CHARGE OF MURDER

Otago Witness, Issue 3314, 19 September 1917, Page 44

CHARGE OF MURDER

THE WAIRONGOMAI TRAGEDY

GISBORNE, September 17

In tha Supremo Court, Frank Inkster, alias Edward Clayton, aged 17£ years, was charged with murdering Oliver Anderson and Harvey Bradley at Wairongomai on July 22. The accused, who preserved tho calm demeanour which characterised his appearance in the lower court, pleaded nob guilty. Mr h. T. Burnard appeared for tho defence and Mr F. W. Nolan prosecuted. Tho Crown Prosecutor said the evidence submitted by the Crown was circumstantial, and would relate to a chain of circumstances respecting the death of the two men Anderson and Bradley. Four men were employed at Wairongomai, 14 miles from the Tupaeroa camp and 12 miles from the homestead. Anderson and Bradley were mates, and had worked togother for a couple of years. Keogh was the foreman. Inkster was tho youngest, and had only been on the station for 10 or 12 days. Before he went on th-* job the men were engaged in cutting tracks for sheep to come through in the spring. Keogh was in tho habit of going to tho ' homestead every week. On July 18 two of tho men went out shooting. Keogh was back first, and replaced tne ammunition and rifles in the tent in the usual position —the rifle slung to the ridge pole and the ammunition in a bunk. When the party returned, Anderson, who had remained afc the camp, produced a watch which he had lost some time before, and which ho had found in the prisoner's bunk. The prisoner said he got it from a Native named Joe Potao, and Anderson asked if it was true that the prisoner had stolen a "quid" from Potae. After this incident Anderson and the prisoner were not on speaking terms. Keogh left, for the homestead, according to custom, on a Saturday, and next day Ui'i prisoner was also at the homestead, stating that Anderson intended to leave, and had sent 'him for a pack hoi-se. The evidence would show that there was no need for tho " accused to have been sent to the homestead for a pack-horse, as there were pack-horses m a paddock near the camp, and furtner, Anderson had no gear to carry on a packhorse. The inference the Crown wished the jury to take was that these men were shot on Sunday, tho 22nd. Keogh returned to tho camp on the Monday, followed at some distance by tne prisoner with a pack-horse. Keogh found tho bodies at the camp, hurrying back to report the matter. He met the accused at the Mangapoi paddock, and informed him that the two men in the camp were dead. The accused asked him where they were shot, apparently knowing that they were though Keogh had not stopped to examine the bodies. Tho next question by the accused was: Would they send for a doctor? Later, before there was any suggestion of murder, the accused said to Opouri, a Native packman, that if na (accused) was to fall into any trouble he coula make himself comfortable with the contents of his portmanteau. The remark was significant in view of other remarks he had made. Tho accused was tho first man to make any assertion as to there being four wounds in A.nderson's body, this being when the post mortem examination was in progress, and before anyone was aware of the number of wounds. Counsel proceeded to detail the prisoner's flight from the homostead and his subsequent capture. Dr Davis gavo formal evidence to showthat Anderson was shot in four places, three of the wounds being suoh as would cause death, and Bradley in two places, both fatal wounds. Michael Keogh, one of the camp party, was giving evidence on the lines of counsel's statement when the court adjourned till tomorrow.