UNSOLVED MYSTERY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22212, 15 March 1934, Page 10

UNSOLVED MYSTERY

TAXI MURDER CASE EXTENSIVE POLICE INQUIRIES CONCLUSION OF INQUEST With the mystery still unsolved, the inquest relating to the taxi cab murder of five months ago, when Mr James Hunter Blair was found in a dying condition in King's road, Mount Roskill, early on the morning of Sunday, October 15, was concluded at Auckland on Monday afternoon in the Magistrate's Court, before the coroner, Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M. " There is only one finding" said the coroner, " and the verdict will be that this unfortunate man died immediately on admission to the hospital on October 15 from a fractured skull and hsemorrhage of the brain, and that he was murdered by 6omo person or persons unknown." MILKMAN'S DISCOVERY.

Hedley Davis, milk roundsman, of Richardson road, Mount Roskill, said that between 5.30 and 5.45 a.m. on October 15, he was serving milk in King's road, Mount Roskill. Just outside No. 42, King's road, he noticed a motor car standing a few feet from the kerbing on the left hand side of the road facing Parau road. He noticed a man sitting in the driver's seat and stopped his horse and went over to look at him. The man was leaning back in the seat with his head slightly turned to the open window on his right. He was unconscious and breathing heavily. All the doors of the car were closed. It was daylight at the time. Witness said be immediately drove to a telephone box slot box on the corner of Dominion road and King's road, and notified the Central Police Station. PATHOLOGIST'S EVIDENCE.

Dr Walter Gihnour, pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, said ho performed a post mortem examination of the body of deceased in the city morgue on October 15, in co-operation with Dr Fowler. The body was that of a heavy, strongly built man. There were no bruises or cuts on the face, body or limbs. On the crown of the head just to the right of the middle line there was a stellate wound with three amis measuring half an inch, haif an inch and one inch and a-quarter. There was a wound starting from the upper margin of the right ear and passing forward for half an inch and then downward for a similar distance. This wound had bruised and ragged margins and behind the ear there was a wound one inch and a quarter long with much bruising around it. The skull was extensively fractured. Underneath the stellate wound of the scalp there was a fracture of the inner plate of the skull and from behind this thcro was a series of fractures extending downward into the base of the skull, which was thus broken into nine separate fragments. After giving detailed acounts of various organs and their conditions, Dr Gilmour said his conclusions were that deceased had received two blows from a heavy, blunt instrument, one on the crown of the head and one on the ear. The blow on the head had produced extensive fracturing of the skull and haemorrhage of the brain. In his opinion death was due to fractures of the skull and hemorrhage of the brain. INQUIRIES BY POLICE.

Detective-sergeant A. G. M'Hugh detailed the tremendous amount of work and inquiry performed by the police in connection with the unsolved crime. He said that he accompanied Senior Detective Hall to the scene of the crime early on the morning of October 1.5. The taxi driven by Blair was found standing in front of the dividing fence separating houses known as Nos. 42 and 44 in King's road. The taxi was later removed to the yard at the central police station. Before leaving King's road for the city to examine the car, witness left two constables on guard in King's road. With Chief Detective Sweeney and Senior Detective Hall, witness went to the city morgue and was present when Dr Gilmour made an examination of the body of deceased.

"After ascertaining from Dr Gilmour the nature of the injuries and the class of instrument believed to have been used," said Detective Sergeant M'Hugh, " we returned to the scene of the crime. We obtained the services of 30 constables in plain clothes and began an extensive search of the locality with a view to recovering the instrument used. This search was carried out under the strict supervision of Senior Detective Hall, Detective Knight, Constable Belcher, in charge of the district, and myself. Tools were supplied by the City Council and Mount Roskill Road Board to assist in the search; and these enabled us to cut down and clear scrub and matter from vacant sections and nearby land to make a proper search. This search was continued until all likely places in the locality were thoroughly searched and continued for several days without result."

