MURDER CHARGE

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1932, Page 7

MURDER CHARGE

MAN SHOT AT HIS OWN, DOOR POLICE CASE AGAINST O’CONNOR. STORIES OF NOCTURNAL VISITS. DETECTIVE ALLEGES CONFESSION? By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin, April 13. Charged with the murder of Findlay Douglas Buchanan on March 30 at Tomahawk, Lewis William O'Connor in the Police Court to-day pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. In conjunction with the preliminary hearing of the charge an inquest w’as held into Buchanan’s death. The inquest was adjourned indefinitely. 1 Dr. Evans, police surgeon, stated that at 1.40 a.m. on March 30 he was called to a house at Tomahawk and saw Buchanan propped up in bed. He had been shot in the side. The surgeon, found a gunshot wound in the left side and chest, the edges being There .was a considerable opening into the chest and abdomen. While awaiting an ambulance the surgeon told Buchanan there was no hope of his recovery, add-. ing: "You know you are going to die.” Buchanan had said:' *‘l know.” Dr.- Evans asked who shot him. Buchanan, the dotcor said, had replied that it was O’Connor and that he had seen him when he opened the door. Dr. Mason,, resident surgeon at the hospital, stated that Buchanan was still conscious when the police superintendent saw witness, but was not fit to answer questions; in fact he became unconscious , shortly afterwards. Dr. Watt, pathologist, who made a post-mortem examination, stated that in his opinion Buchanan would be from six to nine feet from the gun when he was shot. There was no.powder staining on the garments. WIFE’S RELATIONS WITH O’CONNOR

Eileen Caroline Buchanan stated that her husband was a relief worker. .They were married in 1931. She had known O’Connor for some years and had a son three years old, of whom O’Connor was the father. She had taken proceedings with regard to the child and O’Connor had admitted paternity. A maintenance order was made in 1928. The child was living with witness at her home on the night of March 29. So far as she knew Buchanan and O’Connor were friendly. Her husband and she retired to bed at 9.40 p.m. on March 29, Mrs. Buchanan continued. They were awakened by a knocking. Her husband went to the door and O’Connor came in. He was drunk and asked for a cigarette. Buchanan gave him a cigarette and said: “Now get away home, it’s late.” O’Connor said: “Are you putting me out?” He did not seem angry when he said this. She did not see whether Buchanan had to help O’Connor to the door as she was half asleep. O’Connor when going, had said that he wanted to se the boy, but Buchanan had said he could see him when sober.

They were again disturbed about 1 a.m. Mrs. Buchanan heard a knock and O’Connor say: “Is Fin there, John?” Her husband went to the door. She heard him open it, but nothing more till the shot. Going to the door of the. bedroom she saw her husband on the floor and O’Connor standing inside with a gun. Mrs. Buchanan ran for a neighbour, Newton. When they returned they found Buchanan still on the floor, but O’Connor was not there. O’CONNOR CALLS AT STORE. William James Taber, storekeeper, Tomahawk, said he was disturbed at 12.30 a.m. on March 30 by a knock at his shop door. O’Connor came to the door and asked for cigarettes, which Taber refused. O’Connor went away. From his speech O’Connor was thought by Taber to be under the influence of liquor. At 1.30 O’Connor returned, and when the knocking persisted Taber told O’Connor that he would send for the detective. O’Connor said: “I want to see you. I will wait for you.” He dropped something with a loud crash on the verandah and ran. A few minutgs afterwards Albert Newton arrived on the verandah and Taber telephoned the police. Later Newton drew his attention to the gun on the verandah. He found spots of blood on the verandah. Jessie Lindsay Taber, wife of the storekeeper, said she had thought O’Connor was drunk. Albert Nathaniel Newton said he was awakened by a loud noise like an explosion from the direction of Buchanan’s. It sounded like a gun shot or motor tyre bursting. Shortly afterwards Mrs. Buchanan knocked loudly at the door calling, “Mr. Newton, come quickly!” He went to Buchanan’s home and found Buchanan with a wound in the neck., Newton went to Taber’s to telephone for the ambulance and there found a doublebarrelled gun with no shells in the barrels. The right hammer was up and he could see that the left barrel had been fired. The barrels above the grip were covered with blood. William Dunford said he went shooting on the Peninsula with O’Connor in O’Connor’s trap. Dunford had taken the gun produced. He had between 20 and 25 cartridges. He had two bottles and a gallon jar of beer. O’Connor shot two rabbits They had nothing to eat, and left the beer in the trap. ARREST OF O’CONNOR. Acting-Detective Gibson said that on March 30 he accompanied Superintendent Eccles and Detective-Sergeant Nuttall to GConnor’s house in Cranston Street, Anderson’s Bay, where they arrived about 3.50 a.m. They were admitted by Mrs. O’Connor but O’Connor was in bed asleep. With some, difficulty O’Connor was awakened and while dressing himself he had remarked to witness and the others: “I did the murder.” He bad added: “I was not alone, but I will not say v.'ho else was there. It was my hand that pulled the trigger.” He had then said he was alone and 7 shaking hands -with Detective-Sergeant Nuttall, had remarked that they were not bad sports and he would tell them the truth. O’Connor had then told them that his hand had pulled the trigger and that he had heard Buchanan fall. On the way to the police station O’Connor bad taken from his pocket a cartridge smeared ivith blood and handed it to Act-ing-Detective Gibson. After being given the usual warning. O’Connor had been charged with attempted murder. He had made’no reply at the time but after the charge had been entered in the charge book he had asked what he was charged with. The charge had been read again and O’Connor had remarked: “Is that it?” Later in the morning Gibson had found about 150 yards from Buchanan’s house a discharged shotgun and a cartridge smeared with blood. , Detective-Sergeant Nuttall corroborated Gibson’s evidence.