PUKEKAWA MURDER

Evening Star, Issue 17456, 13 September 1920, Page 9

PUKEKAWA MURDER

A MAN ARRESTED. ROBBERY NOT THE MOTIVE. AUCKLAND, September 12. Tho arrest was effected on Saturday afternoon at Tuakau of a farm laborer named Samuel John Thorn on a charge of murdering Sydney Seymour Eyre at Pukekawa on the night of August 24. Thorn was conveyed to Auckland in custody on Saturday evening, and will be brought up at the Police Court to-morrow morning. The arrested man is 53 years of age. Ho is a married man, but has for some time been living apart from his wife and family_ of six children. While Eyre was on active service for over two years Thorn managed the farm for Mrs Eyre. In July Eyre having returned, Thorn went to work at Glenmurray, which is 18 miles from the Eyre homestead. Ho had been working there for about six weeks when tho murder was committed, and during that period ho had paid three visits to Eyre's. A double-barrelled shotgun and some ammunition were found whare, and the3e have been submitted to an expert, whose report is ia the hands of The police. It is understood that the authorities are satisfied that qnly one shot was tired, and that a special kind of cartridge was used. Some of the pellets found in tho murdered man's room are in the posses'sion of the police. It is further understood that the police investigations established tb'-eo points:— (1) That the murder was not committed tor robbery; (2) that the perpetrator must have been acquainted with the house and the surroundings; and (3) that the shot was fired from outside the house.