HATAITAI TRAGEDY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 191, 14 August 1931, Page 8

HATAITAI TRAGEDY

COATS IN THE DOCK FURTHER CROWN EVIDENCE INQUIRY STILL UNFINISHED [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. The case against Coats for the alleged murder of the girl Symons was continued to-day. The Court was again crowded. The examination of the witness Glover was continued. He said that De Maine was generally at accused’s room when he was there. They usually played cards.

Questioned about a conversation with recard to Phillis on one occasion, Coats said that he had done something to her, but would not say how he had done it. On another occasion Coats told him that he got “a beaut on to Phillis the other night. I took her out to Hataitai and tapped her on the back of the head with a piece of pine and knocked her out.” Coats said hrwaited till she came to. Coats told him that she said she felt cold all over and he kidded her that she was going to die. Mr Macasseyr “Did Coats tell you what he hit her for?” “He said just to knock her out.” He told witness to keep it under his hat. Witness said he was at Coat’s room on June 25. On that occasion Phillis said that they were back in their rent, and were going to shift over the week-end. That was the last time, witness saw Phillis alive and tho last time he saw Coats before Coats was arrested. On June 30 he called a: Coats’ room. He turned the mattress on the bed and found a letter produced On the morning of Sunday, July 5, witness handed to Phillis’ father the letter he had found under the mattresM Witness said that Phillis appeared ti. be fond of Coats and Coats appeared to witness to treat her fair. She wa? nearly always willing to do anyihine for him. She nearly always obeyed him if he asked her to do anythiig. Mr Treadwell asked witness if he was quite certain that the letter pio duced was the one he had found. Witness said he could not read it when he first found it owing to his bad eyesight. He first knew its full contents when he handed it over to Symons. He remembered something in it, about suicide. He remembered that she said that Coats was doing his best to keep her in food and that she wanted her parents’ consent ta marry Coats. Hole Dug in Bank. Robert Brockie, married, living at Grafton Road, Roseneath, said that ho had been employed on relief works at Hataiti, commening on April 28, work ing four days a week from Monday to Thursday included. He Knew accused Coats by sight. Coats was engaged on the same work as witness. Coats worked on the, lower tip. Witness remembered the Hutt-Wellington football match played on June 3, and during that week he was working on the higher tip and accused was working on the lower. During that week he saw accused excavating a hole in the bank. He did this every day on all occasions when be was not working. Witness identified the place where Coats ha l dug the hoie on the photo produced. The hole was about sft. long, 3ft. wine, and anywhere from 2ft. to 3ft. deep. The hole could be very quickly covered up by spoil tipped over. To Air Treadwell: Accused was working on the hole for about three days while witness was there. Sydney Penketh, married, of Island Bay, another relief worker, said that from June 1 to June 4 he was on the lower tip with Coats as mate. Mr Macassey: On any of those days between arrival of trucks did yuu . ee accused go anywhere?—Yes, 1 did. He was digging a hole into the bank where they were tipping spoil from the top. “How far was that from where you ■ were?” —“About fifty yards.” Witness said that Coats did the digging. On several occasions during the four days, accused told witness he never saw him in it. There was a plantation of trees nearer the tip-head than, the hole and this would have provided some shelter from the wind. One of the workers mentioned in Coat’s presence that the hole would be a good place to bury anyone. Witness could nut say definitely who made the remark. It might have been Coats or witness himself. They were the only two present. Witness remarked that they would never find them there. Coats said that spoil from the top kept coming down and filling up the hole. On one occasion one of the workmen asked Coats what he was digging the hole for, and accused replied, “To bury a dog.” Accused told witness that a chemist along the road often poisoned dogs and buried them there. Accused said that he was living with a young girl who had told him that she was over 18, but he had found out that she was not and he would have to put her out before he got into trouble. John Dunsmuir, another relief worker, said that on June 25 Coats came to where witness and another man named Cutfield were working, and asked witness to lend him a shovel, saying that he wanted to bury a dog. Witness said that the best place was to dig a hole on top of the tip and bury it in soft clay there. Coats said that the dog was still alive. In answer to further questions by witness and Cut field, Coats said that he was going to kill the dog by hitting it on the head. It was then near 5 o’clock and before leaving witness left a «hovel under one of the trucks and another was left behind by one of the workers. He did that to oblige accused. Usually shovels were put in the shed overnight. While on the way home accused remarked that if he could get a job he would go to Napier. Truck Workers Called. Willoughby Brassey Cutfield, brakes man on the trucks, corroborated the leaving of a shovel. He said that Coats had some letters in his hand, and said that he was going to Auckland for a job. He Tvas undecided which route he would take, but might go to Napier by car. Leonard Oswald Gyde, track driver, was giving evidence at the lunch adjournment. Continuing his evidence when the Court resumed, Gyde said that Coats was not carrying a shovel when he met him. One Saturday night, about a week later, witness met accused who asked for the use of his motor-cycle. The machine, however, was under repair, and :

witness told Coats so. Witness did not know of any crevices in the bank in which accused might have hidden a shovel on the 26th. of June. James Vivian Alorris said he had been working on relief works at Hataitai since Alay 1. On Friday, June 26, he was working with a man named Skilling on the lower tip. He commenced work at 8 o’clock and a little later on he noticed two shovels stuck in the side of the tram line. Witness pointed out. the place on the photograph. This was about 10 o’clock. The shovels were standing up in the ground about four chains away from where witness was standing. There were no workmen in the vicinity of the shovels at the time. James Skilling, relief worker, also gave evidence about seeing two shovels between the bank and the truck line on the morning of June 26. He agreed with the previous witness that there were no workmen in the vicinity of the shovels at that time. The same afternoon a man came up to witness an I his companion. On leaving he picked up one of the two shovels and disappeared round a bend. Cross-examined by Air James, witness said that he made no effort to prevent the man from taking the shovel and he did not mention the matter to the foreman. Ho might have mentioned it to his mates. Taxi-Driver’s Story. Other relief workers gave evidence concerning Coats’ movements. Charles Idrys Kidson, engineer in charge of the Hataitai relief works, described the plans for filling the hollow to make a new recreation ground. Two tips were being used. The deepest point would be at the junction between the two tips, about forty feet below the higher level. This was very near the position where the girl’s body had later been found. Alan Campbell Alelville, taxi driver, said he had known Coats for more than 18 months. He knew he was keeping company with a girl named Phillis and had often driven them in his car. Accused had his mail addressed care of witness and had often played cards with him and other friends. Accused told him the girl had run away from home. When the couple moved to Adelaide Road accused told witness the girl was pregnant and he was going to try and get rid of the child. Pills were a failure. There was mention of a crochet needle.

Questioned further, Alelville said that accused had once said something abf/ut “giving her a crack.” Alelville remembered Glover coming to him with a letter he had found on Tuesday, the last day in June. On the following Saturday night, July 4, Alelville told the father of the girl about it. Wit ness knew that as the result of the letter a complaint was made to the police. Cross-examined by Air Treadwell,

Alelville said that the month when Coats spoke of the girl being pregnant was about Alay. Witness was in the cab office w'hen Glover showed him the letter, and he was with Glover when he showed it to Symons. They gave it to Symons next morning, Sunday. Symons read part of it out. “He was pretty cut up.” The Court adjourned until to-morrow morning.