THE KYEBURN MURDER.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17419, 6 September 1928, Page 5

THE KYEBURN MURDER.

CHARGE AGAINST HARDIE. PRELIMINARY HEARING. COURT HELD AT NASEBY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Sept. 6. The Naseby Courthouse was packed yesterday at the preliminary hearing of the charge against William John Hardie, of murdering Joe Shum, a Chinese, at the Kyeburn gold diggings on July 17. Air E. B. Adams prosecuted, and the accused was represented by Mr A. C Hanlon.

The first witness was Dr Walter Syme Eudy, of Naseby, who said he went to Shum’s hut at the diggings with Constable Fox. There he found the dead man lying across the bed half clad and half covered with the bedding. He had apparently been dead for about 12 hours. An examination of the body showed a bullet wound in the right elbow, another at the lower end of the breastbone and one on each side of the body below the ribs Witness considered that the deceased had lived for some time after having been shot. One wound had been bandaged, that on the elbow. In his opinion death had been due to haemorrhage and shock, the results of bullet wounds. As he was a very strong man deceased would probably have been able to walk a considerable distance after the first shock of the wounds passed. Witness did not think it possible such wounds could have been selfinflicted. ' I

Sue Pee gave evidence that on returning from cutting wood he saw Shpm, who said: “(That man shot me. I am dying. Hurry and go to hotel and ask man to send car to take me to doctor.’’

Shum was lying on the hill, groaning in great pain, and was bleeding.

Witness said: 1 “Which man shot you?” and Shum replied: “The man you gave dinner. He wanted me to give him £IOO or he would shoot me.” Shum also said that he had gone to the hut and given accused all his gold, after which the accused shot him several times. Witness supported Shum to the hut, where witness removed his boots. Shum urged him to go for help, but witness wanted to wait until dark, because he was frightened. Shum said, “You need not be afraid, the gun has been broken and thrown in tussocks.” • ®

TO-DAY’S EVIDENCE. t (By Telegraph.—Press Association). DUNEDIN, Sept. 6 The hearing of the murder charge ■against William John Hardie was resumed at Naseby to-day. Kathleen Louisa Fox, wife of a constable, said the accused called on July 17* asking for the constable. He seemed to have a cold and was hoarse. She referred him to the courthouse.

Constable Fox related finding the body of Shum. His hut was not ransacked. A drawer containing papers and letters was open, but a sum of money in a receptacle was untouched. Witness had known the accused, who was on probation for* four months. On July 17 he was expecting Hardie to report, and on leaving the courthouse saw Hardie, who handed his paper to witness, saying: “I want you to transfer me to Dunedin. I’m not feeling too well, so I’ll go down and stop at my aunt’s place.” Witness replied it would be better to stop in the country, but Hardie said he was not' making any headway, and in Dunedin his aunt would find him a job.