TRIAL OF BAYLY

Grey River Argus, 24 January 1934, Page 5

TRIAL OF BAYLY

| MORE DETECTIVES Detail Investigations 'Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND. January 23. The usual crowd forn cd a queue outside the Police Court, before the sixth day’s hearing of the Baylv case be gnn. Detective Findlay continued his evidence. He said that hr went to Baylv’s house on October 21. and assisted the others in the search of the house. “I examined clothing in the bathroom and pointed out to the accused some stains on the sleeves of the coat and the front of the shirt.” said vit m -~. ‘‘l said they looked like bloodstains. and :i-k(‘d accused if he eou’-d account for them. He said he had hurt his finger at George Fu miss’ place. I examined his hand, and on one finger found two small abrasions covered by healed skin. Asked if he could ac'-ount for the blood on the clothim*. ac-nsed saida cow had calve ! tv» () day> before and there had been a good deal of blood. ] was examining articles of clothing on the p->r<*h. when from a pair nf denim trouser'-, an empty .22 calibre cartridge shell fell from the pocket. 1 aid to ac cased. ‘‘Where did }'"ii get the shell. Bill He replied- •• It wi’l be from my rifle. I was shoo-ting on Friday and Saturday.” Accused was asked what n certain mark was on the rifle the Chief Detective had in. hi* possession. Accused replied that he did not. know the rifle was a new looking Spandan. T asked if it ware likely to be blood. He said he shot a hare on Saturday and killed it by hitting it on the head with the barrel. We examined the sledge. Detective Sneddon removed the front crossboard. I remarked to accused that there were three new boards on the sledge. He replied: “I should think so. You have got others.” I asked if the board ". p were taking was one of the original ones. He said “Yes.” I asked him if he could account for a stain on the centre of the board, and if it were blood. He said “No.” On Monday the 23rd. wo were searching the swamps at the foot nf accused’s property. Wo saw him come down with a slasher. We discussed Lakey’s disappearance. Detective Sneddon asked accused if he had had a good look round his farm. Accused said he had had an added: “Do you think T have got him? You have had a good look round.” lie said that Lakey was not the man to commit suicide. Witness eave a further amount "f the don incident. He said that he told Baylv ho had never known the dog to cha=e a bitch, but Baylv reiterated his statement. Witness said that between six' and seven o’clock on the evening of the dog incident. Wright rode up on Lakey’s private road delivered, a message to the Chief Detective, and then galloped downhill. Shortly afterwards, witness saw him gallon up the paddock towards his own house. Soon after witness saw Constable Ross leaving Wright’s house, where ho was billeted. Tt was then quite daylight. On November 16, three detectives went- to Bayly’s cowshed and took scrapings from the door of the separator room, and from the cowshed. Witness saw a faintly brownish stain on a piece of concrete. If looked as though a furnace had been there. Witness finally gave evidence formally concerning the exhibits ho had handled. THE CHIEF DETECTIVE. Chief Detective Sweeney, who went to Ruawaro on October IS, and took charge of the eighteen men then there, was the next witness. He corroborated the earlier evidence regarding the interviews with Baylv. and the first search of the house. He said that on October 19 he asked Bayly if anybody had been on his farm with a sledge. He replied “No.” Asked if any of the neighbours had sledges, he replied he thought they all had. On examining Baylv’s sledge, they saw a brown mark extending along the bottom of three boards at the rear. Bayly said he had no visitors on Sunday, and saw no straugers. His wife was home all day. During the search of the house they took possession of two pairs of denim trousers, one with stains on them. They were in a washhouse. He noticed that Bayly’s sheath knife had a rougher edge than when he first saw it. Witness gave further corroborative evidence regarding the digging of Bayly’s garden, and, finding of a num*ber of things, including three trouser studs, two braces, buckles, and some bones. They were about a spade’s depth in the ground, mixed with and under some grass. The discoveries were all made in an area about six square feet.

