THE TIMARU MURDER.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1734, 9 February 1921, Page 5

THE TIMARU MURDER.

MATTHEWS ON TRIAL. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. At the Supremo Court, before Mr Justice Herdman, Reginald Matthews, alias' E. Irving, was charged with the murder of Clarence Edward Wagstaffe at Timaru on October 27 last. Mr Donnelly, in outlining the facts, said that Clarence Edward Wagstai'ie was 19 years of age and resided with his parents at Seaview Road, Timaru. On the night of the murder the deceased Wagstaffe and a youth named Knapp had been to the pictures. They returned about 11 p.m. and went to sleep in a summer house close to the dwellinghousc. Their attention was attracted by a prowler in the garden. They gave chase to this individual, who turned and fired three shots, one of them killing Wagstaffe. The evidence that would be led could- be classified under the four headings: (1) movements of the prisoner between Octobed 5 and 27, prior to the commiss'ion of the offence; (2) the commission of the offence itself; (3) movements of the prisoner subsequent to the murder and up to the time of his arrest; (4) certain real and documentary evidence intended to connect the prisoner with the crime. Mr Donnelly produced photographs of the scone of the crime. On the scene of the murder three empty cartridge cases had been found, which it would be shown had been fired by the murderer, in addition to a parcels post counterfoil with the address, "Mrs C. Hall, White House, Taihape, North Island." Mrs Hall was prisoner's mother. There were two impressions by a rubber stamp on the back of this counterfoil which read: "Young Brown, bantam and featherweight champion of California, 1917," and also "Young Brown, retired bantam and feather-weight champion of California, 1917-18, born Invercargill, New Zealand." When the accused was arrested he resisted the police, wounding a constable. His revolver was of a calibre similar to that which was used to shoot Wagstaffe, and the cartridge cases corresponded with those found in Wagstaffe's garden, impressions by a rubber stamp similar to those found on the back of the counterfoil were- found on the accused. In his belongings a rubber stamp outfit was found and also some articles alleged to have been taken from an unoccupied house in the neighbourhood of Wagstaffe's, whero the accused was claimed to have resided without permission from the owner. In this house were found several rubber stamp impressions identical in their wording with those described. Experiments by a gunsmith showed that the automatic revolver taken from the prisoner made the same Impression on cartridges as those found near the scene of the murder. The movements of tho prisoner Had been traced to within three hours of the commission of the crime. Several witnesses gave corroborative evidence. The case is proceeding.