7.30 at night the accused rang him up at his residence at M'Kenzie Settlement and said he was coming over for a while. Ho told witness that if he did not turn up for a while not to get disgusted and to go to bed. The accused arrived at 8.30 and said he had had a spill. ' Witness said that the accused had on overalls and a pair of gloves., The accused went to witness's room and took off his overalls. The accused had asked the timo when he arrived. Witness told him tho clock was half an hour fast. During supper the accused sat. right in front of the clock. Witness did not see anything attached to the accused's motor-cycle. A gun could be there without being observed. Witness did not take particular notice. The accused had a graze on his arm when he arrived. THE SUNDAY NIGHT. To the Crown Solicitor witness replied that the accused left about 10.30. "Were the tires all right?" "Yes," said witness. He felt them. Witness1 did not know which way the accused went. Continuing, witness said he rang up tho accused the following day, and asked him to go to the pictures. The accused replied that ho was too tired, as he did not reach home till midnight. The accused gave no reason for being late home. When the accused left witness on the motor-cycle on' the Sunday night a car from the opposite side of the road left five minutes after. , To the Crown Solicitor witness said he met tho accused in town on 26th September by arrangement, and had some conversation. The accused said he had been having an exciting time. He had had a puncture when going home on 23rd August. The Magistrate: "Was that the first time he mentioned it?" "Yes." Witness, continuing, said the car had just left after the accused, and should have seen him if he had a puncture. Tho accused replied that ho did not know how they could miss seeing him. The puncture was on Rangitikei Line. The accused said that several cars passed while he was mending it. Tho Crown Solicitor: "Did the accused say anything in town about a rifle?" "No, but about shells. The accused said the shells he used were the same sort as were used down at Karere. THE WITNESS "WARNED. The Crown Solicitor here said that tho witness seemed tc be trying to see how little ho could remember, and v.-arned the witness that his evidence would have to come out.

Continuing, the witness said that the accused told him he had been interviewed by tho police about tho murder but did not tell witness what 'they said. Tho accused told witness that he had told the police he was at witness's place that night; On 24th October witness asked the accused if the police had been interviewing him again. The accused replied "No." Frank Wakefield Verry, farmer, M'Kenzie Settlement, said he met the accused on Sunday night, 23rd August. The accused left witness's place at 10.20. A car loft a neighbour's place about five minutes later. Lucy Ann Fcnwich, residing at Palmerston North, said that on 23rd August, with her husband and children, she went by car to the M'Kenzie Settlement. They left at 10.20 on their return, and travelled by Uangitikei Line. Just bofore they left they heard a motor-cycle start. When going out, at about 7 o'clock, just before they turned up number 4 lino, they saw two men with a motor-cycle. They appeared to be repairing it. Witness saw no one when they were coming back. Henry John Fenwick, husband of tho previous witness, gave similar evidence. Jens Envoldson, farm hand, of Whitmore road, Linton, said he visited Miss Reid, who was employed at Saunders'r place, on Sunday, 23rd August' on a push cycle, which he left at the gate. ' he accused went out that night about 8.30. Witness went into tho garage and sat in the back seat of a car with Miss Reid. After midnight, the accused came up the drive with a motorcycle. Witness did not hear the engine running, and did not know if the accused was riding it. The accused took the machine round to the woodshed and remained there a, few minutes. SOUNDS OF TAPPING.

The■ Crow,n Solicitor: "Did you hear him doing anything?"

"It sounded as if he had dropped j something." The accused then went into the toolshed adjoining the garage and the light went on. The Crown Solicitor: "Could you and Miss Reid see him?" "Wo did not look, but it would bo possible to see him. The wall was of rough lining with cracks between the boards. "Did the accused make any noise?" "He made a tapping sound on the concrete for a few seconds, and it also sounded as if something had swung on the wall. The- accused was in tho shod for about five minutes. The accused then went to the whare whero he slept, but he did not take the nearest, route.'' The Crown Solicitor asked if tho tapping sound was consistent with cleaning a rifle, and counsel for tho accused objected. Tho objection was upheld. Continuing, witness said that on 4th October the accused spoke to him in the cowshed, saying: "You wait till they get you at the inquest. What were you doing in the car?" Witness replied, "I will be there." Tho accused said, "I will see they get you there." Louisa Frances Reid, a domestic servant employed in August by Saunders, said she knew the accused, and gave similar evidence regarding the night of 23rd August. FARM HAND'S EVIDENCE. j James Arthur Sharman, employed by Saunders as a farm hand, said the accused occupied a whare with him. The accused had a rifle which he kept in a cupboard. On 16th August the accused practised' with it,' and on 23rd August i took it to the tool shed saying it was becoming knocked about. On 23rd August he and the accused went to witness's parents' place in town, returning to Saunders's farm later in the day. The accused left at 7.30 that night; Witness did not hear tho accused return, but the accused told him ho came home about 12 o'clock. Subsequently, witness had a conversation with the accused, who said that Miss Reid was sup-1 posed to have heard or seen him cleaning a rifle in the tool shed after he came home on 23rd August. The accused told witness that he did not clean the rifle that night, but might•have gone into the tool shod and handled it and might have cocked it.

On 16th September the accused returned from the police station. He told witness he had been questioned by the police, who informed him that he had been followed'from. Terry's that Sunday night, and the people in the car said he did not stop. The police on 24th August took a rifle from the toql shed, but did not get a cleaning rod hanging in a cupboard in tho whare.' The accused did not know they had not taken tho rod until a few days later, when he said, "Here's something they missed." The, accused pulled a rag off the cleaning rod and threw it in the fire, saying, "That is a bit of evidence they won't get." . Cross-examined, the witness said he never saw ammunition at any time but Nobel's. (Proceeding.)