WANGANUI DETECTIVE

Detective John Walsh, of Wanganui, said that be arrived at Ruawaro on November 9. and remained till December 10. He described the search of Bayly’s house on November 29. While in a bedroom. Bayly started to speak about the Lakeys, and asked if witness had been told the Lakeys were popu lar in the district. Witness replied that the Lakeys were popular with the neighbours. Bayly said that in August, 1930, there had been a quarrel between the Lakeys, and Mrs. Lakey stayed away from the farm for about 'six months. Before leaving she had called Lakey a . He described Mrs. Lakey as vindictive, and said that someone in Huntly had told him this. Bayly also referred to a dispute between him and Lakey over a sheep, and said that Lakey threatened to go to Huntly to see the police. Bayly said he told,Lakey to go ahead, and Lakey went to Huntly but was not game to go on with it. Bayly said he had never been friendly with the Lakeys,

and spoke of other muses of ill-feeling He also said that for some months past. Lakey had been on bad terms with the neighbours. He described I,a key as trench cron*. Witness said that Bayly said he had left a quantity of pea rifle ammunition in the storeroom and it had been stolen. He last saw it on the Saturday. fn further reference to the Lakeys, he s aid that they frequently quarrelled, but he had never known them to come to IJows. He had heard Mrs. Lakey say nasty things about everyone living around. She used vile language, and he had forbidden her to come to his house for that reason. Mr. Northcroft objected to the admission as evidence of a letter dated January 9, 1933. signed by Mrs Lakev. Witness said he told Baylv of the leMer. Bayly said he had heard of it. and it was one she had not been game to post. Baylv read the letter, and said it referred to trouble over a bull. Mr Meredith did not press for admission of the. letter, but reserved the right to put if in later. The letter was not read. Detective Walsh said Bayly informed him the trouble was duo to Lakev’s dog chasing his bull. Bayly also said his father had told him to keep away from the I.a keys. The first legal argument in the hearing occurred at the close of Detective Sneddon’s evidence yesterday. when Mr. Northcroft asked that the notebooks to which witness had referred should ],<• pul in ns exhibits. Mr. Merdith rai.-ed the point that the mere fn« f of note books having been referred to refresh the memory did not entitle them to go in. The Magistrate: They wore Crossexamined upon, and are now put in; Mr. Meredith; That is so. Sir. Cross examined bn those parts to which re ferenve was made, not on the whole •of the books. After further discussion, the Magistrate admitted the books, adding that objection could be taken elsewhere to the admission of any petition previous ly inadmissible. Bayl/s Comments ON THE LAKEYS. UNPOPULA RITY SUGGESTED. AUCKLAND. January 23. At the murder trial, con t ’ , niiing his evidence. Defective Walsh said that later, he asked the accused it he had any suggestion to make as to where Lakey might be found. Baylv answered: “It is problematical after six weeks. Do you think he is dead?” Witness answered. “Yes!” The accused said nothing more. Mr Meredith: What was Bayly like that day.’ M ifness: lie was quite collected and shoved no signs of nervousness or of embarrassnu nt . Detective White, of Hamilton, who was a.‘ Ruawaro from November S until December 12. was the next witness Tie corroborated the details of tire search of the accused’s house, as given by Detective Walsh.. Mr Meredith: How old are Bayly s boys Witness: The eldest is abou f »ive and the youngest about three. Witness described his conversations with Bayly during tht search. and said that the accus’d stated that he had never been on friendly terms with the Lakeys. “During these con versa Gons, ” s’ated witness, “accused said the Lakeys had not been on speaking terms with the neighbours for the last six months. Accused said that Mrs Lakey had a row with Mrs Stevens, and had called her :wi objectionable name. He said that Mrs Lakey had a dispute with Mrs Samson, and that, as a resuHt, I. went and removed some implements that Samson had borrowed from him. ’ ’ Mr Meredith: Did Bayly say whether he had been at Lakeys’ house? Witness: He said he had been in the house frequently. Witness gave the same account as Detective Walsh of the continuation f the conversation, and said that Baylv had staked Mrs Lakey was in the habiir of using fil*hy language. While the accused and witness were standing together, the accused said. “Do you think he is alive®” Witness 'aid, “No!” No name was mentioned Detectives were with Bayly from 10 o’clock until 2.25 on this occasion. ‘‘His demeanour was quite natural, and he joked with us several times.” said witness. Constable Perima n Watts, of Hamilton. said that he was on Bayly’s farm with other constables on December 4. 11, described the scaching of the patch of Jug ground in Bayly’s garden and rhe finding of charcoal. At about a sprule’s depth they found wha,t appeared to be burnt bone, charcoal, I wood-ash and some burnt rag. Two 1 teeth were found. Boot nails and eyelets that appeared .to hav e been through fire were later found. Th,, hearing was adjourned till to-