ELSIE WALKER CASE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17108, 14 November 1929, Page 13

ELSIE WALKER CASE

MR COONEY’S STATEMENTS HON. T. M. WILFORD’S REPLY (Por Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. “While I have not, the police files in front of me, some of which are in Auckland, and consequently cannot reply to- the whole of Mr. Cooney s statements, I feel I should not wait in replying to his challenge,” says the Hon. T. M. Wilford in a statement issued to-day in regard to the Elsie Walker case. “Mr. Cooney issued a challenge to me to prosecute Mrs. Thomason for alleged attempted blackmail, under, of course, the proper section of the Crimes Act. I can hardly believe Mr. Coouoy is serious. The word ‘blackmail’ does not appear in the whole of my state luuut. 1 will requote from my statement tin! only passage upon which I think Mr. Cooney can rely lor Ifig ridiculous challenge. Here is the quotation: ‘By arrangement she, i.c., Mrs. Bayly, then went, to Wanganui, where, according to Mrs. Bayly, Mrs. Thomason asked from Mrs. Bayly a large sum of money. Although Mrs. Thomason denies to the police making any de piand for money, it is significant Hud she names the exact sum of money mentioned by Mrs. Bayly, namely, BIQ.OOO. as ;being discussed between them. It is quite clear that at this interview Hie payment of money was discussed between the women.’ That must be the .excerpt from the statement made by me upon which Mr. Cooney challenges me to prosecute Mrs. Thomason for blackmail. There is no (filler that could possibly do it. “Mr. Cooney, dropping all discussion 011 iliscrejwniey between the statements of Mrs. Thomason and Mrs. Langdop, fastens on to the paragraph mentioned above ami says, ‘I challenge the Minister of Justice to prosecute Airs. Thonjason for blackmail.’ Surely Air. Cooney knows as a lawyer that there is no evidence which would justify such proceedings. I can hardly believe lie is not aware of that. “In conclusion, I would like to ask Mr. Cooney, as Airs. Thomason admitted mentioning the sum of £IO,OOO as being discussed bejtween herself and Mrs. Bayly, wliat were they talking about?”