THE PETONE TRAGEDY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 8991, 24 October 1896, Page 3

THE PETONE TRAGEDY.

Police find an Important Clue. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, October 23, The Post to-night says that although the police are very reticent, it has leaked out thai an important olue has been obtained by them in connection with the recent murder of Mr and Mra Tones, of Petone. Suspicion has for the last month been accumulating against a man whe is now in custody on another charge. The matter culminated the ether day, when the woman who waa living with this man, in the belief that she was his lawful wife, discovered, as the police had ascertained before her, that he had another wife still alive in New Zealand. The result has been that an information has been privately laid against him for bigamy by this weman, who has also made other statements to the police. According to her statement her supposed husband rushed into the house m an excited manner on Saturday or Sunday after the murder, and stated that the police were looking for a knife. He asked her to tell them if they came for him, that he waa not in, and than went. The rerrark struck her as peculiar, and remembering that she had seen a knife in the house on tho previous Thursday or Friday before, she began to search for it, and soon ascertained that it had gone. The police have in their possession tho case of that knife, bnt the weapon itself is not to be found. Searches, long and elaborate, has been made-, but the knife cannot,, bo far, be discovered. Even if it were found it wonld not ba conclusive evidence of guilt, bnt it might form an important link in the chain of circumstantial evidence. _____^^_ l ___