THE GREY LYNN MURDER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18349, 13 September 1921, Page 5

THE GREY LYNN MURDER

INQUEST ON VICTIM. (Pib United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, September 12. The inquest on the body or Francis Edward Jew, who was lound murdered at Grey Lynn on July 17, was resumed to-day betore Mr W. It. M'Kean, S.M. Oyer 60 witnesses will be examined, and it is expected that tno inquiry will last three days. Jew attended a football matoh on tne

(Saturday afternoon of his death, and _ was seen on the Saturday evening in the vicinity of the spot where his dead Dody was found. But his movements alter 6 o’clock are still shrouded in mystery. Mr IViereditn represented the police, and Mr Prendergasi watched proceedings on behalf of Thomas M’Mahon.

Outlining the circumstances, Mr Meredith said exhaustive inquiries had been made, 1600 people having Daen interviewed by the police. The result of inquiries had not justilied the police w taking definite steps against any individual. _ Indications pointed to a fatal assault committed on the spot where the body was iound, though tnero were no signs of a struggle. Jew received his wages of £4 10a bd on the Saturday. He was known to have £1 the previous evening. Ho had spoken about some beta on horse racing, one on Saturday which might have involved the_payment of £3, but the police were unabie to ascertain who ho made the bets with. It had been ascertained that on the Saturday afternoon Jew, Thomas M'Mahon, and one of the Newdicks had a drink at an hotel, and then M'Mahon produced a. bottle of champagne; that Jew and the two Newdicks subsequently had ,a drink at another hotel; and that Jew went on to iNewdicks' tactory in Grey Lynn. Alf. Jew CO, who was a particular friend of the deceased, called at tne stable at 6.20 p.m. to invite Jew to tea, but the latter had left. He was seen about that time under the influence of liquor. He asked a companion named M'uregor to wait till Tom M'Manon came, as the latter had a bottle of champagne. M'Manon arrived with the champagne. M'Gregor lets them at 6.46. Jew and M'Mahon got on the train, but evidently they got oa at Anki street and started to walk baca towards Grey Lynn. They met three lads. M'Mahon bought two pies. The party went into the doorway of a shop and drank the champagne. Jew got sick and wanted to go to sleep. Tne three lads left M'Mahon and Jew in the doorway a little alter 7 p.m. About. 7.30 Mr Isutt saw two men about a vacant section. He could not identify them, but their relative heights corresponded wltn Jow and M'Mahon. A lady saw. a man whom she took to be dew on the opposite side from the vacant section at 7.60 p.m. 'that was as far as he could trace Jew’s movements. Drs Murray and Shaw, expressed the opinion that death was caused by a blow from a blunt instrument before midnight on Saturday. John dew, a brother of the deceased, gave evidence that M'Mahon told him he was with the deceased and' M'Gregor on the Saturday night, and that deceased .left him to board a city-bound car. .Witness asked, did he see tne_. deceased return to Grey Lynn. M'Mahon replied that he did not. . Dr Murray testified that about 12;S0 p.m. on July IV .he examined the body of deceased on a section at Grey Lynn, j The body was on its back and inclined to the left, the left arm being outstretched. Witness minutely described the attitude and appearance of the body and clothing, describing the injuries. Witness stated that the bone of the nose and the upper and lower jaws were broken. A wound extended from the uppet lip to the nostril, and there wks a gash to the bone in the upper part of the forehead. Two wounds, also bone deep, were over the right ear, one of them having fractured the bone. The head was resting in a pool of blood that had soaked into the ground, having qome from the ears and wounds. At the post Mortem rigidity was well marked. The wounds were not self-inflicted. To Mr Meredith: There was no sign of a struggle at the spot. From the small amount of blood on the overcoat witness would conclude that the coat ’ had been placed over the young man’s legs after he had fallen. •Ho would say that ‘death would have occurred not longer than 20 hours before he saw the body, and not less than 12 hours.

Mr Meredith: Then you think death must have occurred at least before midnight, and not earlier than 4 p.m. on the previous day?—Witness: Yes. ■ Among other witnesses'were Stuart Alfred Smith, a professional fighter, who said he lived at the Whangarfei Hotel, Whangaren but in July last he was living at The Vines, in Symonda street. He was with a man named Prosser on July 17 last, training with him. They left Prosser’s house on the Great North Road, Grey Lynn, at about 10 o’clock on Sunday for a spin along, the road, and returned along the Arch Hill Gully and over the hill. Witness then described the finding of the body of deceased with a piece of board lying near it. Continuing witness said: “I was at Prosser’s house the night before and we went to the pictures. We aU left the house at about 7 Tl’clock. I think I returned home with the Prossers. We came out of the pictures about 9 o’clock and went straight home. We had been in the picture theatre opposite the Strand.” Mr Meredith: What was the picture you saw? —Witness: Some Italian picture, I think. Did you see the end of that picture?—No. Did you see the beginning?—No. Then, where did you go?—Across.to the Strand, and we could not get in. And then?—We strolled down the road to Courts and got the tram. When you went to catch the tram at Grey Lynn, did you see a man under the influence of liquor ?»-We thought he was. He was sitting on a box, and looked half asleep. ; . How close werq you to him?—About 25ft. What time did you finally leave Prosser’s to go home? —About HWhere did you catch the tram?—At the same place. Did yog -know deceased before?—No. A number of other witnesses were examined at length. The inquiry will bo resumed to-morros.