MURDER IN A FLAT.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1919, Page 3

MURDER IN A FLAT.

THE SYDNEY TRAGEDY. MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. Further details of the murder of Hugo Tuck in Sydney, on April 12, and in connection with 'which a New Zealander named Doyle has been arrested, came to hand by a recent mail. The murder took place in a flat in Elizabeth street, and when the police arrived they found Tuck unconscious. He died shortly after reaching the hospital. The proprietor of the flat, Mrs. f'.l7piitnek, took the victim's breakfast to hid room at nine o'clock, when he was in his usual good health. At the time there was in the room a youth of about 13 years. She did not know him, but it was not uncommon for Tuck to have visi-' tors, and she took no notice of this one. At that time it was remarked that the morning paper had not arrived, and the visitor said, "Oh! I'm going out in a minute; I'll get a paper and bring it back." Mrs. Fitzpatrick does not remember that anything else was said then, and she left the men together. At about eleven o'clock the maid, Mabel Julian, was surprised to see water running down the stairs from Tuck's rooms, and went up to ascertain ffie cause. She found the bathroom flooded, and noticed that the tap was still running. She turned this off, and called for the tenant of the rooms to inquire as to why he had allowed the bath to run over. She got no reply, and making an entry to the room, found Tuck lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. He was not m his regular sleeping room, but in what he called his spare room. Ti. was seen that he had been injured, and the police were communicated with. Stains in the room indicated that the murderer had washed his hands in the bath. Though it is not supposed that robbery was the motive, for rings on the fingers of the injured man were not removed, it is remarkable that an attempt had been made to force open a leather trunk in which were found, subsequently, letters, money, and jewellery. The instrument used on the trunk was a screwdriver, but the person using this may have been disturbed and left before he succeeded in getting the trunk open. One of the rings on the finger of the dead man was worth about £BO, and there were others. If robberv had been the motive it is likely these 'would have been the first valuables to be secured by the murderer. The body was found behind the door if the room, lying face downwards, and from the injuries it would appear that the unfortunate man' had been struck a heavy blow with some Blunt instrument, the effect of which was the fracture of his skull and his instant unconsciousness.

No one m the building seems to have noted the going out of the early visitor ot luck. But it is considered that if he went out, as he said he was goin», to get a paper, he did not return, Had he come back within an hour he must have tound the man where he fell after being struck down. It is considered likely that he letf, and possibly another may have entered after he had gone _ An element of mystery is added by the intrusion of a dog, of which no one in the house knows anything except that it does not belong to anyone in the flat, and had not been seen there until it was found by the police in the room in which the man was. The animal is a well-bred fox terrier, and carries a leather collar. The lettering on this may assist the police. The dog is now in 'the hands of the officers in charge of the case, and may turn out. to be a valuable link in the chain to be forged. It is stated that after the body was removed to the hospital a letter addressed to a dignitary of one of the churches was found in the room in which the tragedy was enacted. On this were instructions that it was to be delivered to the addressee in the event of anything, upward happening to the writer. The instructions were carried out, and the letter was delivered by order of the police.