TRAIL TOO COLD

NZ Truth, Issue 1200, 29 November 1928, Page 3

TRAIL TOO COLD

Why Detectives Fail to Solve Mystery Of Elsie Walker's Death POLICE LAXITY TO BLAME (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

Failure! Such bids fair to be the epitaph which the Auckland police chiefs will have to inscribe«on the gravestone of Elsie Walker, the pitiful victim of a murderer's cruel hands, whose tragic death m the scrub near a -lonely quarry at Panmure seven weeks ago still remains an unsolved mystery.

VTEARL.Y four weeks after the dis1N covery of the body the police chiefs, spurred to action by the disclosures published m "N.Z. Truth," got busy to investigate the case, but two detective-sergeants, m spite of exhaustive investigations, have failed j to get within striking distance of the ', murderer. The reason is not far to seek. • " Precious weeks were allowed to slip by while the police dallied with stupid and untenable theories, and when at | last detectives were instructed to get busy they found the trail stone cold. There is no more disgraceful chapter m the history of crime m the Dominion than the unpardonable laxity on the | part of the police chiefs m Auckland m their attempts to elucidate the mys- | tery of Elsie Walker's death. I The simple facts of the tragedy itself | are too familiar now to merit repetition [at any length, but it will be remem--1 bered that the body of the girl was j found lying concealed under some bushes near a quarry at Panmure. The head was lying- m a small pool of blood, but there was nothing about the appearance of the dead girl to arouse the suspicions of the police that she had been the victim of foul play. As this paper pointed out at the time, there was every reason for suspecting murder, but the police tried to gull the public into accept-

ing their own ridiculous theory that she had died of exposure. Elsie Walker, aged 16, lived at Te

Puke with her aunt, Mrs. ,Bayly, from whose house she disappeared one night, never to be seen alive afterwards. With her went the. Baylys' Whippet motor-car which was found abandoned the following day m a side street at Papatoetoe, some miles from where her body was found. It was the theory of the police that Elsie had driven the ear from her aunt's home at Te Puke to Papatoetoe, a distance of over 200 miles, alone, and that, running out of petrol, she walked the seven miles m the direction of Auckland, finally dying from exhaus-r tion and exposure m the spot where she was found. It has been clearly shown m these columns from time to time that such a theory is not only ridiculous, but cannot m any way be supported by the facts. I Elsie Walker was undoubtedly murdered as the inquest will prove. But thanks to the apathy of the police, the murderer is to-day at large with every cause for thankfulness that the police, whose job it is to bring him to justice, lacked the ability to see a murder when it was patent to anybody who cared to look into the matter. Had it not been for "Truth," it is not improbable that the initial, disinterestedness of the policd would have continued and . that their amazing theory of death from exposure would have been accepted. The facts were given to the public by this paper, and the revelations made m these columns created tremendous

public interest, and, incidentally, a considerable stir m police circles. There Is the best of reasons for stating that the Auckland police chiefs have heard about the matter from their superiors m no uncertain terms, and the result has been a more or less feverish attempt to make good past mistakes. But when the "heads" visited the scene of the crime for the first time four weeks after it occurred they found, as was only to be expected, a trail that was stone cold with no trace of a clue of any kind. vßut something had to be done about it. T'he public were clamoring for action, and an explanation — which is still not forthcoming. Detective-sergeant Kelly was put on the trail. He spent a week m the Te Puke district and found out nothing that m any way helped to solve the mystery. On his return to Auckland, Detectivesergeant J. Bickerdike,. who, "Truth" contends, should have been put m charge of the case from the very commencement, proceeded to Te Puke and combed the district. Exactly what Bickerdike discovered is not known except that he returned to Auckland not much wiser than when he left. Certain it is, however, that he did not find the murderer. The . detectives who have been ' placed on investigation work m connection with the case are m iio way to blame for their failure to solve the mystery.

i They were unable to do anything until their chiefs gave the word, and as the chiefs did not think it necessary to take a serious view of the tragedy of Elsie Walker's death until several weeks had elapsed, on their heads rests the responsibility for the murderer's escape. Pathological evidence will substantiate the theory of foul play, even though it may not be possible to state the exact cause of death. i This much is known. Elsie | Walkor sustained, a blow on the head, although there was no fracture. The pathologist found evidence of severe concussion and it is inconceivable that foul play can be discounted. And yet "Truth" has reason to believe that the police are still clinging to their idea that the girl drove the car from Te Puke, and at night, over tricky mountain roads, by herself. As she could not drive a car, how they arrive at th|s conclusion is difficult to understand. It is expected that the inquest will be resumed within the next month, and it Is no secret that the evidence will-re-veal the biggest scandal of police dilatoriness and ineptitude that has ever been brought to light m the Dominion. Meanwhile, somewhere m the country, Elsie Walker's slayer, his hands stained crimson, walks among his fellows free and untrammelled, while the blood of his victim cries to high heaven for .vengeance. •

Absurd Theory .