ORARI TRAGEDY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8738, 21 May 1914, Page 3

ORARI TRAGEDY

CHARGE OF MURDER CRIPPS COMMITTED TOR TRIAL. Press Association. TIAIARU, May 20. Harry Cripps, single, aged twentyseven, was charged at the Magistrate’s Court, Geraldine, before .Mr G. V. Day, S.M., with tiio wilful murder of Adam Stevenson, aged sixtynine. Inspector Dwyer prosecuted, and Mr IV. G. Campbell appeared lor tho accused. Mrs Millard stated that she had lived with the deceased for fourteen years. Ho usually camo homo Irom Lis work on Saturday nights, but failed to return, on April 25th, so she sent her boy on Sunday to soo why. The boy was told ho had gone homo on Saturday. She told the police the same day. Tho two men were working on a farm belonging to Mr A. IV. JCelman, living and cooking for themselves in a travelling galloy. Constable O’Grady said he questioned Cripps, who asserted to him that Stevenson left for home on Saturday evening as usual. O’Grady organised a search, and next morning took Cripps with him, quite near where the body was afterwards found. They mot Detective Fahey, to whom the accused made a fairly long statement regarding Stevenson’s leaving and his own doings—proved by later discoveries to bo inventions except that a few words related to a difference with Stevenson, as follows; —“On Saturday afternoon wo had a growl. It was nothing. Adam told mo to turn tho horses out if I would not work. He lifted his hand to mo, but did not iliit mo. Ho had never lifted his hand to me before.”

Evidence was given that Cripps had tried to get other employment, because he and Stevenson did not get on well together, and that the latter had complained to their employer about Cripps’s inefficiency. Tho body was found covered with a rug and soaked. A sack wa,s drawn over the head and tied round tho neck. On tho head were five wounds- apparently mado with a blunt blade, such as a shorthandled gorseknifo found in the galley. The police case indicates that Stevenson was killed just outside the galley in tho evening, that tho body was placed in a dray,, and after dark carted a mile and a half,, and deposited among some gorso in the river bed. When this was first searched the river was high and over tho body. A neighbour called at the galley after dark on Saturday, and saw a horse in a dray close to the galley. He spoke to Cripps about Stevenson, but got no reply. An action which this witness took slight notice of was that Cripps shut the galley door, out of which light was streaming, but not towards the dray. The witness saw something behind the dray, but took it to ho firewood, and Cripps said he had been for some. (Constable O’Grady stated that there was no lircwood to speak of there). After the body was found and Cripps told ol it by Constable O’Grady. he> said nothmg. but staggered and fell. The police case concluded by putting in a confession by Cripps to Detective Fahey on tho evening of the 30th, as follows: ■ “I-am sorry I didn’t-tell you on Tuesday. I was kneeling down chopping sticks, when Adam hit me with a crowbar over the shoulder. I hit him with a stick on the head. I .washed his face, and w T as going to take him down to you fellows. I got frightened and carted him to the riverbed.” Constable O’Grady, recalled by the Magistrate, said the dead man’s face was clean, and had no blood on it when tho body was found. Cripps was committed' for trial at the next session of tho Supreme Court in Timaru on Juno 9th.