Fatal Affair With A Knife

NZ Truth, Issue 968, 18 October 1924, Page 7

Fatal Affair With A Knife

, Seaman's Night Ashore Alleged That His Steel Flashed Three Times Chase of Fugitive, later is Struck by His Engineer, and Confesses Next Day It is alleged that on Friday, October 10, Benjamin Harrison Shutes, aged 32, an American seaman on the American steamer West Islip, went ashore at Auckland m the afternoon; was warned m the City Hotel at about 9 p.m., by the licensee, concerning ' his behavior; drew a knife m that hotel before quitting it; drew and used a knife later m the. Aurora Hotel, as a result of which ' Louis Short, an Auckland motor mechanic, lost his life; and, still later on the same evening, drew a knife on the West Islip, as a result of which he (Shutes) was struck on the head by a , P' ec e of wood by one Jenson, first engineer. Carrying the marks of his contact, with the wood, Shutes appeared m the Auckland Magistrate's Court to answer charges of murdering Short, and of assaulting the City Hotel licensee and the engineer. This is the third time m as many months, and the second time m a week, that Auckland has been stirred by tragedy; and there are now three men awaiting trial m the Northern City on the capital charge.

The central figure m. the drama which has, just been enacted is an American sailor by the name of Benja - mm Harrison Shutes, who came to the country m the American steamor West Islip, which was at the time of the tragedy discharging a cargo of lumber. From rtll that can be gathere/l, Friday last was a wild day for Shutes, who, though a small man, is of fine physique and muscular development. Pie appeared at the Police Court m Auckland on Saturday morning last, when his head was swathed m bandages and his face bore signs of a fierce pummelling. He was then accompanied by a Scotsman from the liner Mamari, and together they were charged with the murder of Louis Short, a motor mechanic, of Auckland. Short is a popular man m the city. On the application of Chief Detective Oummingg, the two were 1 remanded for a week.

As he appeared at Auckland , Magistrate's Court two hours after his arrest. But the next 24 hours saw a clearing up of the mystery which surrounded the tragedy. This was brought about by a confession of Shutes that he had caused the death of Short, and this incidentally meant the dismissal of the charge against the Scotsman, Malcolm Nicolson Kilpatrick. STORY OF THE DEED. So far as can be gathered, the night of Friday was an eventful one. for the Yank,. It seems that Shutes first got into bother m the City Hotel, somewhere about 9 o'clock, when he fell foul of the licensee and incidentally met the Scotsman. Drink was what they were after, and when some had been consumed the American became noisy. The licensee cautioned him, and ultimately he left the 'hotel m company with his new-found friend,' Kilpatrick, and went to the Aurora Hotel. Here they found their way to a bedroom and had more drink. According to Kilpatrick, he went to a bar and brought back two bottles of beer which they consumed. « Then when Shutes left, ostensibly for more beer, Kilpatrick heard a scuffle, and, thinking it might be a police raid, decided to "beat it," which he did. He saw no more of the Yank till he met him m not very pleasant circumstances m the "wee sma 1 hours" of Saturday morning. Short died m the Auckland Hospital some while after 10 p.m. from the effects of a stab m the groin received m the Aurora Hotel. ' Several of the boarders were startled by a scream of pain from someone m one of the passages and a cry, "You sold it to me." This brought a rush of people to the spot, and it was found then that Short had ' been savagely attacked. Someone got there m time to hear him gasp, "There he is," indicating a fleeting figure making a hasty exit from the hotel, at which time Short fell unconscious m a pool of blood. He was conveyed with all haste to the hospital, where an operation was immedi - ately performed but without avail. The unfortunate man passed away as stated above. • Meanwhile two of the boarders of the hotel gave chase to the man who had been seen to make his exit from the hotel. He was followed into Victoria Street, where he was overtaken as he dashed into a dark doorway, but armed with a bottle, which he wielded with deadly effect, his pursuers were lcth to come to close quarters m the darkness. They accordingly stood off. and this allowed their quarry to get away once more. By an adroit move he was soon lost to view, but the followers hung about and soon held up a man whom they considered might be the person they wanted. They kept him till members of the detective force arrived. This, however, as it has now turned out, was the wrong man, "I AM RESPONSIBLE.", When Shutes was ultimately arrested he was m a bad way as > the result of a scuffle on the ship, later on Friday night, with the first engineer. On Saturday he mad© a atatement which spelt the immediate release of Kilpatrick. In his statement, accused said he went ashore ,on Friday- afternoon with £ 4 m his possession. He ended up m the Aurora Hotel, where' he,. .went with Kilpatrick. Here he went into a passage to get more drink when he " met the person who had already supplied him with liquor and asked for more. The man declined to give more and an argument ensued. Shutes alleges that v *e was hit on the head with what he believes was a bottle and this nearly knocked him out. He had his knife open when he. was attacked, as he had b.een using it to open a beer bottle with. The barman made to strike a second time, and Shutes says, "I threw out my hand towards his body with the knife open m my hand, and the knife would catch him m the lower part of the body. The two of us then

fell to the ground, and the barman said to me 'I am stabbed.' " The accused, continuing, states that he wis i greatly shocked when he saw what had happened and he ran down ! the stairs to make his escape. He knew that his knife had gone into the barman's body and" that there would be trouble. After running as : hard, as he could he went into a side street and ascended to the top of a building. He remained there for half; , an hour till he considered all would be quiet, after which he returned to . the street and to his ship by means of a taxi. "Kilpatrick did not interfere with the barman. I, and I alone, am responsible for the knife going into the i barman's groin," he states. "No one else was m it." ACCUSED'S VARIED CAREER. So far as can be gathered, the accused man has had a varied career, mostly connected with the sea.- He says he was born m Lawrence, U.S.A., and is 32 years of age. He was sent by his-; widowed mother to Ireland, where he was educated at Abbyfealc, Limerick. On his return to the States he. joined the American Navy and served for five years, m which time he paid a visit to New Zealand m 1908 m the warship Kearsage, one of the ships of the battle fleet whicn toured these parts. During the war he was m an oil tanker and he joined the West Islip three months ago nt 'Frisco. Mr. R. L. Short, who was 25 years of age, was well known m the motor business of Auckland and recently has been m the employ of Mr. A. E. Warde, of Little Queen Street. He resided with his young wife at 201. Jervois Road, Ponsonby. A man of rare physique, he took a particular interest m boxing, and devoted much of his time to preparing budding pugilists for the hempen square.