ELSIE WALKER’S DEATH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 January 1929, Page 7

ELSIE WALKER’S DEATH.

DISCOVERY OF THE BODY.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS RECEIVED. FURTHER WITNESSED CALLED.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, Jam. 15. At the inquest concerning the death, otf Elsie Walker, Roger Butler, garage proprietor, of Paputoetoe, said he took the Bayly’s ab am domed car to the garage. It had a fairly good drop of petrol in the tanks. The car was in good order and started at once. James Morris Thompson, aged eleven, and his uncle, Stephen Carter, gave evidence as to 1 the finding of the body on the night of October 5. Carter said there was no indication of a struggle. The Coroner: "You- would never have seen the body if the feet had not been sticking out of the scrub. ’ ’ “No.”

Cross-examined, Carter said the clothes on the body were mot disarranged. He: thought .the body had been thrown into the scrub aind mo,t dragged nor pushed. There appeared a swelling under one eye and the nose was full of blood.

Constable Collins, St. Heliers, said his opinion on first seeing the body was that it was either a ease of suicide or death from natural causes. AVhen he ramg the detectives he was told to take the body to the morgue. The Coroner (to Constable Collins) : You came to that conclusion (suicide or natural causes) after an examination by night with an electric torch? —Yes. And why did you not make a report to the coroner? —I left it to the detectives.

Do you know you shouldn’t have moved the body without the authority of the coroner? —I luiderstood from the regulations that a body had to be taken to the morgue within three miles.

Air. Hunt: Did you? Well, I’ll read your regulations to you. Air. Hunt read a clause affecting the removal of bodies, and then lie remarked : “I think it is grossly wrong. Sensible people would have left the body until daylight instead of trying to make a torch examination by’ night. Somebody should have been posted to guard the body and a careful examination . made.”

Frederick Coppin, an undertaker’s assistant, said that he got the impression that the girl was thrown into the bushes, but as the grass had been trampled down by other people who were there before him, lie could not say whether there hadi been any struggle. When he got to the morgue he noticed blood on the underclothing for the .first time, and thought that it was damp.