When the taxi was found the personal belongings of deceased were; on the driver's seat alongside him. It was impossible for a second person to sit in the driver's seat without crushing these belongings. They were not crushed. The baek seat of, the car was covered with a rug and only in the left hand corner was this rug disarranged, which showed that only one person occupied the back seat of the car on the last journey. CLOCKED IN AT 3.80 a.m. Blair was employed as night driver for Frederick C. Collett, and his car was run under the Chess Taxis. Police inquiries showed that BlaL clocked in at the Belgium street stand at 8.30 a.m. on October 15. He was seen by William John Foley, another Chess driver, on the stand at 3.35 or 4 a.m. the same morning. At the time thero were two other cars behind him. At approximately 3.45 that morning Thomas Walter Taylor, while engaged in delivering milk, saw a man engage Blair's taxi. Robert Sneddon, driver of the second taxi on the rank, also saw the man engage deceased's cab.

Another taxi driver, James Massio Smith, who was talking to Sheddon at the time, also saw the man engage the first taxi. Both he and Sheddon fixed the time at about 3.50 a.m. " Our inquiries show that the deceased was assaulted at approximately 4 a.m. in King's road," said Mr M'Hugh. "The last journey meter showed that the car travelled 8 G-10 miles. This reading was taken after the car had arrived back at the police yard. We have since had the deceased's taxi driven from the Belgium street taxi rank to the scene of the crime and back to the police yard. The last journey meter read exactly 8 6-10 miles, which shows that Blair must have driven straight to the scene of the crime after ho was engaged at the Belgium street rank, and did not go to any other place. When Blair took over the taxi from his employer at 6 p.m. on October 14 he was given 10s by Mr Collott s cash. The taxi meter showed 52503, and this was noted in a running book kept in the car bv Blair." ROBBERY NOT A MOTIVE.

Continuing, Detective Sergeant M'Hugh said that when the car was recovered after the crime the meter read 52,284 miles, which showed that the ear had travelled 81 miles after Blair took possession of it. The running book nlso showed that he did work amounting to fl 17s during the time he used the taxi

that night, which, along with the 10s handed him by Collott, would amount to £2 7s. When the body was searched it was found that the deceased was in possession of £2 9s 9d, which accounted for all the money he should have had in his possession. This showed that robbery could not have been a motive for the crime. Detective Sergeant M'Hugh added that Walter Thomas Taylor, milkman, supplied the following description of the man he saw engaging the taxi at the Belgium street stand: —About 30 years of age, sft 6Jin to sft 7in, slim build, inclined to be dark, and dressed in a dark suit with a brownish overcoat and felt hat. This description was also confinned by Sheddon and James Massie Smith. with the exception of dress. INTENSE SEARCH FOR MAN.

" After finishing the search for the instrument, we conducted a house-to-house canvass with all available members of the detective staff and 15 constables. Inquiries have also been made from all taxi drivers and owners of motor, cars who may have carried the murderer on that morning, after the crime; from all parties that were held that night; from restaurants and grill rooms doing a night trade; alleged gambling schools; elg-grog shops, hotels, billiard rooms, boarding houses; danco halls, and all milkmen who deliver milk in the early mornings, but we failed to get any information that would assist in tracing the identity of the man who engaged the car as mentioned. The car was skilfully searched and examined for finger prints or other valuable information or clues, but none were found. Careful inquiries were made of deceased's mode of living and we found that at the time of his death he was a divorced man residing with a widow. The widow, Liiida Maria Bridges, has three daughters, 17 years, 15 years, and 10 years respectively. Blair was divorced by his wife in the year 1904 and had been living with Mrs Bridges for the past two years. RUMOURS SIFTED OUT.

" We cannot trace where the deceased was connected in any way with any woman, or women. We find that Blair was very popular among his workmates and the employees of the opposition taxi firms, and wo failed to locate any person who held a personal grudge against him. During the inquiries hundreds of rumours were sifted out; anonymous letters were inquired into, and every possible theory and suggestibn followed up and investigated without result. Inquiries have also been made, but no information can be obtained to suggest that deceased was in any way connected with any illicit calling. Our inquiries tracing likely suspects and supposed clues have taken us all over New Zealand, without result."