THE ONGAROTO MURDER

Te Puke Times, 24 June 1921, Page 3

THE ONGAROTO MURDER

TRIAL OF HAKARAIA TE KAHU BEFORE SUPREME COURT AT HAMILTON Hamilton, June 22. jj In the Supreme Court yester--0 day, Hakaraia Te Kahu was a charged before Mr Justice Strin- " ger, with the murder of Patrick a Richmond. Elliott, at Ongaroto on March 26. The Courthouse ’ was packed. The accused, who i apparently was not affected, was ; represented by Mr M. H. Hampson and Mr J. D. Davys. Mr T. H. Gillies appeared as Crown Pro- ' secutor. , Dr Herbert Bertram, who, with ! Dr. Price, conducted a post ■ mortem examination of the body of Elliott, said that, except for l a slight abrasion on the side of the head, which might have been caused deaths bumping against a rock, there no other injury except the gunshot wound in the back of the neck. It was a double wound, such as would be caused by the discharge of the two barrels of a fowling j piece. There was a large number of shot in the wound, fhe , wound as such would cause in- , stantaneous death. He did not t think it could have been self-in-flicted. The shots must have been , fired at close range. The man I was dead, in witness’ opinion, be- 0 fore the body, was put in the j water. When he said that the 1 wound ivas not self-inflicted he - meant not deliberately self-in- .] flictee. It was possible that the _ deceased, when reaching for a j gun behind him, accidently discharged the weapon and shot him- 1 self. ! Replying to counsel, the wit- A _ ness said that it would be quite j impossible for Elliott to walk into ' the river after the wound had - been inflicted. ■ « Replying to His Honour the 1 witness said that the first shot p would kill Elliott. There would w be a good deal of bleeding from A the wound, and, if the deceased ■ was carried to the river, it was almost certain that the person carrying him would have his “ clothes bloodstained. 1