BOAKES’S STORY.

Grey River Argus, 1 September 1927, Page 5

BOAKES’S STORY.

GIVEN BY I SENT rR TRIAL. Q r ‘* n or Charge. , B ISSUE RESERVED. MU CP«r Pjeas Abru.Y < ’HRTSTCHURCH,' Aug. 31. the evidence of thirty witness- , Vady heard, the hearing of the co in the case in which Charles * ? lln Noakes is charged with the 7 7fcr r o°r of Gwendoline Isohel Scarff WiV continued to-day. jWelix John Theodore Grigg, Govern- «•» analyst, said that on June IS, he received from Detective Mayne, a box ■ containing nine bottles. He made a careful examination of all the bottles but found no trace of any poison or any substance which could be used in abortion cases. David Davidson gave evidence re finding of a spanner on the scene of the murder, and handing it to the po-

POLTCE WITNESS. Detective Fade said that on June 16, while clearing the scrub at the scene of the murder, a man found a spanner in the gorse. Witness took the spanner to the Detective Office. There were blood stains on the spanner, partly dry. The spanner was sent to the Finger Prints Department in Wellington, and examined, but no finger prints 1 were found. Mr Thomas: To what extent was blood I on the spanner?—The whole of the spanner was covered with it, except the lower jaw. And you say there was some that was not dry?—Yes.

Detective Langeson said that on June 16, he saw the spanner. There were traces of oil in the jaws as though it had been recently used. Witness made enquiries at all the engineering works, motor garages and foundries in Christchurch, and showed the spanner to a total of 1510 people. These included taxi drivers and engineers. None of these people were able to identify the spanner or say that they had seen it before. He was unable to find a spanner exactly like it. On July 2, with Detective Thomas, he searched the effects of Miss Scarff at her home, and in a locked cash box in the duchess drawer found a small piece of paper on which was written the name of “M. C. Boakes.” Mr Thomas objected to this. M o

. do not know who wrote it or what it is,” he said. The Magistrate: For the present, 1 will let it go in, and note the objee tion. It is not of the slightest evid ential value. Detective Langeson said that oi July 27, Detective Gerald and witness searched accused’s home at Windsoi Terrace In a wooden box in the hall among other effects of the accused they found thirteen small brass military buttons and ten large ones. In a room upstairs in a tin box, they found four small similar buttons and three . __large ones. (The buttons were proRcWrring to the spanner, witness said it appeared as if the. jaw had been slightly enlarged. A motor ear that was used by accused in his work, was fitted with A.C. Spark plugs, and the large end of the spanner produced, exactly fitted these plugs. Mr Thomas: I want to be quite clear about this. I want to understand what your evidence has been about. Ta this the spanner that was found on the scene of the murder? —Yes. This is the one you say was enlarged?—lt gives the appearance of having been enlarged. George Hunter McCann, Staff Sergeant Major, employed by the Defence Department, said that he had acted as Quarter-Master Sergeant and had handled much military equipment. On July 29, he examined the two military overcoats (produced) at the Detective Office. They were ordinary infantry issue overcoats.

Mr Donnelly: One is older looking than the other, isn’t it? Yes. What’s the date of it roughly?No”ember 29, 1915 is the maker’s date. Those military buttons, they ’re just the ordinary issue buttons?—Yes. How many buttons has an infantryman’s overcoat?—Five large ones in front, seven small ones and three on the back. Alfred Edwin Smith, managing director of Smith’s Motors Ltd., said he had had twenty-five years’ experience wit h motor cars. The spanner (produced) resembled that supplied in the tool kit of F.N. make of car which came from Belgium. iTow do you base that opinion?— From its design, and secondly because it is a metric type of spanner. Lionel James Leversedge said that on June 25 r when engaged in clearing the scrub on the North Beach road, he found the military overcoat (produc •ed). The coat was neatly folded in■.side out. There were bloodstains on the coat, which he handed over to De ective-Sergeant Young. r ’o Mr Thomas: The coat was slight ly damp when witness found it. Winifred Capes said that she knew Miss Scarff, and also knew Boakes. •Somewhere about Christmas time last year, Miss Scarff introduced witness to Boakes, and -in company with a man named Arps, they went to Dallington in Arps’ car.

