RUAWARO MURDER CHARGES

Evening Star, Issue 21621, 17 January 1934, Page 6

RUAWARO MURDER CHARGES

PRELIMINARY HEARING CONTINUED A FARMER'S EVIDENCE " YOU WON'T CUT NO FENCES " [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, January 17. The hearing was continued yesterday afternoon of the double murder charge against William Alfred Bayly, aged 28, a farmer, of Ruawaro. Bayly was charged that, at Ruawaro, on or about October 15. he did murder Christobel Lakey, and further, that at Ruawaro, on or about October 15, he did murder Samuel Pender Lakey. Evidence was given by settlers living near the Lakeys of the finding of the Lakeys’ place deserted on Monday, October 16, and the discovery of . Mrs Lakey’s body in a duck pond on the property. Arnold Thomas Wright described his visit to the Lakey farmhouse, where no one was found. The condition of the separator room indicated that the previous milking had been done and the washing-up performed. The kitchen table was set, as Mrs Lakey always set it for dinner. The fire in the kitchen range,was out, but there were pots of food on it. The bedroom did not appear to have been_ disturbed in any way. He Was later joined by the police and Slater (another settler). Presently Slater, who was by the duck pond, called out: “ Here is Mrs Lakey.” A constable lifted some sacks, and Mrs Lakey was lying underneath. Her face and arms were in the water. The whole of the body was covered by sacks. ‘ Witness left the court and identified a pair of wheels kept among the exhibits in the motor truck as the wheels he saw by a wattle tree on Lakey’s property. On another day at the Lakeys’, Constable Flynn picked up a piece of broken batten. Witness’s attention was attracted by spots of blood on it. Witness said that Lakey smoked a cherrywood pipe, and he used a lighter as well as matches. Witness said that Lakey’s lighter was like the one exhibited in court, but it was not broken. Lakey’s hair he would call a dark chestnut or auburn. A small sample of hair mounted on cardboard was handed to witness, who said: “ Lakey’s hair was similar to that.” Another Ruawaro farmer, Charles Alexander Sanson, described the finding of Mrs Lakey’s body. Witness said he saw the Lakeys a'good deal, and the relations between the couple indicated that they were on good terms. Witness knew what kind of watch Lakey wore when he was working. The watch produced in court was very" similar to the one owned by Xakey. The of Lakey’s hair, which was worn fairly long for a man, was brown, going grey. The colour of a tuft of hair produced in court was “ very like ” Lakey’s hair. Witness was quite certain the shotgun produced in court was Lakey’s. ANOTHER CROWDED COURT. Crowds again gathered in the Police Court this morning, when the hearing was resumed, and again there was an excited rush when the door opened. By combined and frantic pushing it appeared that more managed to struggle into the court than got in yesterday. -Accused on entering the dock leaned over,’’ spoke to his counsel, then sat down, tilted his chair, and rocked gently backwards and forwards. The first witness this morning was John William Slater, a farmer, who lived about three miles from Lakey’s, at Ruawaro. He described how he went to the house ’on the Monday after Stevens and Wright. He said the kitchen appeared not to have been used since the afternoon tea. Dinner ;was all ready and cooked. Witness then corroborated the evidence regarding the finding of Mrs Lakey’s body. Questioned about Lakey’s habits, witness said Lakey sledged his cream to the road, and never carried it. He also said the tuft of hair produced was like Lakey’s. He knew a man named Len. Stent, whom he saw with the accused at Lakey’s about eight months ago. They came on horseback. Bayly shouted to Lakey that he wanted him outside, and said he wanted the wires of the bottom fence cut so that he could piake a road through Lakey’s. Lakey laughed and replied: “You won’t cut no fences.” Lakey then went outside, and they had a little argument. Bayly said he had Stent as a witness.’

Mr Meredith: What sort of an argument was it?

Witness: I think there were a few rough words used by Mrs Lakey for one. She called Bayly a . She said: “ You . I’ll tell your father about you. You can’t leave us alone. You won’t leave us alone.” This discussion took ten or fifteen minutes, and at the finish Mrs Lakey was all upset. ■■ Witness said that when he first went to Ruawaro Bayly used to take his cream, through Lakey’s place to a stand near Lakey’s gate, but later Bayly took it down a new road he had made himself. He was making that road about the time of the argument over the fence. Witness knew on© Charlie Colvent and worked at his place about eight months ago. Sometimes he conversed with Bayly and once when the Lakeys were mentioned Bayly said that the Lakeys had not paid any interest for some time.

Elsie Slater, aged eleven years, said she spent three weeks at Lakeys last August and September. She described their habits. She said Mrs Lakey at the evening milking always left the shed before her husband. At night Lakey would tie un the dog outside the door. When Lakey was in the cow shed ho wore gumboots with white soles. Both used to wash their gumboots in the dudkpond on their way from the shed to the house. The cream was taken down to the road about 9 o’clock in the morning. When working about the farm Lakey wore a blue jersey. When he went to Huntly he wore a black suit with a grey stripe, grey hat, and brown shoes. On the Friday after Mrs Lakey was found dead witness went to the house. Tho old wheels and tthe franm used to be kept near an old boat cabin. Witness was shown a cigarette lighter, but was not sure whether it was like Lakey’s. She described the kind of wick Lakey used in his lighter. It was of white wool and was given to Lakey by Mrs Lakey, who kept it in the wicker basket (produced).

" YOU MURDERED ELSIE WALKER AND WE EXPECT THE SAME.” Leonard Stent, a farmer living two and a-lialf miles from Lakey’s, said Bayly and the Lakeys were not too friendly. Bayly at odd times told witness he wanted the Lakeys out of it. and that lie would go to the mortgagees. About Christmas, 1932, there was a row over a fence. Bayly asked witness to witness where he intended to cut the fence. Bayly told Lakey he wanted to cut the fence. Lakey said to witness: “ Keep out'of .this. Stent,

This is getting more serious than you think.’’ As witness and Bayly were leaving Bayly told Lakey he # would not see thei.next season. Mr Meredith: What did Mrs Lakey say P Witness: She said your guilty conscience is pricking you. You murdered Elsie Walker and we expect the same. On another occasion at Bayly’s place' Bayly said he wished he could cause a row with all the neighbours and get the Lakeys out of it. Bayly said if Lakey ever came to his place ne (Bayly) would shoot him. Witness told Bayly not to talk like that as he had a wife and twochildren.

The witness said ho was asked whether, while at Bayly’s place, he ever saw a moveable concrete copper. He said he bad seen it. Bayly said he used it for boiling water to kill a pig. Lakey owned a big watch with Roman figures. Bayly’s watch was a small, cheap watch. Mrs Gwendoline Stevens said that on Sunday, October 15, between 4 and 4.30, she saw both the Lakeys going to the milking shed, but she noticed later that Lakeys’ cows were still in the paddock. On the following morning her husband went down toXakey’s house and she watched for a signal from him. While watching him she saw Bavly riding on horseback along a ridge. He came into sight again ten minutes later, and was then riding on a sledge towards the cowshed. Joseph Gilmore, a farmer who joined in the search for Lakey, said he noticed cart wheels under a wattle tree, where they had never been before. *■ They had been in another place for eleven years. In searching the house he noticed that a pair of brown boots which he kept at Lakey’s were missing. Lakey’s gun and a pea rifle and one of Lakey’s suits were also missing. Witness recognised a broken pea rifle as one which had been in Lakey’s house. ■ Amy Hilda Venn, who was staying with the Lakey’s at the time of the alleged quarrel at Christmas, 1932, said she did not hear what was said. She was not paying much attention. The court then adjourned for lunch* ’