SHOOTING OF CYCLIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21029, 13 November 1931, Page 10

SHOOTING OF CYCLIST.

iMURDEE ALLEGATION. CASE AGAINST DECKE. PURCHASE OF A RIFLE. ACCUSED'S MOVEMENTS. NIGHT OF THE TRAGEDY. / [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PALMERSTON NORTH. Thursday. The hearing of evidence in the case fn which Norman "Robert Decke, farm hand, aged 19, of Fitzherbert West, is charged with murdering Edwin John Blakeway at Karere on August 23 <vas continued in (ho Magistrate's Court before Mr. J. L. Stout, P.M., to-day. Blakewav, a clerk in the Railways Department, was shot while cycling to his home.in Palmerston North. Norman Peter Hansen, a salesman, said lie sold' a rifle to the accused on July 18. Tt. was a second-hand .22 calibre Walther automatic rifle. Accused also bought two packets of cartridges, probably Nobel's; that day. Accused called on July 27 with reference to tho rifle and complained that the firing pin was broken. A new firing pin was ordered from Wellington. Later the same day Decke was in the shop and two packets of .22 long rifle cartridges were sold that afternoon. Henry William Smith, a farm hand employed at McKenzie Settlement since the middle of June, said ho previously worked for Saunders at Fitzherbert West, where he met . the accused. They occupied the same room. "Decke owned a motor-cycle, the same machine as the one he had been lately using. "An Exciting Time." Witness added that at 7.30 p.m. on August 23 Decke rang him up at McKenzie Settlement and said he was cominc over. Accused arrived at 8.30 / p.m. and said he had had a spill. The Crown Solicitor: What time did Decke leave ? Witness: At 10.30 p.m. The Crown Solicitor: Were his tyres all right ? Witness: Yes; he felt them. The Crown Solicitor: You did not see him reach No. 4 Line then ? You don't know which way he went ? Witness: No. Witness said he rang up Decke on the following day (Monday) to ask him if he was going to the pictures. Decke said he was too tired, as lie did not reach home until midnight the night before. Witness said that five minutes after Decke left on his motor-cycle on Sunday night a car from the opposite side of the road left. The Grown Solicitor: Why did you meet Decke on September 26 in town ? Witness: We arranged to. Witness added that Decke said he had been having an exciting time. He had a puncture coming home on August 23. Return Alter Midnight. The Crown Solicitor: Did you know Decke had a rifle ? Witness: Yes. The Crown Solicitor: Did he say anything about a rifle when you met him in town later'!

Witness: No, but Decke said the shells /lie used were the same as those used down at Karere.

Jens Enevoldsen, a farm hand, cmployed at Linton, said that on Sunday, August 23, he visited Miss Reid, who worked at Saunders' place. Decke went out that night about 8.30. Witness went into the garage and sat in the back of Saunders' car with Miss Reid. Witness did not know how long after midnight Deckc came up the drive with his motor-cycle, but witness could not hear the engine running. Decke look the machine to the %vood shed. The Crown Solicitor: Did he remain there any time ? Did you hear him doing anything there ?

"Witness: It sounded as if he dropped something. The accused then went into the tool shed adjoining the garage and a light went on. The Crown Solicitor: Could you and Miss Reid see him ? Witness: We did not look, but it would be possible to see him there; the wall was rough-lining with cracks between the boards. The Crown Solicitor: Did Decke make any noise ? Witness: He made a tapping sound on the concrete for a few seconds. Objection to Question. The Crown Solicitor asked if the tapping sound in the shed was consistent with the cleaning of a rifle, but objection by counsellor the accused to that form of question was upheld. Witness said on October 4 Decke spoko to him in the cowshed and said: " You wait until they get you at the inquest. What were you doing in the car?" Witness said: "I won't be there." Decke replied: " I will see they get you there." Louisa Prances Reid, domestic servant, gave similar evidence. James Arthur Sharman, a farm hand employed by Saunders, said Decke occupied a whare with him. Accused told witness the brand of cartridges which had been used at the murder, saying, " They were Westerns." Accused told witness he was under the impression cartridges had been fired out of his rifle. Decke never mentioned Miss Meehan. Police Take Rifie. The police came out on August 24 and took the rifle from the tool shed. They did not get the cleaning rod, which was hanging in a cupboard in the whare. Decke did not know they had not taken the rod until a few days later. When referring to it, he said: "Here's something they missed." Decke pulled the rag off the cleaning rod and threw it in the fire, saying: "That is a bit of evidence they won't get." Decke often used to talk of the murder after that. When a car went past he would say as a joke that the police were coming to arrest him.

Frank Valentine Goode, a farm hand ■employed by Harrison at Fitzherbert West, said he knew the accused. (.in

Sunday, August 16, witness was at a whare where they were firing out of » rifle, which they afterwards discussed.

Witness asked the accused the firing ring of tho rifle. Accused said: "I don't know. I have never shot anything with it." He then aske,d witness if it would kill a man. Witness said it would if close enough.

