BRUTAL MURDER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21251, 3 August 1932, Page 8

BRUTAL MURDER

ANOTHER SYDNEY TRAGEDY || NEW ZEALAND WOMAN KILLED J body discovered in park -) [FROM OT7B OWN CORRESPONDENT] SYDNEY, Juiy 23 § Tragedies with grim features to puzzle jg the Sydney detectives follow each oth=r , in an amazing train, tho latest being the murder of a New Zealand woman, Hilda White, whose body was found on Wednesday morning beneath a tree in ; Centennial Park. After being brutally attacked she had been strangled with portion of her clothing. Miss White was described as a native of Auckland, and was 33 years of age. She arrived in Australia with her mother, si?ter and brother about' four and a-half years ago. She had enjoyed good health but some time ago she had been treated for eye trouble. Little is known of her general habits. The body was discovered by one of the park rangers. The woman was lying on her back, with her hands resting on tlh# grass behind a seat. A portico of her clothing was tucked up under her chin. This clothing was stained with blood which had seemingly flowed from her mouth, which was bruised and bleeding. A large bruise circled the woman's throat, and her face was blue, indicating that she had been strangled. Scene of the Discovery The Government medical officer expressed the opinion that death occurred between one o'clock and two o'clock in the morning. The upper lip had been , badly cut, and there wa s a large bruise over the left side of the lower jaw. The lower surface of the brain was also bruised and a small bone in the throat had been fractured. - sj The scene of the discovery was within 60 yards of the palm drive that goes through the park. There were bloodstains under a tree about 35 yards from the spot where the body was resting. However, there were no signs of any struggle at this point, lint there was the mark of / a shoe heel which corresponded with, the shoes worn by the dead woman. An" old, blood-stained garter was found on a seat near by. According to the detectives when Miss White left her home the previous night she did not say where she was going, and when she had not returned at 2 a.m. her mother became anxious and informed the police. It was while the police were organising a search for the woman that news came to headquarters that she had been fougd dead. Theory of the Police The police theory is that Miss White attended a picture show in the evening, and that when she was on her way home'., she was accosted. Most probably she was forcibly driven from Darlibghurst to the park gates, which are closed to vehicular traffic at 6 p.m. It is presumed that she was dragged along the drive, and that an attempt was made to assault her. When she struggled she was probably knocked insensible and then strangled. The police say they believe that the murderer became terrified as the result ' of his action, and that be untied'the clothing he had placed round the woman's neck and then placed it beneath her chin. The woman's hands and clothing were dirty, but the police think that this was due to her struggles with a man.