BUS OWNER IN BOX. George Lowis, a fruiterer, said that from August 1925 to October 1926, he was running to buses to Sumner. From December 24, 1925 to October 16, 1926, accused drove one of the buses. During that time witness saw the girl Scarff in the bus driven by the accused near Warner’s Hotel about 2.30 p.m. Accused went up to him and witness mentioned that he heard that accused had been detained the previous day, and that a spanner had been found. What did accused say?—Well, I had previously told him who my informant vfas, that it was Jim Patrick, and he «iid, “I suppose he wanted to know if you had lost a spanner?” * What other conversation did you liave?—He was telling me what happened the previous day when he was detained at the police station. Was anything said about the girl?— He was telling me the “D’s” said that he had procured some kind of dope the girl, and he remarked that he

I did not know any chemist well enough to procure tho stuff from him. Was anything else said about the girl’s condition?—He said that he knew she was in trouble. Was anything else said by Boakes about the girl’s pregnancy?—l asked him it she had ever mentioned who it was, and he said no, she had never mentioned anyone. Witness added that he asked Boakes the reason the girl saw him, and Boakes replied that the girl used to tell him her troubles. He added that • had osough troubles of his own uithout bothering about Miss Scarff’s.

■-’amual Halligau, a taxi driver, said that on June 22 , he spoke to Boakes about ths murder. Boakes said: “I on" my ab ? ut 1 've got it J sheet to show where I was ’ ’ Loakes used to wear c military

Wilham Dickinson, sou of the uroI"tutor ol the White Diamond Taxis said that Boakes had been in tue tm ’ IQPr ° f i? e film Sinee Nov «'“l’er 6, J -°’ and drove one of the White Diainoud cabs. Ot the time of the murher, his hours were from 5.30 a.m. to WaS S <> le

Boakes’s running sheet for June S was produced. It showed the trip ut •3o a.m. from Cashmere to the Square. on e tho \T’. l a l J P a l reil «y been an err.se , ' ( • was made out in

Boakes’s handwriting. Mr DouneEy: The sheet for June 14, showed that the meter was off at the " nd of the day. What does that mean - The meter broke down at halfpast two. He went off at half-past four. I You paid him that day?—Yes. I The next morning he started .is usual?—The meter was off altogether that day, and he worked on the specdo meter.

Alfred Moulin, a taxi driver, said that accused used to be on the same stand with h.rn. He had a conversation with accused two or three weeks after the murder. He was speaking to the accused and said: “You kno« what things are being said about you round the town. Charlie, that veu have been going out with the girl' Scarff. ’> Charii’e 0 w aS ”i Ot him . but anm6 other Chailie. He also said that he was nnU-','! ?r n 1 f! °’ nmbo Stre<?t he 1 the place where the other Charlie worked, and it brought to his mind then, that this other Charlie used to meet her .at night after work, and take nor out.

Afternoon Session. DETECTIVE YOUNG’S EVIDENCE. BOA KES ’ STATEMENTS. CIII’ISTCHURCTT. August 3!. n tile Burwood murder case this afternoon. Detor-tivc-,Sergeant Young body T-?' "fT' ? S ,0 the the ". as t 0 statements by ’ ' fPS * !p said that Boakes was interrogated at length at the Police Station. Bonies stated that lie bad known •he girl f nrtl for 1.1 years, since she was a chi'l. He had carried on business for Scarff senr.. who was a earner, first while Scarff was on holiday, and then whip ho was absent owing Io illness, lie (Boakes) used to drive