On another occasion accused told witness that the police had shown him a letter, staling that shots had been fired out of Decke's rifle. Witness one day mentioned to the accused that the police were searching for cartridges in front of tho whare. Decke said it was a pity they did not look at the back, as lie had been firing through tho whare window one night, in tho dark. (hie day lie was on tlie pillion of accused's motorcycle. As they were going through Awahuri they passed some racing cyclists. Witness said, "Here they come." Decke replied, "Blakewav, one of those silly ccws." Accused told witness he had heard that Miss Reid told the police she had seen him cleaning his rifle when he came home on the night of the. murder. Witness said: "Surely you did not clean your riflo at that tiice of the night?" Decke replied: "I might have done and I might not, but I don't think so." Decke mentioned that he had sat in the garage, and found lie could see anyone in the tool-shed, but not what they were doing. Three weeks ago Decke said that if the in(|ucst went all right for him he would see if she would marry him. If not, he would go home to England. Accused told witness that Blakewav had no money, as tho Meelian family had playfully gone through his pockets. Accused said he heard tho Meehans wero going to Australia, and he might bo going soon, too. Decke told witness that Blakeway was not playing the game, as he had a girl in Wellington. Something Thrown in Fire. Decke said they were Western cartridges which had been found at the scene of the murder, and if the police found any of those cartridges round the wharo or ascertained that he had bought them at any time he would be "done for." Witness said he was in the whare one night when Decke opened a box and threw something in the fire, remarking, "There is some more evidence the police won't get." Witness fancied it was an envelope. Arthur William Trevana, a farm hand, said ho was formerly employed by Saunders for a short period after September 22 last, during which time he occupied a whare with Decke, who one night asked him to go to the tool-shed to lift up a piece of wood to see if he and Sharman could see from the other side of the wall what witness was doing. Discussion About Murder. Ronald Leslie Meehan, a farm hand, aged 17, residing with his parents at Knrere, said lie saw Decke at the house last May, talking to his sister Betty. He heard Decke say, "I'll stop Blakeway from marrying you." Witness was at Weddel's place with his brother on Sunday night, August 2,3. They left there about 10.30 on their cycles to ride the two miles home. Blakeway and witness' sister were at the gate. Witness went into tho house about 31.5, and his sister came in ten minutes later. On Sunday, October 18, witness was at the Karere railway station with others when Decko came up with Sharman on tho pillion. Decke spoke to them all and talked about the Karere murder all tho time. Ho asked witness if the police had found things on the road. He said he knew they had been digging. Decke said the police "fell in" over his rifle. Accused said that if he were not "shot in and hung" he would be leaving the country soori for England. Accused Makes Statement. Detective Russell said he told accused on August 24 that he wanted a detailed account of Decke's movements on the previous night. Accused made a statement, which he signed. On August 29, in addition to two bullets, witnets handed to Dr. Hector two empty Western cartridge shells. On August 31 witness handed to the Dominion analyst two pieces of rag which had been used for cleaning a rifle.

Detective Russell read a statement made by accused to the effect that he visited Henry Smith on the evening of August 23 and left at 10.30 p.m., arriving home at midnight after having a puncture, which took him half an hour to mend. He knew Blakeway, but it was three months since he had seen him. He supposed the police knew Blakeway was going with Miss Meehan. That was principally why accused went to Otaki to see him. Accused said he was afraid he did make some threats against Blakeway, but only in the heat of the moment. Proceeding, Detective Russell said numerous cartridges had been handed to Dr. Hector, of Wellington, for examination, and many tests had been made. All the .22 Walther rifles within a hundred miles of Pahnerston North had been tested, and the discharged shells sent to Dr. Hector. Discovery of Bullets. Detective Barling said that when the accused's whare was searched there was no sign of the cleaning rod later found in a cupboard behind I lie door of the tool-shed. Detective Barling found accused's .22 Walther rifle slung loosely on a rail. It was not dusty, although other articles were. The rifle, when examined, bore no finger-prints and appeared to have been rubbed over with something. An examination of accused's motor-cycle disclosed a patch on the front tube, which showed signs of application not more than a month ago. Detective Barling said that on October 24 accused rode past where (he police were engaged in sieving soil at Karere, and remained watching them keenly for a few minutes. Witness found a .22 goldcoated bullet when sieving the side, of the road. No Western or Lubralvv ammunition was found at accused's place. Detective Power, of Dunedin, 6tated that when sieving where the body was found he discovered a spent Lubralvy bui'let on October 24. No Reply when Charged. Detective-Sergeant Doyle, of Auckland, said he was present when Inspector Cummings asked the accused if he had ever had a row with Blakeway over Miss .Meehan or any other matter. Accused said: " No, not what you would call a row. I know if 1 had a row with Blakeway and lie was accidentally shot when I was defending myself, I would be excused, but how can the four bullets found in his body be explained ?" Inspector Cummings had informed the accused that experts had no doubt that the shells were fired from accused's rifle. Decke replied: "Is that so? 1) my rifle was used to kill Blakeway it would look as if I was there." Detective-Sergeant Doyle said that when the accused was charged with the crime he made no reply. George Rycrofl, a gunsmith, detailed tests made with the gun to ascertain the markings of tho .22 cartridges. They were hardly similar to those of the shell's brought, by the detective, but only a superficial examination was made.

When tiip Court, adjourned six expert witnesses remained to he heard. The case is expected to occupy another fulj day.