PUKEKAWA MURDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20053, 16 September 1920, Page 6

PUKEKAWA MURDER.

arrest of farm hand. CHARGE AGAINST SAMUEL JOHN THORN. ACCUSED REMANDED. Ever since the tragedy at Pukekawa °’ l „ August 21: detectives and police officers liavo been busily engaged making exhaustive inquiries and hunting ■or a clue to the murder. Cn Saturday Detective-Sergeant Cummings, Sergeant Cowan (of Pukckohe), and Constable Thompson (of Tuakau) arrested a man named Samuel John Thorn, who was brought on to town by train in the evening. Ihorir was standing in the main street of iuakau, near the hotel, when bo was arrested on Saturday afternoon. The police officers, who. had been making investigations, had come in from Pukekawa a short while before, and, after taking their bags into tho police station, forty or fifty yards from tbc hotel, Sergeants Cummings and Cowan walked down the road to where Thorn was standing and told him they wanted him. Ho at once turned round and walked hack to tho Court between the two officers. About half an hour later the party came out of the Court again. Thorn was put into a.waiting motor-car, and, under an' escort of Sergeants Cummings and Cowan, and Constable Thompson, of Tuakau, was taken to Pukckohe, where he remained until he was put on the lato train find brought down to Auckland, arriving at nine o’clock. ACCUSED IN COURT. accused man was brought before ifir J. A\. Poynton, S.M., and was remanded for a week. There will probably be a further remand next Monday, as difficulty is expected in arranging a date to suit the witnesses in the country district at this time of tho year, now that the lambing season has set in. It is possible that, ns is frequently done, an endeavour may be made to have tho trial at the lower Court taken simultaneously with the inquest on the victim 'which has been opened and adjourned. In the event or that being done, the trial will most likely be at Pukckohe. . HAD WORKED ON EYRE’S FARM. Tho accused is a married man, with a family of six children, hut for some lime past he has been living apart from his wife, who is an invalid, and is understood to bo at present living with relatives in the Northern Wairoa. Thorn has been working about the district for several years doing labouring and farm work. During the late Mr Eyre’s absence Thorn was engaged ns manager of the former’s fanu i a position he held until about six weeks before the tragedy. He then obtained work on the dairy and grazing farm of Mr J. Granville, at Glen Murray, about twenty-one miles , from Tuakau, and somewhere about the same distance from Pukekawa. Thorn is a man about thirty-three years of age, ol short, stocky build, being about sft Bin in height, and a strong, active lellow, who had a reputation in the district for being handy with his fists and ( a first-class stockman. ‘ m After the discovery of the murder Thorn was one of a number of people interviewed. Ho was in bed in his whnre on Air Granillc’s farm when the police called on him oh the night after the crime, and he made a lengthy statement voluntarily. The police took charge of a double-barrelled gun and some cartridges, .which were removed for examination by an expert. The shoes were also taken off a hroso on the property, for tho purpose of comparison with certain tracks. Since then Thorn, had been living in Tuakau until arrested on Saturday afternoon. THE TRAGEDY. The victim, Sydney Seymour Eyre, a well-to-do farmer at Pukekawa, about eight miles from Tuakau, was shot dead on the night cf August 24, while sleeping in his house. His wife, who occupied a separate bed in the sumo room, was awakened by the explosion, and, upon getting a light, viewed the horrifying spectacle of her husband lying dead in bed, drenched in blood, the top- of his head having been shot off. As Mr Eyre was sleeping near the wide open window, it would appear that the fatal shot was fired! from outside. Tho glass in tho window was shattered by the explosion. Tracks of a horse coming to and going from the Eyre’s place were found the morning after the tragedy, and it is stated that a horse has been found whose hoofs fitted the tracks. There were apparently no marks under the bedroom window through which the shot is supposed to have been fired as tho ground was dry and 1 hard. Whoever fired the shot must have been well acquainted with tho position of the beds in order to avoid hitting Mrs Eyre. It was a bright moonlight night, however, and the murderer could probably see what- he was doing. The gun must have been held quite close up to tho victim’s face to have caused the result it did, the top of tho skull being blown clean off. HARD-WORKING FARMER. Mr Eyro served with the 50th Canadian Scottish during the war, being with tho regiment in Russia and Siberia. Prior to going to tho front Mr Evro was a member of Raglan County Council- , Ho was a particularly hardworking man, and in fact had been ordered away for the benefit of his health, which had evidently suffered from his close application to his farm. Ho was sent to Canada, and it was while he was in that country that ho enlisted. When ho returned to New Zealand he said he intended to take things easier, ami was making plans for putting up a modern bungalow on his property. H c waß a very popular man in his district, a ml was respected for his ability as a, farmer ami for his integrity. ' Naturally tho.murder created a good deal of feeling. in tho Pukekawa. and neighbouring districts. One of his neighbours remarked: “H 0 was a man who hadn’t an enemy in the Waikato.” Ho la said to have been worth about £30,000. His farm of 600 acres was one of the best worked 1 in the district.