Wounded Girl’s Evidence Taken: Shooting Case

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 August 1950, Page 4

Wounded Girl’s Evidence Taken: Shooting Case

Conscious, although critically wounded, Miss Margaret Hillhouse, aged 18, has given preliminary evidence regarding the alleged shooting incident at her home at Runanga on Saturday morning, as a result of which her brother, William Harney Hillhouse, a mine trucker, aged 20, is being held on a charge of attempted murder. A court was convened at the bedside of the wounded girl at the Grey Hospital on Saturday night and brief evidence was taken from Miss Hillhouse. Messrs F. Williams and W. A. Clarke, J.P’s, presided, and De-tective-Sergeant R. J. A. Berry conducted proceedings lor the police. Miss Hillhouse is still critically, ill as a result of the facial and head injuries she received in the early hours of Saturday morning. After blood transfusions on Saturday, she rallied and there was some improvement in her condition yesterday. This morning, however, there was a little deterioration. • Detective-Sergeant Berry, of Greymouth, has been recalled from leave to take part in the investigations and he has been joined by two Christchurch officers, Detective-Sergeant G. C. Urquhart and Sergeant .J. J. Kearton, police photographer and finger-print expert. The investigations were continued throughout the week-end, although a great deal of important preliminary work was done promptly at the scene, immediately following the alleged shooting, by Inspector W.-Kane, Sen-ior-Sergeant R. C. Mcßobie, Detective M. R. Stewart and other Greymouth police officers. The Army Department was called in yesterday to aid the police in the investigations in the vicinity of the Hillhouse home in Walker street, Runanga. It is thought that the bullet which is alleged to have caused the injuries to Miss, Hillhouse and to have penetrated the walls of the house, cannot be far away from the property and under the direction of Captain J. W. Beaumont, area officer, a mine detector was operated in efforts to locate it. These efforts, it is understood, were not successful.