WOMAN MURDERED

Waipa Post, Volume 42, Issue 3314, 25 June 1931, Page 4

WOMAN MURDERED

DAUGHTER STABBED WITH KNIFE. MAN UNDER ARREST IN HOSPITAL. 'By Telegraph. Press Association.) v AUCKLAND, Wednesday. Just before nine o'clock this morning, in a Newton home, Mrs Gwen Johnson, aged about 40, was stabbed to death, and her daughter, _ Miss Queenie Driscoll, was wounded in the arm, and lysol was thrown in her face Cries of "He's murdered her" attracted neighbours, and a man was seen to stagger down the front steps leading from the house. His hands were covered in blood. He ran down the street, turned a corner, and leaped into a waiting taxi. m Over two hours later a Maori named George Rameka, aged 36, was found in a house at 87, Hepburn Street. He was suffering from the effects of poison, and he was taken to the Auckland Hospital. His condition this afternoon was reported to have sufficiently improved to enable him to be questioned by detectives. Rameka's full name is Pahara Rameka Kere. He is a returned soldier. Raweka is under arrest on a charge of murder, although he was not in a fit state to be formally charged this afternoon. The murdered woman was found lying on the floor in the front upstairs bedroom. She was in her nightdress. Both Mrs Johnson and her daughter, who occupied the same bed, had not got up. A graphic story of what happened was told by Mrs L. Keesing, the tenant of the house. "We had trouble with a Maori last night," she said. "He came to the front door about 7.30 and threatened to commit suicide bytaking poison. I said to him, 'Do it outside —not in here,' and I pushed him out of the door. After that we went to a dance in the Orange Hall with Mrs Johnson, Miss Queenie Driscoll and Mrs Johnson's son, Mr Sydney Driscoll.

"When we came home I had it in my mind that the Maori might be dead under the house," remarked Mrs Keesing. DOOR LOCKED FROM INSIDE. "Before / was dressed this morning I heard Queenie calling out 'Murder' from the upstairs bedroom, where she slept with her mother. I knew instinctively what had happened. I grabbed a flatiron and rushed up to the bedroom. The door was locked from the inside. I screamed 'Open the door.' Inside I heard Queenie screaming and I started to smash the door in with the flatiron.

"My efforts apparently frightened the person inside, as the door was quickly unlocked, and the Maori who had been at the front door the night before, rushed out and made for me with his right arm raised. In his hand was a new sheath knife. I caught hold of his raised arm, and struck him with the iron. He made another rush at me, and fortunately the French windows on to the balcony were open, so that I was able to escape." DAUGHTER'S STORY.

The Maori staggered and fell down the stairs, said Mrs Keesing. She went into the bedroom and found Mrs Johnson lying on the floor, bleeding profusely from a deep wound in her right breast. She died shortly after. Queenie, said Mrs Keesing, was bleeding from a stab in the right arm above the wrist, and was blinded by a poison which had been thrown in her face. Her right eye was closed. Mrs Keesing asked Queenie what had happened, but the girl could tell only an incoherent story. She said she had been in bed with her mother, who was asleep. Queenie tried to ward off the blow, and being a strong girl, had a short but fierce struggle with her mother's assailant. In the struggle Queenie was wounded. In the meantime the Maori had staggered and fallen down the stairs to the front door. His hands were dripping with blood. An eye-witness says he staggered down the front steps like a drunken man. He ran down Randolph Street, turned the corner into France Street, and jumped into a waiting taxi. The car moved off in the direction of Newton Road.

SCEEAMS FOR HELP. As the man was leaving Mrs Keesing screamed from the balcony "He's murdered her" Her daughter Myra, aged 9, also ran out screaming, and her mother told her to find a man to stop the Maori. ~ ~ , Mrs Keesing's daughter said that when the Maori arrived at the house last night Mrs Johnson said, "It is not Queenie he wants to do harm to. It is me.". Myra said her mother said: "Don't be frightened. I'll put him out." And she did. Mrs Johnson was twice married, the second time about 12 months ago. Her husband is due in Auckland on Monday by the Niagara, on which he is a steward. Immediately the murder was reported, Sub-Inspector T. Gibson, in charge of detectives,, organised a search for the Maori who had been seen in the house. „ Detective Bowman visited Freeman's Bay,-where he knew several families of Maoris -lived. Detective A. Moore accompanied him, and they went to a small two storeyed house at 87, Hepburn Street, occupied by a Mrs Murphy, a cousin of Rameka's. Detective Bowman ascertained that Rameka had been there early this morning, but had been removed to the hospital as the result of "poisoning only a few minutes before'the_arrival of the detectives. . \ . , * . V-

\ "DONE SOMETHING ;BAD." -Mrs Murphy was unaware that Rameka was being sought concerning the mnrder in. Randolph Street. ; She said that Rameka,:who had.previously resided in the house, arrived :Vthere about : nine o'clock this morning in a taxi., He went into her .bedroom, and she said "good morning'" to him. He did hot reply. He seemed very quiet and'would not speak. She pressed him and wanted to know what was wrong. Then he said he had "done something had," 'What- wrong, what have you dpne.?' : ' »'""- -asked. '.,•.* • : , : . : . "You r ! ! irnow later," said Rameka. 'Handing a sealed letter to his cou-

sin, Rameka then said, "Give this to my father. Do that for me. This is the end of my life." Rameka left the bedroom and went out into the kitchen, where he washed his hands in the sink. On returning to the bedroom again, Mrs Murphy again asked him what had gone wrong and why he should talk of taking his life. "GIRL TURNED ME DOWN." "Because my girl turned me down, and all her people too," said Rameka. Rameka then began to foam at the mouth, and collapsed on the floor unconscious.

Dr Lamb was summoned, and arriving shortly afterwards, Rameka was taken to the hospital in an am|bulance.

Detectives searched for a bottle of poison, but were unable to find it. However, they founft, the cork, which was : : saturated with the corrosive liquid. ,:,;^:--v. 1 :;./, : ..;v;^.