UNSOLVED MURDER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22465, 8 July 1936, Page 10

UNSOLVED MURDER

THE OROMAHOE CRIME

TWO MAORIS SHOT IN 1919 SCENE NEAR WAIHOU VALLEY j The prolonged investigation by the police concerning the murder of H r Ernest S. Nelson on his farm at Wathou Valley, North Auckland, on June 10, recalls a double murder myslery in the same district which has never been solved. On August 14, 1019, two elderly Maoris, a man and a woman, were shot at the door of their tent or whare at Oromahoe, near Pakaraka. A half-caste was arrested and sent by the Magistrato's Court for trial in the Supreme Court, where the grand jury, 011 the advice of the Judge, returned no bills the accused being discharged. Since then nothing further has been heard of the crimo. The victims were ihiinaera Takimoana, a man aged about 60, and his step-sister, Mereana Takimoana, aged about 70, who lived together on a lonely hillside, 400 yards from the nearest house in the native settlement Shot at Their Door About seven o'clock on a dark, wet evening, when the old couple iwere drinking tea prior to retiring for the night, heavy steps were heard approach-' ing their simple habitation. A voice called out "Kia Ora." lhimaera replied with the same greeting and, going to the entrance, invited the stranger to have a cup of tea. The figure in the dark immediately fired a shot at him, the bullet, of small calibre, striking him in the left arm.: The wounded man stepped back inside to get something with which to defend himself. The woman went to the entrance and she was shot dead, lhimaera returning received two more bullets and then, evidently, the murderer decamped. lhimaera made his way to the nearest house, where he received attention and was sent to the Kawakawa Hospital. Prior to his removal to the hospital he said that he had been unable to recognise his assailant, but hinted that if he were better he might be able to think of someone who would answer to his impression of voice and figure. An operation had to be performed on August 18. Before it was carried out the police interrogated lhimaera, but he declined to make a statement. JPhe following day death became imminent and he was again seen by the police. An Arrest Made The arrest was made that evening. Evidence was given in the lower Court that the male deceased had been regarded by many of the Maori people as a tohunga and some believed that deaths which had occurred during the influenza epidemic of 1918 had been due to a makutu influence he possessed. The empty shells of seven .22 bullets were found closely grouped on the ground about 24 feet from the entrance to the tent-whare and expert evidence suggested that the weapon used was a seven-chambered revolver. According tc a witness a firearm of the kind had been in the district. The following extracts from a statement put in by Senior-Sergeant C'assells at the lower Court hearing are interesting in view of the subsequent history of the case:— Speaking .on the evening of August 18 lhimaera said: "I feel very ill." In reply to the question: "Do you feel you are about to die?" he answered' "No, I will not die. I feel sad." Victim's Qualifications To the question "Who was it shot you?" the man replied, "I can't tell you until Hori Tuki comes." Later he said: "After shooting me the man went up the hill. He was a half-caste and he shot me with a pistol. He was a young man." Again, "I will tell Hori in the morning the name of the man who shot _ ) ) TUG, Asked ''Will you tell Constable Dempsey now as*you promised?" lhimaera said: "Yes, I will, but if when Hori comes it is wrong he must let me change it." "What is the name of the man?" asked the sergeant. "I think it was —." The surname given was that of the accused, but not the Christian name, though it began with the same letter. To this fact Mr. Singer, for the accused, drew attention. Further questioning about a man lhimaera had seen at a bridge when on his way to hospital convinced the police that the accused was the man indicated in spite of the difference in the Christian name. The accused, it was stated, admitted that he had been at the bridge on the day in question. No Bills Returned The case was on the list for the November (1919) sessions of the Supreme Court at Auckland. Addressing the grand jury, Mr. Justice Stringer said lie would take the responsibility of advising it to throw out the bill against the accused. The only thing that implicated the accused, he said, was the statement made bj T one of the victims of the occurrence, but, as that statement had not been made with the full knowledge of the deponent of his impending death, it was inadmissible. Even if.it were admissible it was extremely vague. The Judge commented upon the fact that lhimaera had said that if the name he had given was wrong he must change it when Hori came. The accused, concluded the Judge, should not,have been committed for trial on such evidence. The grand jury made a strange decision. It returned a true bill in relation to the shooting of lhimaera, but a no bill in relation to the killing of Mereana. The following day the grand jury changed the true bill to a no bill and the accused received his discharge, in making formal application for which Mr. Singer said it was only fair to the accused to state that he was prepared with an overwhelming defence to the charge. In view of the fact that the case collapsed as soo.i as it reached thfl Supreme Court, the Oromahoe double murder crime must be added to the list of those unsolved. By a strange coincidence, the murder now being investigated was committed in the Wai* hou Valley only a few miles from Oromahoe.'