MAN HUNT

Evening Star, Issue 22953, 10 May 1938, Page 13

MAN HUNT

SEARCH FOR SUITCASE MURDERER INVESTIGATION NARROWING POLICE VERY RETICENT SON IDENTIFIES CLOTHING [Per United Press Association.] BLENHEIM, May 9. . All the clothing removed by the police from the headless and legless body found in a suit case under the Picton wharf on Saturday was produced at the opening «£ the inquest this evening in the Picton Courthouse, and was positively identified by William Aitken Armstrong. , 19-year-old student, of Weilington, as belonging to his father, Edwin Norman Armstrong, who had been missing from his home at Hataitai. Wellington, since 8.30 on Friday morning. At the conclusion of the proceedings, which were of a formal nature and occupied only 15 minutes, the coroner, Mr E. J. Hill, of Blenheim, indicated that the testimony was insufficient to satisfy him as to the identification of the body, but the police intimated that they had nothing further to offer in the meantime.

William Armstrong, younger son of the man who is believed to have been murdered, arrived from Wellington on the ferry steamer Tamahine this evening. Very few people attended the inquest, and, apart from the police officers, the only spectators were half a dozen members of the crew of the cargo liner Pakeha, two of whose number gave evidence regarding the finding of the suitcase on Saturday floating in the water between the ship and the wharf. In a prepared statement, which was read, William Aitken Armstrong said he last saw his father at 8.15 on Friday morning, when witness departed for the city, leaving his parents together at home. He was quite definite that the brown suit he was shown by the detectives was, the one his father wore when dressed in his best clothes. After identifying each article produced, witness said he would not say definitely that the suit case belonged to his father, but he had a similar one.

After evidence relating to the finding and preliminary examination of the body had been presented, Inspector Lewin, who conducted the inquest on behalf of the police, said that was all the evidence he proposed to offer at that stage. The coroner remarked that he was not satisfied that the evidence of identity was complete. . Presumably the body was that of Edwin Norman Armstrong, but evidence did not fully establish identification. Inspector Lewin: You are aware, of course, that that is the best we can do at present. The body was minus head and legs. The inquest was adjourned sine die.

Apart from the inquest, the only move in the case this afternoon in this district was when DetectiveSergeant Murray and Detective Hayhurst came to Blenheim from Picton and spent several hours here. It is assumed that they were making inquiries regarding whether a person unnamed was staying here or had passed through since the discovery of the body. Detective Sergeant Herron and Detective Thompson arrived from Christchurch this afternoon to assist the large force of detectives and police already on the scene. VISIT TO VICTIM'S HOUSE MANY ARTICLES REMOVED WELLINGTON, May 9. Although at the time of going to press to-night no arrest had been made in connection with the Picton suitcase murder, there is every reason to believe that the police inquiry has narrowed down, in the last 24 hours. Extensive and painstaking inquiries were carried out all day by Wellington detectives under Sub-inspector J. Carroll.’ After several other avenues of information had been explored a party of detectives from the central station went by car to 20 HinaU street, Hataitai, where a complete investigation of the house and grounds was made. When the detectives left they took with them a large number of articles, including a large mattress, a wooden box, pail, some small rolls of carpet, a wooden chair, and a quantity of smaller articles. All of these are now at the detective office. Asked to-night why the articles had been removed, the Commissioner of Police (Mr D. J, Cummings) declined to give any information on the subject. Mr Cummings said a thorough search had been made at the Picton wharf for the remaining portions of the body, the head and the legs, and, assuming they were there, it was hoped that the wash of the Tamahine as she left the wharf would cause the remains to rise to the surface. Failing that, however, he had given orders for dragging operations to be undertaken without delay. Evidence of the exhaustive nature of the police inquiries in Wellington is provided by the fact that to-night a man, who turned out to be a visitor from Auckland, was interrogated by detectives. He had no difficulty in proving his identity, and it transpired that his resemblance to another person was the cause of his being questioned. It is understood that Armstrong’s younger son, William, Who travelled to Picton to identify the clothing on the body, is to return to Wellington by the Tamahine to-morrow night.