a motor I ruck, which was housed at » earff’s residence. Jin used to see Gwen Scarff, lhen 15 or 16 years of ago, but he had no intimacy with her. After a time, Boakes stated, he left Scarff’s employ. One day Scarff senr. came to him, saying, “What the hell have you been doing to Gwen?” He (Boakes) had replied, “What do you mean?” Scarff said. “She had a kid-, die!” Scarff said it had died, but: that it was Boakes’ child. They had discussed the matter on other * occasions, but he (Boakes) had denied point blank that the child was his. Later, said Boakes, he saw Gwen Scarff, and he asked her why she said the child was his. She saia, “I was so damned ill, and had to blame somebody! ” He asked whose it was, and she said she didn’t know. During the past eight months, while he had been driving a taxi, Boakes said further, he had seen the girl frequently. He had never had intercourse with the girl in his life. He last saw her on Saturday, June 11, and on Friday afternoon, June 10 at th? Federal Hotel. He did not know who had sent for him, and he had been surprised to find her there. She “bawled at top.” The girl had told him of 'trouble with her mother and father, and said, “We are going up to the North, Island next week!” Boakes asked, “Who are we?” but the girl would not tell him. He did not know she was pregnant. 1 lie had never held any money for her, nor had he ever procured medicine for her. Any statements the girl had made • about, him being unhappy at home, or as to his intention to set up a home for her at Hastings, were damned lies. He had never seen, nor had in his possession, the spanner produced. Detective Young continued that on June 27, he arrested Boakes, and charged him with the murder of the girl Scarff. When the charge was read to him he said, “Oh!” Boakes was then locked up. Detective Sergeant Biekeridge corroborate'! portions of Detective Young’s statement. After Detective Young had left, the office, he said, ‘ Boakes said to witness, “Have they found the thing that killed her?”' Witness interviewed Boakes about his movements. Boakes denied having brought the girl in his taxi from her employer’s house in Cashmere. He had been to Cashmere on June Bth to pick up a fare, but the fare was a man —a stranger to him. He said he was not at Burwood on June 8. and had never had Gwen Scarff out in his ear. He denied that the military overcoat found was his. He had once had a Mercedes car, but he sold it six years ago. All the tools went with the car, including the spanners similar to that in the possession of the police. The spanner held by the police was not his. About 1910, Boakes said, ho had trouble about an illegitimate child in Auckland, of which he was not the father.

He got six months for perjury over the case. After the statement had been read to him, Boakes had said, “There has been a hell of a lot of talk about me messing about with this girl. A man might have had intimacy with her, but that is not to say I murdered her. There is another Charlie besides me, and he knows her well. He docs not get on well with his wife. ’ ’ Detective Biekeridge stated he then said to Boakes, “Who is the other Charlie?” Boakes replied. “He works in a coal yard in Colombo Street, near the hills.” Witness said, “What is 1 his full name?” Boakes replied, “I

don’t like dragging other people into it, but his name is Charlie Kevs. ” Witness said, “Can you give me any information that Keys knows anything about this murder?” Accused replied, “It is your duty to find out, and you know how to do it.” Boakes had denied statements by. King, a chemist’s assistant, about the purchase by Boakes of pills and ergot. When King was brought to the police station, and asked to repeat his earlier statement to the police in Boakes’ presence. Boakes assumed a threatening attitude, and witness interposed, as he thought that Boakes might strike Bing. Boakes said to King, “You are a liar!” Boakes denied having had letters from Scarff, except one about four months ago.

THE “OTHER CHARLIE” CALLED. Charlie Keys gave evidence that he knew Gwen Scarff for seven years. He had never taken her out on his motor cycle, or his car. He had no military overcoat.

This concluded the evidence. Mr Thomas submitted that there was no prima facie case against his client, Boakes, on the murder charge. On the other charge of supplying a noxious thing to Gwen Scarff, he admitted a p’ima facie case had been established, and that Boakes would have to go to trial on this charge. The Magistrate found that Ellen ' Gwendoline Isobel Scarff died on June I 15. 1927, having been murdered by some person by means of a blunt in- | strument. In regard to the charges,| Boakes was committed for trial on the ( charge of supplying a noxious tning. ■ He pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate said he would con- | sider the evidence, and would give his , decision on the other charge to-morrow.