AN AUCKLAND SENSATION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12012, 15 March 1920, Page 4

AN AUCKLAND SENSATION.

•—• PONSONBY POSTMASTER SHOT.. :\ • ' STRONG ROOM OPENED AND RIFLED. Per Press Association x . Auckland, -March 14. A brutal murder was committed at Ponsonby on Saturday night, togther with a robbery at Ponsonby Post Office. It appears_J;hat the Postmaster, Mr Augustus Edward Braithwaite, aged 59 years, left the offiqe about 6 o'clock and returned to his home ; some ten minutes’ walk away. His wife went visiting frends in the evening, and "on returning about eight o’clock found Mr Bralthwaits lying in the back portion of the house. At first she thought he bad had a'fit, but later, when a doctor arrived, it was found he had been shot through . the throat and body. The police discovered that the Post Office keys were missing, and on going to the Post Office found the window and door forced. The strong room had been opened with the keys taken from the dead postmaster, and three cash boxes in the strong room had been rifled. It is not thought, that the sum secured was more than £11)0.

An inquest was opened to-day and adjourned. Deceased had been in the postal service abont forty years, and at. Ponsonby abont eight or ten years. Up to five o’clock to-night no arrest had been made. ““When found, Mr Braithwaite was lying face down towards the door of the room. It is thought that he opened the door, when the murderer shot him downtwithonfc Warning. ANOTHER REPORT. •v * Wellington, March 14. The Secretary of the General Post Office, Wellington, has received the following telegram from the Chief Postmaster, Auckland: Regret to inform yon that Mr Braithwaite, Postmaster at PonsotThy, was found shot dead, last evening. Investigation at the Post Office at 1.80 this morning by the police and myself showed the strong room door to be open and apparently a comparatively small amount of cash taken, as far as can be ascertained at present. Keys cannot be found.. No stamps, postal notes, or war loan certificates were taken. Will wire actual loss later. 'Later. “ At the Ponsonby murder investigation it was discovered that deceased’s keys were missing and some of the police went to the Post Office, forced an entrance, and discovered one of the back windows and the back door forced open. Apparently the thief to make certain of an easy exit. Search inside showed that the strong* room had. been opened with the keys taken from pocket. Inside the strong room the police found two cash- boxes broken open, and a third had been opened with a key left in the box. Investigation showed that the whole of the books were in order aal £9O or £IOO in silver and notes was stolen. So far as is known nothing else was taken.

Shortly before 8 p.m. a neighbour heard two sharp reports such as would be made by revolver shots. She had recently a new boiler installed in her kitchen stove, and thought the sounds were the cracking of the new boiler plates,* heard an indefinite kind of noise, as if some person had received a fright and cried oat a little. Other people in the vicinity distinctly heard two shots fired, but thinking they came rfom Point Erin Park took no notice. It is believed that the murderer had some knowledge of deceased’s domestic arrangements, and he had evidently watched the movements of Braithwidte, who, it he left the Post Office at 7.35 p. m. could only have been in the house for a minute or two before the murderer arrived. Deceased had beau in the service for about 40 years, and was almost due to retire on superannuationHe was a careful and conscientious officer Prior to appointment as postmaster at Ponsonby he was stationed at Te Awamutn and Rotorua.

The police are actively engaged upon the case, which is a particular* ly difficult one. So far no arrest is reported.