THE PUKEKAWA MURDER.

Mt Benger Mail, 15 September 1920, Page 3

THE PUKEKAWA MURDER.

AN ARREST MADE. WHAT THE INQUIRIES REVEALED. Auckland. Septembe| 12. The arrest was affected 011 Saturday afternoon at Tuakau of a farm labourcs named Samuel John Thorn 011 a charge of murdering Sydney Seymour Eyre at Pukekawa 011 the night of August -4. Thorn was conveyed to Auckland in custody ou Saturday evening, and will be brought up at the Police Court tomorrow morning. The arrested man is 33 years of ago. He is a married man, but has for some time been living apart from his wife and family of six children. While Eyre was on active service from over two years Thorn managed the farm for Mrs Eyre. In July, Eyre having returned, Thorn went to work at Glenmurray, which is IS miles from the Eyre homestead. He had been working there for about six weeks when the murder was committed, and during that period he had paid three visits to Eyre's. A double-barrelled shotgun and some ammunition were found in Thorn's Whare, and these have been submitted to an expert, whose report is in the hands of the police.

It is understood that the authorities are satisfied that only one shot was fired, and that a special kind of cartridge was used. Some of the pellets found in the murdered man's room are in the possession of the police.

It is further understood that the police investigations established three points:—-(1) That the murder was not committed for robbery; (2) that•<ho perpetrator must have been acquainted with the house and the surroundings ; and (3) that the shot was fired from outside the house..