A BRUTAL MURDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15664, 18 July 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

A BRUTAL MURDER.

THIEF'S FATAL BLOW. A bhutal murder was perpetrated in broad daylight at Hull on a recent Saturday morning, the victim being David Ombler, aged 72, who had a greengrocer's shop in West Parade. Ombler, whoso wife died two years ago, visited the early soft fruit market and returned about seven o'clock, when he spoke to a neighbour and took down tho shutters. About three-quarters of an hour later Mrs. Harrison, who lives near, and who cleans for him, entered the shop and discovered Mr. Ombler lying on the floor of the kitchen behind the shop with his head battered in. He still breathed, but died soon after admission to the infirmary. It was reputed that Mr. Ombler, who is the brother of a city councillor, was a wealthy mail, and it was known that he ' carried a bag of gold about with him; 1 everything in fact points to robbery, as the motive of the crime. The only clue seems to be the statements of several neighbours, Who have reported to the police that they had seen a man with a ! speckled muffler prowling about. A boy, I Thomas Pinder, says that he saw the'man three times on the previous day. Once! ho peered through the shop window and i then passed up the street. Mrs. Feet- 1 ham, a neighbour, states that she saw a < white-faced young man leave the shop hurriedly at 7.30 on Saturday morning,' and immediately after he ran down tho street, somoono said " Old Ombler has been murdered." A young woman, Ethel Dibnah, also saw the man, whom she says was about 30 years of age, and wore a speckled muffler. T. Foster, a coalhoaver, states that he saw a man come into the snug of a public house near \ about 7.30, who seemed agitated, and was of a similar description. All Saturday tho whole of the detectives of the port were searching for the man described. The room where the murder was committed showed signs of a struggle having taken place, and apparently the old man made a plucky but futile resistance. It is surmised that whilst he was out the perpetrator entered the premises, and was caught by the old man on his return, and that in order to escape the thief tho fatal blows.