ALLEGED MURDER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 228, 26 August 1932, Page 5

ALLEGED MURDER.

HEARING OF CHARGE AT BLENHEIM.

Per Press Association

BLENHEIM, Aug. 25. Further evidence of the alleged negotiations of £lO and £2O banknotes by accused was given by witnesses at to-day's Police Court hearing of the charge of murder against Edward Tarrant. Detective Jarrold gave lengthy evidence, in which lie outlined various statements made to him by accused, and also accused’s account of hiß movements on the night of the alleged murder. Tarrant is charged with murdering James Flood, an old man, at Picton, on the night of November 3. Mr T. E. Maunsell, S.M., is presiding. It was proposed by Dr. Lynch, pathologist, to exhibit the skull of deceased in Court, but counsel for the prosecution objected to the exhibition at that stage. The difficulty was got over by counsel and the Magistrate examining the skull in chambers. Clifford McKay, a mercer, of Blenheim. said accused bought goods valued at los, tendering £lO in payment. Witness said he remarked to accused, “There are not many of those notes about,” and accused replied: “There are still one or two about.” Some days later accused aguin called at witness’s shop, and purchased goods, again tendering a £lo note. Un a third occasion he tendered a £lO note. All the notes were stained, bearing rusty brown marks. Sergeant Petersen detailed the steps taken by tho police to obtain possession of notes cashed by accused. Some of tho notes were very soft and damp. Tho signatures on two had yuite disappeared, and on others they were nearly gone. The notes appeared to bo mildewed.

Constables McKay and Healey gave !evidence as to obtaining from a numiber of tradesmen £2O and £lO notes cashed by accused. Detective Jarrold said he interviewed accused regarding money transactions he had with deceased, also accused’s movements on the night of November 3 last. Accused said he had clear recollections of that night. He then made a statement, saying that he used to tether his liorso in deceased’s section, but was not near deceased’s house on the night of November 3. He spent the evening grazing his horse, and about 0 o’clock returned home with his two sons. Detective Jarrold said he again interviewed accused and told him that people whom ho stated he met on the night of November 3 had denied having met him. Accused stated that Mr Blizzard’s statement that lie called on him (accused) to

demand payment of rent on tho night of November 2 was untrue. Witness asked accused why ho did not pay Mr Blizzard tho rent from the £3O borrowed from deceased. Accused, he said, began to tromblo and was very excited. He said he didn’t want Mr Blizzard to know that ho borrowed money from Flood. Accused, witness added, made a further statement reiterating that his former statement in connection with bis movements on the night of November 3 was correct. Witness told accused that he had a search warrant to search his house and grounds for monev, papers and a. wallet, Accused said lie had no objection, A sum of a littlo over £1 in silver and copper was all the money in tho house. In the backyard, said Detective Jarrold, accused demonstrated his skill in splitting a block of wood with one blow with an axe, Ho did this in a left-hnnded manner, and said he could split a Oft. length just as easily. The axe had a very sharp edge, Accused said it was the only axe lie had, except an old ono with a broken handle. After the arrest of accused, witness took possession of the axe. It had a different handle to what it had on December 3, and its edge was now blunt.

On June 18 witness and Rub-Tnspec-tor Ward interviewed accused in the Blenheim Police Station. The subinspector said it liad come to the department’s notico that accused had

been cashing £lO and £2O notes. He was asked for an explanation. Accused said he spent the notes at various shops mentioned. Accused was shown some notes and asked to pick out tho notes he had cashed. He picked out some stained ones. Asked where ho laid obtained them, accused said ho had been saving them for years. He said he got the notes when money had been paid to him by various firms, Accused accounted for the stains by saying lie bad kept the notes in a chocolate box hidden under the kitchen floor, and probably they got damp. At this stage witness was feeling the strain of two hours in the box, and lie was allowed to stand down till the morning. Tho court adjourned at 10 p.m.