STILL A MYSTERY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12090, 1 November 1933, Page 2

STILL A MYSTERY

THE • ■DEATH OF MRS LAKEY. NO SIGNS OF 1 MISSING HUSBAND. : SUPPOSED IMPORTANT CLUES. AEROPLANE ÜBED IN SEARCH. (Press Association) AUCKLAND, Oct. 31. . A sudden .change occurred in the investigation of the .Ruawaro mystery yesterday, when the police searchers. . decided to continue the search last night. They are very reticent, but it is understood that they have recovered another article which may eventually disclose the whereabouts ol the missing shotgun owned by 1 Samuel Pender Lakey, who disappeared from liis farm When fils wife, Mrs Christobel Lakely, met her mysterious death.

A striking aspect of the case is that the police discontinued the search, iflor the time being at least, of a heap of of burning slack at the Renown mine, Ruawaro, _ where •an extensive invotigation was made on Saturday. No attention' was paid to Jlie coal yesterday. IS BODY UNDER BURNING SLACK. Tt was thought that; Mr Lakcy’s body, which igi regarded as essential to the' case, could possibly have, been buried in the huge heap of slack. Work to remove the slack was commenced on Saturday, and many 1 tons were shifted. The activities were of an arduous nature, the officers being compelled! to shovel •for many hours deep in the smouldering slack. Tlie heat was intense and several officers suffered burns. One estimate regarding the pile of slack Which has attracted the notice of the police is that it contain, si between 6000 and 1 8000 tons of material. Only a portion has been investigated so far, but it is propos-ed-to carry the work much further. Two weeks have lapsed! since the tragedy, and, in that Time, hundreds of toils of material have been added to the pile-

The spirit in which the police are undertaking their difficult task calls for commendation.- From dawn until the late evening during the past two weeks they' have waded creeks, splashed through swamps, cut- paths through dense scrub, explored caves in hill country and subjected every road for many miles to the closest scrutiny.

OBSERVATION FROM THE AIR

The use of an aeroplane lent a new aspect to the. diligent search being made by l the police and numerous helpers. Captain J. D. Hewett, of Auckland, accompanied by an observer, made a flight of about two and a-lialf hours’ duration over the district, and covered a considerable area without finding any trace of the missing man. From a comparatively low altitude both Captain Hewett and his observer obtained an excellent view of the district, and as visibility was good, they wer e able to examine the bod of Lake Whan gape, near the Lakey homestead, and also several other small lakes in the district and -a portion, of till© Waikato. River- Although Captain Hewett was acting unofficially, the flight of his Moth machine was watched with interest by the police parties searching over the ground and in the river and lakes.

Special attention was paid to Lake Whangape, over which the machine was flown low. A considerable portion, of tlie bed ! of (the lake was clearly visible from the air, although in some places the wind caused suffici enti ripple on the surface.pf the water to impair visibility. Tracks made by the seacherg in the reeds skirting the lake were plain, a net-work of paths indicated by broken reeds showing the wide area covered by tho police. POLICE FIND GUN IN SWAMP. STILL WORKING WITH SPADES AND RAKES. , ( Pre,s« Associ'ii-ion ) AUCKLAND, Ocb. 31. The police, who have been working for a fortnight at Ruawaroi in ( an endeavour to find the body of Samuel Lakey, a farmer, who disappeared at the same time as his wife was found dead with her head in a duckpond ,yesterday found a gun in a nearby swamp. This is regarded ay an important clue to the mystery, and tlie police Worked on till dark using spates and rakes in the swamp, and resumed scon, after -daylight-

The police are said! to be hopeful now of the mystery being solved.