MURDER CHARGE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 August 1935, Page 4

MURDER CHARGE

FURTHER EVIDENCE YESTERDAY GREYMOUTH, August 3. The whole of yesterday’s sitting of the' Blackball chocolate murder trial wus occupied by two handwriting experts, who investigated the vital clues in the case, the authorship of the anonymous letters and the writing on the wrapper, together with the note which accompanied the chocolates Their evidence was highly technical. a n d was at the same time a revelation of the scientific analysis of handwriting. It was their unanimous opinion that the handwriting of all of the exhibits in court was that of one person, or further, that the writing on the vital ciues, and the admitted writing of the accused was identical, and could not have been written by any other persons, but the accused, John Skikeithrop Page, 36, single, a miner, who is charged with murdering Margaret May Smith, at Blackball, on September 24, 1934, and with attempting to murder Jean Kennedy Clark and Ethel Annie Bragg, on September 22. 1934. The witnesses were Raymond J. G. Collins, and Oscar Molier, retired engraver and signature cutter, of Wellington.

In reply to the Magistrate, the Inspector said that lie had five more witness to call. Detective-Sergeant Holmes would lie a very lengthy witness, he (the Inspector) having sixteen sheets of his evidence, while there were also seventeen sheets of accused’s statement to read. He thought that Detective-Sergeant Holmes’s evidence would take four hours, and unless the Court sat to-day, lie did not think the hearing could be concluded on Monday. The Magistrate said that the ordinary Court would probably take only an hour on Monday. 'However, they could make an early start to-morrow morning, and continue until 11.30 or 12 any way. In reply to the Magistrate, the Inspector said that Detective-Sergeant Knight’s evidence would probably take an hour, and that of Dr Grig", the Government Analyst, who would be he-ird on Monday, a rimi er time. Proceedings were adjourned until 9.30 o’clock this morning.