STILL UNSOLVED

Manawatu Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12910, 6 October 1914, Page 2

STILL UNSOLVED

THE AUCKLAND MYSTERY. POLICE ACTIVITY BAFFLED. There has yet been no arrest made in connection with the murder of the woman Frances Marshall, whose body was found in an alley off Nelson street, Auckland, on Tuesday morning, bearing shocking knifewounds on head, throat, and breasts. >The universal theory that the murder was the work of a homicidal madman (says the Star) justified the natural conclusion at the outset lhr.it a person whose mental state was such as to induce an atrocious act of the sort would be strange in his general demeanour, and thus attract public 'attention and bring about an early arrest. Acting on this supposition the detectives have made widespread inquiries, and followed up numerous reports concerning peculiar people, but have so far had their labour in vain. One difficulty is that the murder occurred, so far as indications can yet be read, shortly after 10 p.m. on Monday, and it so happened that a large church gathering took place that night not far from the place and dispersed about that time, with the result that bypassers in the neighbourhood at that time might easily have passed unnoticed in the crowd. This sleuthing line of detection having failed, the police are left with one of the most baffling tasks that beset the way of the detective —a murder without any apparent motive. Consequently, while still depending on jthe public and the outside police organisation, they have to redouble their energies in research work which will bring the place- circumstances, evidence collected on the spot, and recent history of the obtainable persons more closely connected with the matter all under the lens and probe in o r der that no probability may rfcfliain tihtested xii the process of elimination. Of course, preparations in this direction have been slower here than in. America, where the spectacular methods of arresting everyone in sight right away, and making each eliminate himself by evidence prevails. That method is repugnant to public policy in British communities, though it is an easy way of enabling the police to prove there is "something doing" all the time. Two outside reports, which appeared to eontain the possibility of a clue, were investigated, but led to nothing, and other reports are being inquired into this afternoon.