SERCHED LOCALITY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 63, 1 March 1929, Page 7

SERCHED LOCALITY.

Detective-Sergeant Diomas Kelly then gave evidence. He knew Constable Collins, who informed him of the findings of Elsie Walker’s body, and he was a man to be relied upon. Having been informed that the case appeared to be one of suicide, he therefore instructed that the body be removed to the morgue. Witness was sent to. make a thorough search of the locality in which the, body was found. The general appearance of the bushes was that the girl had got underneath the bushes and had not been thrown among them. Detective-Sergeant Kelly’s evidence was then suspended to allow Doctor D. N. W. Murrav to give evidence. Mr. Currie: Did the police make suggestions to you at the post mortem as to what to look for? Dr. Murray: No. Why should they? I was competent of doing the examination.

Extracts from the Chief-Detective’s evidence, in which he said that he made certain suggestions to the doctor, were read by Mr. Currie. “What do you say to that?” Mi. Currie asked.

Dr. -Murray: It is untrue. Chief Detective Hammond and Detective Sei geant Kelly were not in that building more than 10 minutes.' Witness made no comment on the matter of clothes to the Chief-De-tective. because he took it for grarited the police considered they were of no importance.

On all previous occasions where there had been stains of any kind on clothing it had been shown to him, and he trusted the police on this occasion. At that time, too, he told -Chief-Detective Hammond that they could find no actual cause of death, but that the girl had received a blow on tlio top of the head which he could not explain. He also said there was a bruise on the scalp, about tin size of a shilling. He stated then that a person could get an injury producing concussion and probably death without showing any more sign. That was the finish of that interview. THE BRUISE ON THE HEAD. Die same night he called on CliiefDetcctiie Hammond again and brought up the question of the blow on the head He suggested that' the. girl might have been suddenly sandbagged, and the Chief-Detective wanted to know who would sandbag her. Witness then mentioned the money, and the Chief-Detective replied that she might hays lost it on the road. More discussions followed and Chief-Detective Hammond said the girl probably died of exhaustion. However, witness said that he could not see how she could have died of exhaustion, because she had had a meal a few hours before death and she was a healthy girt. On Sunday he saw Detective-Ser-geant Kelly and when witness mentioned the clothes an undergarment was shown him. on which were stains. After looking at them, he suggested that it woqld be wise if tliev were examined by a bacteriologist. Referring to the making of a supplementary report, witness said it was written by Dr. Gilmour, in the presence of witness and Detectivenergoant Bickerdike, who asked for it. Cross-examined by Mi. Moody, witness said that he had not told Clucf-Detective Hammond that he was worried over the bruise on the bead. He had mentioned it to De-tective-Sergeant Kelly, but not to Chief-Detective Hammond. “You know what the ChiefDetective has suid about, the discussion nt the morgue?” Mr. Moody asked. Witness: Yes. and it is wrong. But the Chief-Detective is an experienced detective.—-Yes, he may be: but not in medical matters. Mr. Moody then asked if it was possible that the Chief-Detective had suggested certain causes of death while at the morgue. “He did not,” witness replied. “I am not going to agree with what did not happen.” Witness said it seemed that an endeavour wasjming made, to throw the whole thing on the medical men. (Con I Im; id on fi ut nest column)

Mr. Moody: Oh no, no. Dr. Murray: Well, 1 cannot think of anything else. POLICE SUGGESTIONS' WELCOMED. From what he had read in the papers, he thought other lieople would think the same thing, too. Ho had been a police surgeon for 16 Vears and had not had a dispute with tho police, with whom he had got on all right, and he thought he could still get on with them. Suggestions from tho police were welcome. “There was no heat or anger ut ■inv of these talks with the detectives when you dropped in at nights?” Mr. Moody asked. Dr. Murray : Ob, no. And there is none now?—No. You would know it if there was. (Laughter). You were quite happy?—Oh yes, and we shall be a happy family after this is all over too, I suppose. The clothing from the body should have been shown him by the police, witnessed continued. Mr. Moody: Was there anything on the clothing which would have assisted you in assigning the cause of death ? Dr. Murray: No. “Looking nt tho whole general position now,” Mr. Finlay said to Dr. Murray, “tho actual cause of death has not even been found.” Witness said that was so. The Commissioner: Do I understand you to say you do not know the cause of death? “Yes, sir,” Dr Murray answered. “We cannot say whether she died of concussion or not. but it was probable that the bruise on the skull had something to do with the cause of death. However? we would not advance that on a criminal charge. I do not think that in a court a jury would convict on the medical evidence.” THE SECOND REPORT. “Why did you wait two months before making a second report?” asked the Commissioner. Dr. Murrav said they had io review the whole case. They had to consider .the garments. The first report and the second report were the same, in his opinion. The Commissioner: Why didn’t yon give the probable cause of death earlier? Witness: We were waiting the result of a test of the stomach contents. There might have been poison. 'When you got that result, why didn’t you tell the police then?—We were waiting for a final examination of the clothes. Did you always intend making a final report ?—Yes When did you get the final result of the clothing?—On November 21, 1 think. And you made the report a fortnight later?—Yes You cannot say when that was?—“ No. Tills conclpil.'il Dr. Murray’s evi--I nee. The ( oi.ii -,. ii- r then adiouiiicl ihe in pii un il ,i. monuiv i