ALLEGED MURDER

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11450, 26 February 1931, Page 6

ALLEGED MURDER

THE DEATH OF AIBS. ANDERSON

FOUR-YEAR-OLD SON GIVES EVIDENCE.

(Press Association ) HAMILTON. Feb. 25. The trial of Charles Colston lor tue alleged murder of Airs. Anderson v. as continued to-day. Gordon Fisher, the four-year-old sen of Airs. Anderson, said he knew what had happened to his motherShe had been siioE His Uncle Charlie had shot her, he added. The witness said his aunt was m the room,and then altered Ins statement saving she was outside. Jle heard Die gun go off. but it did not make a loud no se. He was near the bed. and Lucie Charlie" was outside where the window was. Air. Dickinson, for the defence, contended that .evidence by one too voting to understand was inadmissible.

Answering Ilis Honors question whether he was speaking the truth, the child said, ‘‘Hie gun went off. Joseph Russell Alien, a warder at Waikune. corroborated Uiq. evidence of Warden Glynn of the meeting with Colston on National Park station. Arthur Douglas Alerson. an electrietian, said he accompanied several ethers to the scene oi the tragedy. He described the finding of the body, its position in the room, and the condtioti of the room. William George, a >latiuii clerk at National Park, said when -the party drove up Airs. Jolley called out: ‘‘There lias been au accident, foi God's sake get a doctor." He accompanied *thc previous witness to AlcFarlaue'.s farm. Ibe lace of the defeased seemed to have been wiped ol blood previously. Montague LI. Tisdall. a gun expeit. who visited the scene, said the damage done to the window was caused by a shot from a gun discharged irom a few feet away. The shot had been fired from the outside. 'I here war- no doubt in his mind that the wound in the woman’s face could not have been inflicted had the gun been fired w'thin the roqm. Air Gillies: Wlutt causes you to make such declaratiou?

Following a gun shot demonstration which took place' at the drill hall and occupied about an hour, the witness Tisdall admitted Unit there was considerable variation between the cartridges, and it was quite likely one cartridge might give a wider spread fired at 11 feet than another of the same, kind fired at 10 feet, lie added that a gun fired at a distance of ten to twelve feet might make a pattern similar to that on deceased’s face*.

After experiments in the afternoon, witness admitted it was possible for the gull to have been fired within the room to produce the same pattern on the woman’s face, but the possibilities were against it, however.

Gregory G. Kelly, manager of the arms depot of the Colonial Ammunition Co., agreed with the evidence of the previous witness as to the effects of shot at varying distances. He disagreed with Tisdall that the pattern on the woman’s face could have been produced if the gun had. been fired within the room, except in the case of very had cartridges. The further hearing was adjourned.