MURDER OF GIRL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 September 1924, Page 5

MURDER OF GIRL

, THE CAULFIELD CASE

AN ARREST MADE

..HI CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPVBIum ! MELBOURNE, Sept. 18. A S e ,, m< l uest on Irene Tuckerman, aged II years, whose body was found m a street at Caulfield on August 13, ended sensationally, and resulted in 1 nomas James Cheshire, a newsagent, of Caulfield, aged 53, being committed foi trial on a charge of murdering Irene ’Tuckerman. Bail in £IOOO was allowed.

evidence was to the effect that there were' slight wounds about her face and lower part of the body. Death was due to strangulation, probably with a cord.

Ihe only fresh evidence given by Mrs Tuckerman was that she was unaware Irene sold papers for a neighbouring newsagent. Cheshire was one of the persons mentioned whom the police brought before the coroner as witnesses. A sister of the dead girl gave evidence _ that she and- Irene frequently visited Cheshire’s shop to buy papers A tramway driver testified that he ? aw \ fh and * girl, whom he identified as Cheshire and Irene, alight from his tram at St. Kilda on the day Irene disappeared. Detective Piggott detailed a visit to Cnesthire’s shop, at the back of which was a cubicle where Cheshire slept On a rug he found hairs, to which he drew Cheshire’s notice, and also a quantity of rope similar to that found round Irene’s body. Cheshire admitted knowing Irene, hut denied that she ever took charge of his shop. Cheshire made a statement regarding h'is movements on the day the girl disappeared to the .effect that he was away from the shop for only short periods. Later, at the detective office, Detective Piggott informed Cheshire that he had been identified by two' men with the girl on the day of her disappearance away from the shop, and the detective told him that he would he subpoenaed to the coroner’s court and warned him not to do anything foolish V* th .f, meantime. Cheshire replied: I tv ill not. I will face it. I am innocent.”

Before his committal Cheshire, on the advice of his counsel, declined to give evidence at the present stage of the case.