NEWLANDS CASE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 March 1923, Page 7

NEWLANDS CASE

ALLEGED MURDEE.

IBY TELEGRAPH—PEESS ASSOCIATION.) _ WELLINGTON/March 9. Ihe hearing of evidence in connection with the Newlands murder charge was continued yesterday. .*> said all he was concerned about was where the child was and if it' was welt cared for. Accused said: How d:d this inquiry start? That's Mrs King's mud-siingmg again. She had made some complaint to you." He mtoimed acused thalt the ihquiry o,riginated through the body of u3 child being buried in the sand hills at Lyall' liay, but he said at the same time that th:s was not Miss Lester's child. ,_Acc"? ed denied paying any money to Mrs King on account of Miss Lester He said Mrs King was always calling on him and borrowing money. Witness asked who Mrs Smith was mentioned on the £8 receipt and Cooper said it was Miss Lester. He refused to make any further exylanation. Accused then asked if there was n charge to prefer against him, and he said n there was not he would leave. Witness further questioned accused concerning meeting Miss 7 Lester and another woman at the Johnsonville station on November 23. Cooper said he had met Miss Lester there and another woman carrying a. baby. -He took Miss Lester home on the back, of his motor cycle, leaving the woman with the baby at the station. He had no idea who the woman with the baby was ;'• he had never eseri hor before and had never seen her since. [Witness ask- \ ed accused to make a statement in! writing concerning Miss Lester's child, but Coper said he had nothing further to say and would make no statement about the matter. -... Police-Inspector Mcllveney stated that when he asked. Coper as to the whereabouts of Miss Lester's'-. child, j Cooper declined to make a statement,! /but added that someone was trying to blackmail him on account of another \ child. Cooper subsequently said the; child was all right, but he refused to say where it was. Later on Coopersaid: '-Mrs King knows everything about it. x She arranged everything. I She knows the woman• who took it 3 away and she is the only person, who can say where it is." When Mrs King, and Cooper were brought face to face! the woman denied Cooper's statement, whereupon he said: "You're a liar!" Senior-Detective Lewis, in further evidence, said Cooper could not give the address { of the unknown woman whom he said had\ taken, the child away, and she had never been seen since she l^ft Johnsonville station. The dress of the woman was described in detail by Cooper. 7 After hearing further police witnesses the Court adjourned until to-morrow, when it is said the case at this stage will be comt>leted.