CHARGE OF MURDER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17113, 19 September 1917, Page 4

CHARGE OF MURDER

THE WAIBGNGOMM TBAGaSfZ. (Pkb Übitxd Pbess Assoca*noN.) GISBORNE, September 18. Tho trial of Frank Inkater on a charge of murdering- Oliver Andersen and Hervey Btjadley w<as continued in foe Supreme Court to-day. Michael Keogh, one of the party working at the camp where the tragedy occurred, gave evidence that ho left the camp for the homestead on Saturday, July ZL, tearing Andersen, Bradley, and the prisoner in the camp: The next day the prisoner arrived at the homestead, and said Andecscn had sent him for a packhorse, aa he was going to leavo. Witness left on his retnrn to the camp on the Monday morning, the prisoner following at some distance. He found the bodies as already described, and in returning towards the homestead he met the prisoner about a milo from the camp with a packhorse. Witness told the prisoner of tho tragedy, and took the packhorse and rodo it barebacked to the station to report tho matter. On the way back to the homesteady he heard shots fired in the vicinity of the tin whare. That would be between 220 and 2.45. He saw two horses—a roan and a bay,—both newly-ridden and covered with sweat. He did not see the riders. There

were indications that the tin what© had been occupied. A couple of sticks were still burning in the fireplace. When he went up on the Tuesday to get the bodies he called at the tin whare, and found two Maoris there. He knew* one by the name of Pua. Mr Ludbrook got them to go on to the camp to. help. They rode the roan and tho bay horses. When he met the accused on tho Monday (after finding tho bodies in camp), witness said he was going to report the matter, but said nothing about the police. The three men away from the station on tho Sunday were Joe Pokai, Apirana Apouri, and Olie Andersen. He found the body of Bradley lying face downwards on a , shallow drain. He was in a crooked position, with his arms trader him. The left side of his head was resting on soino photographs, which he held 'in his left hand, the photographs_ being covered with blood from a wound in the forehead. In his right hand he held a photograph. Andersen's body was found near the fireplace. He was lying face downwards, partly on hia right side. His right hand, which was clutching a wet towel, wae under his head. His left hand was extended palm down, and near it was a wooden pipe. There was a Winchester rifle lying in front of the body, with the butt partly under the right forearm. There was a wound in the back of the head, the hair being singed and the skull exposed and blackened. There was no blood flowing from iho wound. The breech of the rifle was open and there was a live cartridge on the platform of the magazine. Tho ritle had been recently fired, and there was a small amount of dirt on the end of the muzzle. He accounted for the dirt by the rifle coming into contact with the ground on being dropped. If the rifle had been dropped the cartridge would probably have fallen, out To have got the dirt there, it must have gone forward. To have got there it might have dropped or been put there. There was o no sign of any struggle. Witness present when the accused was interviewed by Sergeant M'Donnell for a statement for the inquest.,. On separating for dinner the sergeant remarked: "I will see you again," and tho accused replied: "All right." Subsequently it was reported that the accused had disappeared, and a search was made for him. He was foand in a cowshed at Paohiroa station on Sunday, July 29. -v. William Williams Ludbrook (part owner of Wairongomai station and manager) deposed that the accused came into his employ on May. 28 under the naine of E. D. Clayton. Bradley and Andersen had worked for him off and on for three years. There wero no neighbours at all near the camp. The only way for anyone to go to tie camp (riding) would be past the homestead to the track. It would be very difficult to get from any other quarter unless from Hurikia. There being no track, they would have to go" through standing busk • On Monday, duly 23, Keogh reported what he had found at the camp, and witness reported the matter to the police. Witness went to the camp next day, riding with the accused part of the vyay. Ho asked accused what had caused the row between Andersen and Bradley. Accused said he did not know> but said ha saw ! Andersen bring his fist down on tho table, exclaiming: "I told you so before." Andersen then struck Bradley a blow, and that started the fight. Bradley, he said, got the best of it, and thumped Andersen out of tho galley into the sleeping part of the He said Andersen stood there waaring bis nsts about, swearing at Bradley. He further said that about breakfast time Andersen told him (accused) he was going to get out of the job, and asked accused to get a packhorse. A boy called Pua Pokia and his mate joined the patty at the tin whare. They were shooting pigeons. They had a shotgun. This was the only rifle oa the station.

Apirana Apouri, sometimes called Bob Kartini (packman), employed on Wairongomai, deposed that on the Monday evening accused went to his room and wanted to take some clothes off a box he had left there, also some important documents and books that he had in the box. While doing so, the accused, if he heard footsteps, would attempt <k> close the box up sharply and put it under the bed. The said that if he (accused) should get into any trouble over this matter he (witness) should have the contents of the box. Ha did not ask accused what he meant by getting into trouble. '. Next day, after coming back with the bodies, the accused said to him, "If Johnston had not seen more than one shot in the deceased they 'would not have sent foe the doctor, or the. detective and inspector." He also said thai the only man he was afraid of was the sergeant, but he would "give him a go." ■ Several witnesses were called to repeat statements which tho accused had made to them at the homestead after the tragedy.; They showed that the accused bad been apprehensive of falling into trouble over/ the affair.

Peta Hirama deposed that on the day of the inquest the accused told him he was going to run away from this trouble, and asked witness about getting a horse.

, Erio Welch (station hand at Wairongomai) said he saw the accused with Detective M'Leod after his arrest. The accused remarked that they could not do anything with him, as. he was under 21 years old, and that they could only put him in a reformatory school till he was 2L Sergeant M'Donnell, who had the prisoner >in his charge at Tokomaru Bay for three weeks! after his arrest, detailed conversations With the accused. Speaking of his arrest, the accused said the police caught him while he was asleep, or he -would have given them a go for it. On another occasion accused remarked that he would be a fool to toll the police all he knew. Detective M'Leod gave evidence as to the arrest of the accused. On the way to Tokomaru tho accused asked whether they gavo any reformative treatment in gaol. At Tokomaru the accused remarked that if he could have got a horse the police would not have caught him so easily. He added that he would hare got a job cm a Maori station for a couple of years and grown whiskers and then got away on a ship. This concluded the case for the Crown.

Mr Burnard intimated that he intend to call evidence for the defence. Mr Barnard proceeded with his address to the jury, stressing the purely cdrcnnißtantial nature of the evidence, and urging that there was nothing to connect the with the crime, which might easily hiiro beo'n committed by any person with a knowledge of bush country. Counsel suggested the possibility that the two men were murdered by an outsider who then placed the rifles and the bodies m such a position as to suggest murder and suicide. Tho position in which the rifle was found was not' a natural one His Honor intimated that he would ansa up in the morning, aadl the bearing w*a adjourned till then.