THE COLCHESTER MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 14, 18 January 1901, Page 2

THE COLCHESTER MURDER.

IDENTIFICATION OF WATCH. , (PER PHI2RS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, J miliary 17. Sergeant Frost, of the Colchester police, and Marsh, keeper of the Col chester Town Ilall, nvrivod yesterday for tho purpose of identifying if possible j the man Lilly white, now in custody on I the theory th.)t he is Blatch, the per son charged with the Colche ter unir der. When the cise was called on in the Magistrate's Court to-day, I'ros' said ho had known Blatch well, and had seen liirn when he was at Colchester nearly every day. Accused resembled Match very much, but witness could not pos-ibly say ho was HUtch. The more witness looked at him the moio be wax convince! he was t.'io l jsosjiGCted nnn. Later ok, in exiumrst-; jr.'Oh, liesaid r.t- hud fonn- u t!)'"- opini-m j that the a'-viW v.;i- Ll.ccu. Licro'.s-. I < xauiiiiittii.n, he :>nui J-e conk. nor li. il-.-O iilatl.'li' V.'iLv: IJK! r- : i wi'il J pox 118 accused win He could hoi. «i.v positively it W!:s Bktch, but the more he still looked at him the more lio w.-.s convinced he was the m"i>. Marsh said he did not at {irst recognise accused as Blatch, hut sineo he had been in Court he had formed the opinion , that he was Blnteb. In cross-examin-ation he said Blatch had a placo worn in his teeth from holding a pipe. He | did not find tho same peculiarity in accused. As neither of the witnesses had seen Blatch with a beard, accused consented to be shaved. Later.

The prisoner went into the box and gave the history of nis life on the lines of what he had previously stattd. |He produced letters from America, a Grown grant for land in Tacoma that ho occupied before the murder, and a certificate of membership of the Painters and Decorators Brotherhood of North America. He again denied that he was the man wanted. During the luncheon adjournment Lillywhite was shaved, ana the two English witnesses afterwards stated that after seeing him without his beard and hear ing him give his evidence, they were prepared to say that the prisoner was Blatch. Mr. Bell, for the Crown, stated that he would to-morrow apply to the Deputy-Governor to have the warrant endorsed, aud during the day would apply S-M. for the prisoners committal to the English officios. The proceedings were then adjourned till the morning.