Police Offer Reward In Auckland Murder Case

Northern Advocate, 24 May 1949, Page 4

Police Offer Reward In Auckland Murder Case

AUCKLAND, Tue. (Sp.).—The police are offering a reward of £SOO for material evidence leading to a conviction in the case of the murder of Mr Frederick Edney, dancing teacher, whose body was found in a bedroom adjoining his studio at 319 Queen Street, on Saturday night. The decision to offer a reward of £SOO was announced by the Minister in charge of the Police Department (Mr Fraser) last night. . He said that an indemnity against prosecution would be extended to any accomplice supplying the required information. If there was more than one claimant for the reward the amount would be apportioned by the Commissioner of Police (Mr J. Cummings). The offer remains in force until August 31.

Among the many people who came forward, with information yesterday was one of Mr Edney’s pupils, who said he was in the dead man's studio at 8 p.m. on Friday. As yet, this is the latest that Mr Edney is reported to have been seen alive.

Rarely has police organisation been on such a large scale. As in the case of the Rusden murder, the detective office has been reorganised to enable a squad of about nine men to devote all their time to the mystery. An unusual departure so early in a case was the arrival by air last night of reinforcements from the south. Senior-Detective W. R. Fell, who played a conspicuous part in solving the Rusden case has been placed in charge of investigations. The weapon used by the murderer has not been discovered. NOTE AND MONEY In reconstructing the crime some oolice officers believe that Mr Edney was attacked, possibly late Friday night, at the front door to the premises. which is at the foot of a steep flight of about two dozen steps. He staggered back up the stairs, to his studio and living quarters, -leaving a single trail of bloodstains on the lefthand side of the staircase close to the wall. This theory is supported by the absence of any signs of a struggle inside the building.

On the glass-topped table in the kitchen, the police found a note, believed to be in Mr Edney’s handwriting on which were scrawled the words: “For you, Bill.” The writing was in pencil and could be read only with difficulty. Beside the note was an envelope containing about £250 in banknotes. This, together with more money found by the police in other parts of the premises indicates that robbery was not the motive for the murder. MANY BLOODSTAINS A telephone stood on a wall bracket within easy reach of the table on which the note was found, but Mr Edney seemingly made no attempt to telephone the police or to summon medical help to attend the grievous wound in his head.

There was however, a single dab of blood on the cover of the telephone directory hanging on a hook on the wall between the table and the telephone. The drawers of the tallboy in the bed-room which were pulled out, giving the impression that they had been ransacked, were probably opened by Mr Edney in his search for private papers, which were also found on the table in the kitchen.

Some of these were stuck to the table-top, having been placed on blood which had dried.

There were also drops of blood on top of these papers. It appears that after writing the note, Mr Edney staggered to the bed on which he was found dead by two friends on Saturday evening. Before lying down he had placed a towel over the pillow. This had absorbed a lot of blood but the pillow-slip was also smothered in stains RINGING OF PHONE While detectives were painstakingly examining all the contents of the premises again yesterday afternoon, the telephone rang continuously but it was only answered when, as a re-> suit of pre arrangement, the detectives knew the calls were coming from the police station. An inquest into Mr Edney’s death was opened by the coroner (Mr A. Addison) yesterday. Evidence of identification was given by Mr William Jeffrey Adams, caterer, single, one of the two men who found the body when they called to go to the pictures with Mr Edney on Saturday night. The witness said that deceased was in his normal health and spirits when witness last saw him alive at the studio at 6.25 p.m. on Friday. The inquest was adjourned sine die.