BULLET IN HEAD.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 9 June 1932, Page 3

BULLET IN HEAD.

HERMITAGE CASE. MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER. TIMARTJ, June 8. At the Magistrate’s Court to-day, before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., William John Thomas Whalley, who was arrested At Hokitika- on April 18th, appeared om a charge of having, at the Hermitage, Mount Cook, on November 5, 1931, murdered William Edward Wogan, barman-porter. On that date Hogan was found dead in his bedroom, with a .22 calibre bullet in his head. Charles Digby Elms, licensee of the Hermitage, continued his evidence. On his return to the dead man’s room later, he found that the rillo had been shifted outside the door and was leaning against the wall in the yard. He replaced it on the settee in the same position in -which he had found it. He examined the wound, which would hardly bo seen for hair, which, however was not singed. “Witness had never known deceased to go shooting.

Douglas Standage, manager of the Mount Cook Tourist Co., said that on the afternoon of November 5 Wogan was off duty until 5 o’clock and spent his time playing tennis. He saw Wogan on his bed about 6.10, and on examining him put his hand on the man’s heart and thought he detected a slight flutter, which, however, stopped immediately. Ho examined a bullet wound on the left side of the head. The hair was not burnt, and there was no sign of blackening round the hole. He saw accused just outside the door, handling the rifle and working a bullet to see if it was unloaded. Whalley remarked that they “didn’t want any more accidents.” When witness expressed the view that the rifle should not be touched, ho placed it against the wall, and later the weapon was replaced in its former position. Half an hour after midnight Constable Mackintosh arrived, and in company with Mr. Elms and witness examined Wogan’s room, whore the constable took charge of a spent shell.

Richard William Dingwall, engineer at the Hermitage, stated that shortly after 6 o’clock he entered Wogan’s room and saw the body on the bed. There was blood on the settee. There was no sign of scorching. Alf Brustad, shop manager, of Christchurch, stated that last November he had been a guide at the Hermitage, where he had been for six years. He said that Wogan had never asked him to loan him a firearm, and to witness’s knowledge Wogan had not done any shooting.

“Did you put any particular question to him about the rifle in the room?” “I can’t remember.” “Did accused say what they were talking about when he went to leave the room?”—“About horses.”

Estella Boucher, pantrymaid, said that accused and Wogan frequently used to talk about different racing, and accused sometimes remarked in the staff room about the different horses he and Wogan had backed. Henry Charles Arthur Stinson, a general hand at the Hermitage, stated that he had never seen Wogan handle a firearm. About 4 p.m. on November 5 accused left the kitchen -with the intention of visiting Wogan’s room. He returned at 0.5 and told witness to get some brandy, saying that Wogan had shot himself. Later accused asked the second cook to carry on with the dinner, as Wogan had met with an accident. Accused then left the kitchen, but later, in the staff room, witness heard Whalley say that Wogan had been sitting on a chair with a gun between his legs. John Henry Wear, motor importer, of Christchurch, said that on November 5 last he was staying at the Hermitage. A little after 6 p.m. he was called to Wogan’s room. Wogan was lying on the bed and appeared to be in a very bad way. He did not remember who was in the room, but he saw a man whom he took to bo the chef standing outside the door. Witness examined Wogan and saw a wound above the left ear. The rifle was not in the room at the time.

The Magistrate: “Did you examine the w-Qund?’’

Witness; “Not in detail.” “You did not notice any of the hair, nor anything of that soit? ■ —“No.”

Argyle John Hutchison, grocer, of Hokitika, said he had known Wogan a good many years. Witness, had often been shooting, but Wogan had never been with him. He was too frightened of a gun, or even an empty cartridge. Andrew Mackintosh, police constable at Fairlie, said that about 6.15 p.m. on November 5 he received a telephone message from the Hermitage that a barman had been shot. Witness went to the Hermitage and was taken to deceased’s bedroom. He saw a wound in the head above the left ear. The wound Hud been caused by a bullet from a .22 calibre rifle. There was blood round the wound and on the face. There was no evidence that the bullet had gone through the head. It was also clear that the wound had been caused by a rifle held at right angles to the bead There was no trace of blackness or powder round the wound, and no singeing of the hair. He went on to say that between the settee and the table he found on the wall a spot about five inches in circumference and 3ft. * in from the floor. It was clear that this spot had been caused by deceased’s head having. struck it, as there were signs of hair oil. From this point to the floor there was a streak of blood, which formed a small pool on the floor. There was also a good deal of blood on the settee, and this was fresh when he examined it. The rifle was also on the settee close against the wall. He examined the rifle closely, . but found no blood on it. He also found a .22 calibre shell under the bed. Besides the shell, a box of live cartridges was found in the room. After a good deal of search-

ing he found a sum of money, £7 18/9, hidden in a boot.

Witness interviewed accused, who made a statement, in which he said he had known Wogan about six years. They were mates, and Wogan often went to accused’s room to talk over different matters. Accused borrowed a rifle from Alf Brustad, a guide, in order to go shooting. Ho went out on Wcdnesday and Thursday, and on the latter occasion deceased asked him to leave the rifle, as he wished to go shooting. On the following afternoon deceased was playing tennis, and when he returned at 5 o’clock accused showed him how to load the rifle. As he was leaving the room with his back turned to deceased he heard a shot, and on turning round saw that deceased had been shot. Deceased had previously been sitting with the rifle ■ between his knees. He was sure that after having showm deceased how to load the rifle ho had emptied i>again. He and deceased had sometime--* discussed racing, and they had had one or two bets. He and deceased -had always been on the best of terms. Dr. James Sutherland, of Fairlic, saie he made a post-mortem examination of split pea on the left side of the skull, the body of Wogan. He found a cleancut circular wound about the size of a The hair was not affected in any way. He looked for singeing or burning, but found none, and there was no powder mark. He found that the bullet had entered the head horizontally; that was, at right angles, to the skull. Death was caused by laceration of tlm brain and would have been almost instantaneous. He would be surprised to learn that deceased had livfid any length of time. The Court adjourned until to-morrow.