NO SIGN OF CAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 106, 17 February 1950, Page 2

NO SIGN OF CAR

SEARCH BY POLICE WHAKATANE SHOOTING INVESTIGATION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 16. Several car loads of armed police to-day covered many miles of country roads in the Whakatane county interviewing farmers, foresters, and bushmen in an attempt to trace the missing car of Frederick ' Stanley Hodson, of Lake Rotoma, whose body was found near Te Teko on Tuesday with a gunshot wound in the chest. The police are also trying to find a missing Edgecumbe man. Transport Department inspectors, county officials, and Forest Service aircraft co-operated, but the second day of an intensive search ended tonight without result. Inquiries so far have revealed no motive for Mr Hodson’s death. Although it is known Mr Hodson’s death was caused by a gunshot wound in the chest, it is not yet known what type of weapon was used. A postmortem examination was completed to-day by Dr. Walter Gilmour, the Auckland pathologist, at the Rotorua Hospital, hut his report has not yet been received at Te Teko. . Several reports from settlers were checked ,and late this afternoon when the police returned to their base several car loads hurried to an area between Lake Rotoma and the coast in response to another message. They returned three hours later without having found the car. Many of' the men brought to Te Teko for the search will sleep on sofas and on mattresses on the floors at the Te Teko Hotel to-night.* The hotel is catering for nearly twice the number normally accommodated. Meals are being served to suit the convenience of the police parties, and this evening about 10 of the searchers sat down to dinner two hours late, after being delayed on the search! i

REPORTS TO POLICE AT FEILDING

MAN’S REFERENCE TO CATCHING SHIP (P.A.)’ PALMERSTON N., Feb. 16. A man who answers to a description circulated by the police after the Whakatane shooting visited a saddlery shop at Feilding on Wednesday afternoon. He sold a pair of hob-nailed boots and bought a suitcase. He said he was going to Wellington to catch his ship. . A chemist ih Feilding has also reported to the police that on Wednesday a man answering to this description bought a razor. The man had / several days’ growth of beard.