SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

Northern Advocate, 18 August 1919, Page 5

SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

OLD MAN WILL NOT SPEAK

IXQUEST ADJOURNED,

(Saecial to. * l A.dypoa.te.")

The first intimation of the affair was received at Bakar&ka at 9 o'clock (the same nig'lit, two hours after the probable time of the shooting. By private 'phone a message was despa tclied to Ohaeiavvai witli a request that Constable King m.ig".ht be informed. Some dejay occurred as fhe police only appear to. have received information next morning , , -when the constable left at once for Orom>a.hoe. Th? woman's body wtis foiind vvheve «lu> was shot, ftboi.it tljree feet p.utside the entranqe of the vhare, \Vhei'e tin? old couple lived, Lhimaeni had aoug-ht refuge with l the nearest native family about a quarter of ia-mile β-wiay. The body of the woman was removed to lvawakawa. and Dr. Green oaane out to attend Ihimaera, who was removed to the Eawakawa hospital.

The woman was Shot 'through, the heart and only one wound, though it is 'asserted, probably on statement of Ihimaera, thlatt two shots were fired at her. Ihimaera s'tiates it was tQQ dark to recognise tfye assaiiapt* but ■he thought he was la. eliprt th4ck-set inftn. He dropped a hint, also, tjiat if he >yere better he might be able Xq think who it was. Since he was received into hospital t|ie dpcfor ihjas postponed interrogations tJH i&a pondition hm improved, Last night the patient took a turn for the worse, and on operation was decided upon. It is believed he could supply a, clue if he would speak. The police were present before the operation uuid the patient was "warned as to ihis critica] condition, biit he refused tp divulge anything. ' The old roan r-ecoypFpcJ Sftt4s|ftPt9F" ily after the opemtioß, He was whfrt is known an raakutu and was much dreaded in the district by the natives -vvho \vt)uld go out of their Way to avoid encountering , Mni. It is thought possible thlat a feud existed between Mm land some unknown .niakutu who opposed sqmetiines renioyed spells. Twenty-four feet from fctye entrance to the hi?t sCTen cartridges pf ordinary 22 calibre,, were picked up by the police. These constitute the only clue present. • Following a possible theory i>etecr tive Sweeney and Ms ftssistaote spent the whole of yesterday investigating in Wairaate district where there is another settlement some six or seven miles distant from Oromahoe. The tent-whare where the old cou pie lived was quite concealed by titree except from ppppsite the en? tranpe, t}ie snot chosen by the assailOflii;. The wjiole place is isolated on a bieak iihleide, Senior-Sergt. Cassells has now join* ed Detective Sweeney in the investigations which are being conducted with thorough vigil&nce but the wihole matter is so wrapped abput with native superstititions that the task of securing inforjnatign is sjow a.nd 4|ffjeuit. it is th.at t^e wojna.a was shot by accident, being , mdataken for the man coming , out of the tent again. The seven cartridges suggest the possibility of a petvrifle or auto* matic, as a revolver would only eject six unless re-loaded.

Ihimaera as one migiht encounter him about the district, was rather a fearsome looking , type, with one fiery bloodshot eye, the otfyer, distorted $y disease, being , covered with a 'bandage. The common rumour at first was that ihimaera had shot the woman and then inflicted Ms own wounds, but Dr. Green states that the wounds could not be self-inflicted, The relations between the two were reputed to be quite friendly; and she \yas v woman much respected and liked in the settlement. The inquest was opened on SSutur? day at Kawakawa before Mr Hiall, J. P., and a. jury of six. Only formal evidence of identification was given by a sp.n of the murdered woman, George Tukimpana, wtho. said he last saw his mother alive on the Tuesday previous. The inquiry wae then adjourned to I Monday, 25th, at 10 a.m. The body of the woman was then removed on Saturday night by motor for burial at hhe Oromahoe native cemetery.