THE PRICE TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17233, 12 April 1930, Page 19

THE PRICE TRAGEDY

SCENE RECONSTRUCTED DEPRESSION OF HUSBAND .STATEMENT FOB WIFE H’«r Truss Associativa.) PALMERSTON V. this day. When tlie Trice irageity inquest was resumed to-day, Mr. G. I. xicOrogui, counsel appearing mr tlie Trice iauiuv, enleiect loe Box, staling mat. Mrs. 1 i ice autlioriseil him u> muse me unloving statement to Hie court: "It, appears that since deceaseds accident anout Christmas, Ibffb, on certain occasions tie lias sutlcred trom ‘periods ol depression, and on several occasions lie mentioned to Airs. Price that he thought ol snooting himself. It is rather diifi(ail to obtain details from Airs. Price as she is in a. state ol collapse, but sue said her husband s only worry appeared to be tile stale, ot his health and the injuries received in the. accident. Apparently the threats were mostly made sumo months ago. She also said lie always insisted that John Price, the vounger hoc. must not know anything about it as lie apparently wanted to keep everything from hum She said tor thee that until last, week she had notrealised this would have aiiv connect ion with the tragedy. It had always been her husband s custom to sleep on the flour, hut a remark ! made to her last Saturday about no pillow convinced hci that lie would no! lie lying on the lloor." The coroner: Have you discussed Hie matter >\ itli John Price? .Mr. McGregor: Immcdiateiy alter wards I saw John Price, told him windhis mother had said, and asked linn d be could I ell anything further, but be still maintained Hint lm knew nothing ) shortly alter it pun. that night until alter 8 a.in. the next day. In view of the fact that certain suspicion attached to John Price I think it is due | to him to slap: that, the unit ter might have been ai ranged by a third party. The coroner: Then in the interests ot justice the third parly should mine lorward and deal llie boy, in whose evi deuce then: are so many inconsistencies. Mr. McGregor said Dr. Laurens. hi, of Mulaniaia, attended deceased on Ihe occasion of the previous accident when In* received injuries to the spine, The i-ornner: I think I should have, a full report I'ruin Hr. Laurcnsnii. The offer I of any physical depression might have been an-enl uate*l oy : lie absence of deceased’s wife. A not FOB'S THEORIES Recalled for the third occasion. Hr, King adhered to his previous stalemen! that tin* nature of the wound and its direction were notoriously that of selection by a suicide. Hr. King added: “F. J. Smith, in Taylor’s ‘Principles and Practice of Medicinal Jurisptidcnce ’ states that there is one situation which is almost impossible for a murderer to imitate, i.e., inside the mouth. In Hr. Miller’s demons! rai tion of his position he repeats precisely . the position described *by me, bn; ho 1 conveniently rolled the body on to its 'side In make the direction of the : missile accord with that of a shotgun held by his assailant.” ! At this stage Dr. King demonstrated i under a bed placed in court Ihe problematical posit ions assumed from men- ! surements taken and from the position the body was found. Hr. King elaborat--1 ■ -i on his theory that it was manifestly ' mi more difficult for a victim to see his i assailant than it would be for a murj derer to shoot his victim at point, .blank I range. Hr. King lay underneath Iho j bed to demonstrate his statement. Dr. Boyd, who was present, asked to point the gun, expressed reluctance to take part. The coroner: I ask you to do so. Replying to Hr. Boyd, Detective ' Quirke said there was no evidence I of the bed having boon moved. ! Continuing, Dr. King sit-id: The localisation of blood to a continuous sheet ! round the left side of tlie head aim : face is one of the main points indicating the fact that the body did nol move appreciably after the wound was inflicted. HOAIEOIDAL THEORIES UR ITI'CIS ED Recalled, David S. Wylie, surgeon, associated himself fully with Dr. King’s remarks and opinions, t'lilieising the homicidal theories, Dr. Wylie said: What would a murderer do? Aim ;it his victim’s chest, presented to him, or :it his head in the shadow it ml partly concealed. If it in assumed that lie aimed at the head lie had to crouch alongside his victim to produce a wound ol the kind ! cum *I. If Price was killed as described by Drs. Miller and Boyd, when the body was moved round from the position they described into that which it wits found blood inevitably would have (lowed I'roiu the wound on to (lie victim's but|v and a poition ol Hie Moor which Dr. King is positive was clear of blood. It is conceivable Dial a convulsive movement could have been j made which would have brought the bodv from lying on its side to lying 'on its back, but the uat ure of 1 lie ini juries to the brain were such in my j opinion as to make any fnrthoi moveI nieni impossible. Mr. McGregor informed the -oroner that Dr. Pul man had frealcd deceased for shoulder vujurief. The coroner said no further evidence need lie called (lending receipt of re-

pints from Dr.-. Putman and Lauren son, and tin' impiest was thereupon ad joni'lied sine die.