STILL UNSOLVED

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11663, 30 October 1923, Page 5

STILL UNSOLVED

MR OATES RECOVERING

POLICE RE INF ORCEP

Pfr Fres-s s=.«dl U<ift. WANG AN ITT. October 29

Tlio Aramoho murder is still unsolved Tho police, who.liavq the ivoi‘l; in hand, have been further enforced by ChiefDetective Cunnuing. of Auckland, and Detective-Sergeant Quirkc, of PalmerKtpn North. iyUo arrived to-day. Tho combined j>o\ice farces have had a strenuous time. A number of likely elpes have been pursued, and in the majority of ca-see dropped as the outcome of searching inquiries. In a word tlmre is ripthing fresh to report. Mr Oates is still in the district hospital. slowly recovering from lus painful injuries. One arm is still much swollen and bruised, but it is the arm that shielded his head and undoubtedly his life.

A reward pf £250 for information leading to the arrest of the murderer is announced tonight. Tho Skye terrier-, which was injured by the murderer, has diod.

AGGITIONAL DETAILS

SCENE OF 'THE MURDER

My Oates’s residence is on Somme Parade nearly half a e 9-'b<>ve the railway bridge, in the midst of a quiet and picturesque residential l-nality with the river in the foreground. Tho house is surrounded by a good many shrubs and ornamental trees v. ith a lawn and: Kitchen flpM'den ut the back On. the lower side of the section there is a belt of high pin« treof. These facts are of interest to was plenty of cover to screen the movements of any miscreant.

'The iT.ui-dfier was evidently well acquainted with the movements of Mr Oates and his wife, and cv-iso chose the opportunity when t-hys. residents in the house next > whuh is close at Hand, were absent. 0n Saturday, the pplioe wyre able to a detailed search, and some definite couclusio.ns were arrived at. When Mrs. Oates was attacked sho was in a. kitchen. She bad prepared some supper, and was evidently hitting with ! hci bgck tq tho kitchen door looking at a newspaper wl\ilo waiting (or her husband to return home from the store. Tho murderer probably quietly entered , tho kitchen door, and, with an iron bar, or sonic similar blunt weapon, literally her brains out. Blood iuarkp wepe freely distributed about the kitchen, p.nd ‘there were pools of Wood— Qne with, tiome human brain in it—in the passage leading to one of the bedrooms To this point the unfortunate woman had been dragged, and then, with a towel wrapped round li'er head, cast on the fioor. A Utflo Sl>ye a special pet of Mrs Qa(es’s. was Mso there in a dazed state when the police arrived. It had bean faithful to the end, and the mmdercr had silenced th© little companion with a blow on the head, as a gaping wound disclosed.

It appear to have been the decision of tho inurdercr to hide anything that woqld have given Mr Oates a warning that something was wrong. As was* the unfortunato man walked into the deadly trap that was sot. Air Oates followed nis usual plan of walking round the house to place his bicycle on the back verandah, and then, as lie stepped to the kitchen door to open it. tho murderer, standing in the ■dark near t-Uu vho washhouse, struck him down preparatory to seizing the qioney decamping. ACTIVITY OF THE rOUCE.

As soon as U\© pf the tragedy was known the police’ rose to the occasion in a praiseworthy manner and commenced, to diligently pursue anything in tiie nature of a clue. Superintendent Fonhy was in touch with headquarters in Wellington as quickly as possible, and as a result SeniorSergeant Dinnie, fingerprint expert, in company with Chief-Detective Kemp *ind Detective Walsh, were roiisod out of their beds, and were soon racing for Wanganui in a higli-i>owercd car. Li. faoV th«\ Wellington officers, despite a rough trip in the rain over the Pnckakariki 11 illT were on the job in Wanganui before nearby Aramoho residents were aware that anything of a sensational nature had occurred. With this reinforcement the local police set out on whqi appears at the moment a very difficult task. Air 'lHunk* diligently applied himself tg his intrii ate wn-k. which consists of painting with

