Alleged Remarks By Accused In Murder Case

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1949, Page 2

Alleged Remarks By Accused In Murder Case

(P.A.) PALMERSTON N., April 26. The trial began in the Supreme Court today of John Reremoana Tume, a lorrydriver, aged 30, on three charges of murder. Tume is charged with the murder of two women, Olive Frances Hartley, or Follett, aged 54, her daughter, Lillian Winiata, aged 36, and Mrs Winiata’s son, Patrick Winiata, aged 3, at the home of Mrs Hartley, at Tokorangi, a small Maori settlement, about 12 miles from Marton, on the night of December 29, 1948.

Mr Justice Hutchison is presiding. Mr G. I. McGregor is the Crown Prosecutor, and Mr F. G. Opie counsel for the defence. In his opening, Mr McGregor said members of the jury would have read or heard recently of Isaac Johnson, a Maori, who committed a murder overseas and was released after a few years’ gaol. Johnson was well known to Tume, and, for some time before The tragedy, the Johnson case had been mentioned to the occupants of the Hartley house. The accused had made certain threats of what he would do to Lillian Winiata, and had been warned of what the consequences would be, said Mr McGregor. To this he had replied by stating what Johnson had done, saying that Johnson had been well treated and was now out of prison. This would give some indication of what might have been the attitude of mind of Tume. His main concern when the police arrived appeared to be how long he would have to spend in gaol. . Later in the hearing, ‘Mrs Dinah Winiata said she had had a talk to Tume before the tragedy. He had said: “The law will never get me.” Tume had also said he knew too much about the law for the law to catch up with him. “Even if you do > murder these days, you only get eight • years,” the witness alleged the accused had said. “That’s because of the good Government we’ve got.” Reference To Isaac Johnson Mrs Winiata said the accused had referred to Isaac Johnson and said 1 Johnson had got only seven or eight, years, and he did murder. He said i that Johnson was out of gaol already, and that Johnson had told him he was well treated, and that it was like . a holiday in gaol. I “Tume said to me he would still be 1 a young man when he came out,” said , the witness. > Mi’ Opie: This statement regarding ; Johnson is fresh. You didn’t mention it in the Lower Court. The witness: It just came to my mind. I never,. thought of it at the Lower Court. Reference to Johnson was made by another witness, Emma May Wilson,' sister of the previous witness andl wife of Graham Howie Wilson, sheep , farmer, of Hunterville. Mrs Wilson,; who did not give evidence in the j Lower Court, said she had visited her : parents, Mr and Mrs Hartley, on a ' week-end about two months before the tragedy. At breakfast on Sunday morning there were Mrs Hartley, Mrs Lillian Winiata, her two sons, the witness, and the accused. It was a ' quiet meal and everyone seemed ’ happy. j Suddenly, said the witness, Tume, spoke out and said: “You know what,' you fellows? Dick Johnson comes out of gaol in two weeks’ time, and he’s only making room for me.” ! The witness said she replied: “Don’t i be silly, John.” Tume then said: i “What’s eight years, anyway. You j don’t get hung for murder nowadays.” ; He also mentioned a man who had joined the Public Works who had; mentioned what a good time he had had in gaol. This man had said, according to Tume, that there had been plenty of beer and cigarettes and that they got well looked after. “Counted Up To Five”

“I looked at my mother, and her eyes were glued to the table,” said the witness. “I looked across at my sister, Lillian, and she likewise. We couldn’t have eaten anything. It would have choked us. Mother got up and left the room. When she came back the accused began counting on his fingers and counted up to five. He said there was Lillian, and looked across at her. Then he said there was mum, and looked at her. He said there was John (Lillian Winiata’s son), and looked at the boy sitting on the floor. He said there was Graham (my husband), and looked at me, and then he said, “Myself.” He then got up and went outside.

The witness said Isaac Johnson was married to her niece, but the witness was only young when she knew Johnson, although she knew what he was in prison for. Other evidence was along the lines of that given in the Lower Court. The case will be continued tomorrow.