THE SUITCASE MURDER

Evening Star, Issue 22953, 10 May 1938, Page 8

THE SUITCASE MURDER

VICTIM’S ELDER SON ARRESTED PICKED UP ON LIMITED AT AUCKLAND SENSATIONAL CLIMAX OF MYSTERY [Pee United Peess Association.] AUCKLAND, May 10. There was a sensational turn to the Picton murder mystery this morning, when Douglas Alexander Armstrong, a son of the murdered man, was arrested as he stepped off the Limited Express at 9.30, and immediately charged with the murder of his father. The arrest was made by Detective Turgiss and Acting-detectives Cromwell and Grace. ALL STATIONS CALL TRANSPORT UNDER CLOSE SCRUTINY All means of transport in New Zealand—train, road, air, and shipping have been under close scrutiny since the discovery of the brutal murder, and full descriptions of the arrested man, Douglas Alexander Armstrong, had been circulated to all police stations. It was in the course of routine investigations that the detectives identified the wanted man this morning. . The arrested man. who is described as an apprentice engineer, is 20 years of age, tall and slim, with fair hair. ACCUSED WAS ON TAMAHINE FRIDAY BOARDED LIMITED AT WAYSIDE STATION QUICK IDENTIFICATION [Special to the * Star.*! « WELLINGTON, May 10. The arrest, when he stepped off the Limited at Auckland to-day of Douglas Alexander Armstrong, charged with the murder of his father in Wellington on Friday last, was the culmination of a rapid and concentrated investigation by the police, Circumstances pointed to a limited range of clues, and while great attention was ipaid to > Picton and the adjacent area, and this will continue in the hope of discovering the remainder of the body, the detective force concentrated particularly on Wellington, The accused, who is the eldest son, was, it was found, a passenger on the Tamahine, which left Wellington on Friday afternoon for Picton. It was also discovered that he landed at Picton, proceeded to, Blenheim, and on Saturday was a passenger on the cross-Strait aeroplane, arriving in Wellington at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, which was about the time when the police were getting active. Further trace of the accused is lost. It is apparently not known where he stayed on Sunday or Monday, although every effort was made. All outward trains and steamers were carefully watched, and Monday night’s Limited was searched in Wellington before departure without result. Armstrong boarded it at a wayside station. - The police cordon of watchers extended throughout the North Island, and it was so complete that when the. accused, for whom a warrant had been issued overnight, reached the Auckland .platform there were police officers who could identify him and make the charge.

RETURN TD WELLINGTON TO-NIGHT SMART POLICE WORK [Pek United Press AssoqATiON.] WELLINGTON, May 10. Douglas Alexander Armstrong, aged about 20, employed by the Railway Department, was arrested at Auckland this morning and charged with the murder of his father, Edwin Armstrong, at Wellington on May 6. It is understood that he -will be returned by the Limited to Wellington to-night. As the result of inquiries made yesterday, a warrant was obtained for his arrest, and he was apprehended on arrival by the Limited at Auckland this morning by detectives from Auckland station. “It was very smart work on the part of the Auckland police,” commented the commissioner (Mr D. J. Cummings) this morning. It is believed that the accused boarded the Limited last night at a station north of Wellington. [This is the first mention of an older son. The younger son, William, Aitken Armstrong, a nineteen-year-old student, went to Picton yesterday and identified the clothing on the corpse as that of his father.] ARRESTED AMONGST SCORES ACCURATE DESCRIPTION [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, May 10. This morning’s train carried more passengers than usual, and all were closely scrutinised by police officers. With only the circulated description as a puide the detectives were able to select their man from the scores of young men who alighted from the train. The next step was to establish his identity by means of questions, after which the young man was arrested aiid formally charged. No difficulty was experienced in the actual arrest, and when the charge was read over to him, Armstrong appeared quite calm, and made no comment. He was then brought to the police station by three detectives to be held in custody until the court sitting this afternoon. For several days a police drag net was cast over the whole of New Zea-;

land, in the course of which thousands of people have been scrutinised. . The arrested- man had no luggage on his arrival. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, and had a sum of money in his possession. No tram or steamer ticket was found in his pocket. BEFORE OR AFTER DEATH V WHEN WERE WOUNDS DEALT? [Pbb United Press Association.] BLENHEIM, May 10. Considerable importance attaches to the post mortem that probably will be conducted at Picton to-day by Dr Lynch, the Government pathologist, who arrived by the Dunedin airliner at noon. It is hoped that this examination will establish, for one thing, whether the stab wounds on the body, at least one of which could have been fatal, were actually the cause of death, or whether they were inflicted after death. Authority for the burial of the body was issued after the inquest last night by the coroner, but it is not yet certain whether the interment will be at Picton or Wellington. Dragging operations have not yet commenced at Picton wharf for the missing head and legs of the victim, but this will probably begin after the departure of the Tamahine and Pakeha to-day.