brush and powder all surfaces likely to have finger marks, preparatory to minutely examining them with a magnifying glass. There is bound to be plenty or fingerprints in every house, although to the layman, invisible. Tire great tank is to sort them out, and seek for the prints that in this instance may bring a callous murderer to jusNQ TRACE OF WEAPON. The police carefully searched tfio grounds in an endeavour to find, weapon that was used, or evidence that would help them. There was no sign of a weapon, and it ia probable that the murderer took it away with him, possibly casting it. into the river. In the hours of daylight, it was difficult, apart from the terrible evidence inside the house, to believe that in the dark hours of the previous night, such an awful happening had occurred. In the kitchen a canary in its cage was trilling ite morning song, and out On the back Unvu the ‘brave little Skye terrier lay nursing his injuries. Thoic was a goad deal of morbid curiosity omdkfc jwtrfc df the public, who visited the locality in numbers, but from outside tho gate the only iinpresMyU to hf gained, was a suburban residence. with particularly neat surroundings. FUNERAL OF MRS OATES. Tim funeral pf tho late Mrs Gate* took at Rglmers-ton North. She wae 32 yoara of age, - and a daughter of Mr and Mrs Henry, of that town, tier ' demise under such tragic circumstances will be mourned by many, as slip lu\d a. host of friends in V anganui. particularly at Arahomo. Mr Gatos is about 3S years of age, and one of the best known crinketea's in Wanganui. Out pf respect to him the Wanganui Cricket. Association on Saturday postponed all matches, and both the association and the United Cluo. of which he is the enrrtain, forwarded wreaths to Palmerston North. Mr Oat"? is of good athletic build, but attacked from behind, as' he was cn Friday night, lie had no chance. At one time lie v,;n« steward at the M anganui Hospital', • and left there to take over the ..-tore at Ayaiyipho. HOUSE®. The neighbours of Mr Oates were j Ah* Dobbins. on the town aido, and-Air Popper, a well-known builder, on the other iiido. Mr Pepper, in’ conversation with 3 ‘‘Chronicle” representative, said that Mr and Mrs Oates wore his next door neighbours far about two years, and during the whole of that period last Friday night was the only ’occasion his houte was without someone in tenancy. A 3 ins home is close to Air Oates's hump, anyone would Hit VP heard the struggle or perhaps heard the dog harking. Air Dobbins's houise would be too far a wav to hear any disturbance. A (stronger and perhaps more important factor that assisted the murderer in his mission is that, the kitchen light from Air Pepper’s house throws a clear and distinct beam right aeroesi to tfie door of Mr Oateses kitchen. This fact has often been commented upon by the parties at Mr Pep-’ per gratuitously lighting up Mr Oates's yard. Vet on this occasion darkness was an pitted advantage in perpetrating the- horrible deed. Upon Mr Pepper and family returning' from town and filtering by his. back door, the switching oh of the electric light revealed the pool of blood that had flowed frorp his neighbour’s wounds when trying to get help. Mr Popper telephoned for Airs Oates’s mother. Mrs Henry, of Palmerston North, and tho latter lady, aceomnamed by another daughter, also a Aim Oates, went by car to Wanganui. PREVIOUS MURDER RECALLED'. A little ever a year ago—Juo? flOih of iast, year—Chow Vat 3 an elderly Chinaman, was rpm/dcred at hong Anv,. Ip that case t(ic Chi^awiM l v'afi shot at a. hut where lye lived alone, a-nrl pursued along ihe road and finally fa-tally shot A mysteiipus feature wad the shilling of tho body for fully half a mile, along; tho road. 'Hie murderer was nyvey prought to justice, and all the long search that the police made proved (“niit-lfis. The Uoiyg Aevc tragedy.has tluec points iyi common. In all instances robbery was the motive, a wet piglit marked the erimo, and the murderer had exact knowledge of the movements of his victims, a knowledge that could only be- acquired by frequenting a locality. Another brutal murder has created a very uneasy feeling that Wanganui may harbour a. desperate criminal, and if be is speodijjy brought U> book there will bo a feeling of general relief. WHY NUT PUOODHOUNm? The police work in the present case* has been udmiiablo. in that every nerve was strained from the outset to F.olye the (says tho ‘‘Chronicle’ 1 ). Through tire prompt step® that Superintendent Foully took, Air Din- ; nio, with two oflicors to assist him were through to Wanganui in a few hours. Detective-Sergeant 0. Cameron, who was officially visiting Wanganui, and had previously been assn* hinted wiLli the search for the Long Aero murderer, was on the spot to assist the local force, while DetortheScrgcant Gourlay, who was absent on police business at Taihapc, was recalled Immediately. It is not a dispai aging thing to say that oven tho host hmjns ol the police force have their limitations, and the point is now pertinent!v raised, as it was at the time of the Dong Acre murder, why the use ol . bloodhounds should not he available. ! and why dogs of the breed should not i !>e at hand for special work. It- is : povsiblo that in such iustanus tho » bloodhound wit h its ex traordinar v powers of following tho faintest u’f , trails, would succeed where the human I mind fails. i -MR GATES'S CONDITION. ! Mr Oates its still an inmate of tlie

district* hospital, and is progressing favourably, it transpires, that tho first blow ho received partially fctunued him, and on turning round lie received the next blow over the eye. The flow of blood blinded him and he fell. While on ’.ho ground he was savagely battered, and he screened his head ami arms, fought u$ desperately as he could, and called for help. This caused his assailant to desist and dora-mp. The little terrier, which was Mr On tods faithful companion, did not survive its injuries.

Recently a- burglary was committed at the Aiainoho Hotel, held by Mr A. Mangmvm, the rash »k>x bein',; stolen and later found empty in a swamp (some dislmctj away.