FOUND MURDERED.

Waikato Times, Volume 115, Issue 19203, 13 March 1934, Page 4

FOUND MURDERED.

AUCKLAND TAXI-DRIVER.

INQUEST ON JAMES BLAIR.

FINDING OF THE CORONER.

(By Telegrapn.—Press Association.} AUCKLAND, Tuesday. Tile inquest was concluded yesterday concerning the murder of the taxi-driver, Mr James Hunter Blair, aged 53, who was found dying at the wheel of his taxicab in King s Road, Mount noskill, early on the morning of October 15.

A milk roundsman. Mr Headley Fielding Davis, of Mount Roskill, said lie saw the cab standing a few feet from the kerb on the left side of King’s Road. Witness noticed a man in the driver's seat, and found that tlie- man was leaning back, with his head slightly turned toward the open window at his right. He was unconscious. All tiie doors of the cab were closed. Witness instantly communicated with the central police station by telephone. Dr. Walter Gilmour, pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, said deceased’s skull was extensively fractured. Witness had concluded that deceased received two blows from a heavy, blunt instrument, death being -due to fractures of Liie skull and hemorrhage of Hie brain.

Inquiries Yield No Result. “Our inquiries tracing likely suspects and supposed clues have taken us all over New Zealand without result,” stated Detective-Sergeant A. G. McHugh. “After ascertaining from Dr. Gilmour the class of instrument believed to have been used, we ob-' tained the services of 30 constables and began an extensive search of the locality with a view to recovering the instrument." Witness said all streets, water channels, vacant sections, lawns, backyards, hedges, fences, stone walls, underground caves and street water sumps were searched without result. An examination of the cab indicated that only one passenger had been in it on tiie last journey. The inquiries showed that deceased clocked in at tiie Belgium Street stand at 3.30 a.m. on October 15. About 3.45, Thomas Walter Taylor, white delivering milk, saw a man engage Blair’s cab. The last journey meter read exactly 8 G-10 miles, which shows that Blair must have driven straight to the scene of the crime after he was engaged at the Belgium Street rank. The running book showed that be did work amounting to £1 17s during tiie time lie used the taxi that night, which, with 10s given him, would amount to £2 7s. When the body was searched, it was found that deceased was in possession of £2 9s 9d. This showed that robbery could not have been a motive for the crime.

Mr McHugh said the milkman Taylor supplied tiie following description of tiie man he saw engaging the taxi at Belgium Street: About 30 years of age, 51t. Gin. to sft. 7iu., slim build, inclined to be dark, and dressed in a dark suit with a brownish overcoat and a felt hat.

“We conducted a house-to-house canvass with all available, detectives and 15 constables, but we failed to get any trace of this man in Lie locality or within a radius of one mile from the scene of the crime,” added wit- / ness. “We have traced and checked ■ up the movements of all known and desperate criminals about Auckland at the time, without result.” Only One Finding. “Well, there can be only one finding,” said the coroner, in giving his verdict. “That is, that tins unfortunate man died at the Auckland Hospital on October 15 and that he was murdered by some person or persons unknown."

The coroner added that death was due to the causes mentioned in tb medical evidence.