THE PUKEKAWA MURDER

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14492, 15 October 1920, Page 5

THE PUKEKAWA MURDER

THORN BEFORE THE COURT. CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION. / MRS EYRE’S EVIDENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association. PUKEKOHE, Thursday. The preliminary trial of Samuel John Thorn, charged with the murder of Sydney Seymour Eyre, at Pukekawa, on August 2-4, was begun at Pukckohe today, before Mr Poynton, S.M. Mrs Eyre’s Evidence. Formal evidence giving plans and photographs of the scene of the murder was given by Alexander Newton and Thomas Kelly. Millicent Eyre, widow of the deceased. staled that the property of 000 acres owned by her late husband was worth between £15,000 and £20,000. She and deceased were married in Tuakau in June, 190 4, and they lived on the farm at Pukekawa ever since. Stic had never been away for more than a week. There were five children —Philip, 16 years; Dora, 14 years; John. 12 years; Ausloy Seymour (“Jock”), l(t years: Beatrice Marx, 4 years. Witness gave particulars of her husband’s absence as staled before by counsel lie went away in 1917, and returned in August, 1919. Her husband did not actually get into field service at the front on account of his health. When her husband left in 1917 the farm hand was Lawrence Wilkes, who subsequently met with an accident and died. Then she employed a Maori named Oil for about three months, and afterwards William Russ and Allen McCauley were successively on the farm. In October, 1918. accused was employed at £3 per week and keep, and lie remained on the farm until July, J 920, when Mr Eyre dismissed him. Accused ttien went to work for Mr Granville. When on Ihe farm Thorn slept in a rgom occupied by (he elder boys, Phil ahd Jock, and witness slept in a room by herself, the younger children being in another room. At the time of her husband's departure the farm had readied the stage when money matters were easy. When her husband returned his health was indifferent, hut he was gradually gelling better. He said he preferred to sleep ! alone, as ho felt hotter when alone, I and lie habitually slept in a single bed | by file window, which was also raised I about two feel. Her husband on his I return frequently had words with I Thorn, and accused always told her he disliked her husband. Mrs Eyre stated that on the night of August 2-4 there wits nobody at the house except the members of (tic familv. and evervone was in hod about n .. .. . . , , , .

0 p.rn. Her husband and Philip wore | the last to go to bed, and she saw that the front door was closed. She was awakened after having been asleep some lime hy (he accused’s dog barking under the hoy’s room. This dog. Boh. had been taken away hy Thorn when he left the farm, but hail come hack by itself. The dog was barking furiously, ami she called to it to lie down, which it did after a time, and she again went off to sleep, to be awakened later by the shot of a gnu. She heard quick heavy steps up the) side of the house, apparently going towards (lie hack gale. She called lo

her husband, and getting no answer she struck a light, and discovered the top of his head had been blown away. It was bright moonlight outside, but there was smoke in the room and window. The blind was partly drawn, so that she could not see without a j light. When sim discovered what had happened she went to the hoys’ room and found Philip, and sent for (lie police and the doctor. Siie then noticed that the clock, which had been wound up just before she went to bed, had stopped, and (lie time by if was between It.to and 11.15. Between five and ten minutes after the hoys had left the house for help she heard a horse cross the bridge below the house, apparently going away from the house. Mrs Eyre also said that accused visited the farm on August 2 t. He had often told her lie loved her, and asked tier to go and live with him. She admitted that relations had been improper between the accused and herself and they continued after her husband returned. She could noI prevent him, because lie would have told her husband and have her name dragged in the gutter and get tier divorced. AUCKLAND, Friday. Doctors’ Evidence. Doctor Wake gave evidence that Eyre was apparently murdered while asleep by Hie tiring of a gun close to his head from outside the window, window. Dr. C. Smith gave evidenee that he found about forty pellets of shot in the base of the skull. He concluded from tests that the shot would have been tired easier by a left-banded than a right-handed man. He considered U was impossible that the shot had been fued from inside the room.