THE COLCHESTER MURDER

Mataura Ensign, Issue 842, 19 January 1901, Page 3

THE COLCHESTER MURDER

EVIDENCE OF ENGLISH WITNESSES. Sergeant Frost, of the Colchester police, and Marsh, keeper of the Colchester town hall, arrived at Wellington on Wednesday for the purpose of identifying, if possible, the man Lillywhite, now in custody on the theory that be is Blatch, the person charged with the Colchester murder. When the case was called on in the Magistrate's Court on Thursday Frost said he had known Blatch well and seen him when he was at Ccl-hester nearly every diy. Aeeu-ed resembled Blalcb very much, but witness could not positively say be was Blatch. The more witm ss looked at bim, tbe more he was convinced he was the suspected man. Later on in his examination he said he had formed the opinion that the man was Blatch. In en s= examination he said he could not rccogni'e Lillywhite's voic% as like Blatch's, and could not say that B'atch was marked with smallpox as accused was. He could not say positively that he was Blatch, but the more he looked at him the more convinced he wa?.

Marsh said he did not at first recognise the accused as Blatch, but since he had been in Court he had formed the opinion that he was. In cross examination he said Blatch had a place worn in his teeth from holding his pipe; he did not find the same peculiirity in the acru.-td. As neither of the witnesses had seen Blatch with a beard the accused consented to be shaved.

The prisoner went into the box and ga\e a histoiy of bis life on the lines of what he had previously stated. He produced letters from Ameiica ; a Crown grant for land in Tacoma that he had occupied before the date of the murder, and a certificate of membership of the Painters and Decorators' Brotherhood of North America. He again denied that he was the man wanted.

During the luncheon adjournment Lillywhite was shaved, and the two English witnesses afterwards stilted that after seeing him without a beard and hearing him give evidence, they were prepared to say that the prisoner was Blatch. Mr Bell, for the Crown stated that he would to-morrow apply to the Deputy-Gover-nor to have the warrant endorsed and during the day would apply to the S.M. for the prisoner's committal to tbe custody of the English officials.

The proceedings weie then adjourned till next morning.

The evidence by which the Colchester police sought to identify Lillywhile with Blatch was completed yesterday morning, and Mr Bel) asked fur extradition of accused.

Mr Skerrett raised technical objections as to the Knglii-h depositions which had been produced, and also maintained that the evidence of identification was unsatisfactory, and was answered by the documentary proof that the suspect was Lillywhitc and not Blalch.

The Magistrate decidi d to extradite Lillywhitc. pointing out that it would be better for himself to go Home and have his identity completely established than to be a marked man here, as he would be if released.