TROTTER MURDER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8329, 15 January 1913, Page 7

TROTTER MURDER

LABOURER ARRESTED THE DETECTIVES’ THEORY. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received January 14, 9-35 p.m.) MELBOURNE, January 14. Of tho two persons implicated in the Trotter murder, one was of small physique, and did not speak during the tragedy. . . ~ Tno detectives are working on the theory that the smaller of the two was a woman well acquainted with the Trotters and their movements, and that she did not speak for fear of her voice betraying her later. A labourer named Harold Thompson has been arrested and formally charged with the murder of Trotter. Tho police were shadowing him for days, and eventually surrounded his house. Thompson denies tho charge. Two burglars entered the bedroom of Mr Trotter, tho chief collector for MaoUobort and Sons, confectioners, on January 7th, and shot Mr Trotter in the presence of his wife and child. They then secured over £2OO and escaped. Mrs Trotter told a sensational story. She said that her husband, she, and a fivo-yoar-old child were awakened at 2 o’clock in the morning by the flash of an electric light. She then saw two masked men covering them with revolvers and heard them 'demanding money. Trotter declared that he had none. The men replied that they know ho had, and threatened to shoot him, telling his wife that she would not be hurt, and that they only wanted money. She thought it was only a joke, and told her husband that the men were playing a" game. Trotter reiterated that tho only money he had belonged to his employers, if© then jumped out of bed and struck and struggled with one of the robbers. Tbs second robber placed a revolver at Trotter’s head and fired. He then went and turned up tho mattress where the money was Usually kept, and took a bag containing .£BB in cash and £llß in cheques, Trotter’s takings of the previous day. They entered by forcing the window, and they propped the doors open to make their escape easy. They then fled. The robbers were apparently well acquainted with Trotter’s habits, and chose a day when his takings were unusually heavy. They knew where ho kept hie money and tho position of tho electric light. Trotter had a frightful wound on the forehead and died in three hours. On January 13th it was reported that the burglar who removed the money from under the mattress did not speak once during the commission of the crime. It was supposed that this porsou was a woman.