Charge Of Murder Heard In Court

Chronicle (Levin), 19 May 1949, Page 9

Charge Of Murder Heard In Court

NEW PLYMOUTH, May 18. Fighting in a house at Puniho pa on the night of April 27, was described in evidence before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., at New Plymouth . today when Moses Matthews, aged 39, a Maori farm labourer, was charged with the murder of his brother-in-law, Hurihanganui (Alex) Taueki, aged 42, who was admitted to the New Plymouth Hospital with injuries and died there on 'May 2. There are 18 witnesses for the Crown and of these 12 were heard before the Court rose until tomorrow. Hutu Hazel Taueki, deceased's widow, related how at a party at Taueki 's home on May 26, the day Taueki had all his teeth extraeted at New Plymouth, she heard the children crying in the kitchen and ran inside to find her husband lying on the floor and aecused standing over him hitting him and saying: "I;ll kill you! X'll kill you! ' ' Her husband was covered in blood. Marina Taueld, the 14-year-old daughter of deee^sed, said the flght started suddenly during the party at wliich five men were present. Aceused started the fight. He kieked her father and hit him on the head with a bottle. Blood was coming from her father 's mouth. He was lying down while the fight was on. Mr. R. H. Quilliam (for the Crown) : How long did this go on? Witness: About an hour. Counsel: What! The fighting? Witness: Yes. John Hunt, of Pungarehu, a farm hand, said there were three dozen bottles of beer at the house. Taueki and Matthews started fighting but he I did not know the reason. Matthews vyas hitting Taueki who erashed to the floor when he was let go. Matthews used his fists and not any weapon. Mr. Quilliam: What lcind of hits were they? Hunt: They were prettv hefty by the sound of than. Hunt added that when Taueki f'ell to the floor, Matthews started "putting the boot in" round the ribs. He said "I'll Mll you" twice and then asked "Have you had enough?" Taueki said nothing. Dr. H. N. Allen, pathologist at the hospital, who performed the post mortem examination on Taueki 's body, expressed the opinion that death was caused by bronchiai pneumonia. As a result of dental extractions, he said, the blood stream was eommonly infected by organisms. There was the possibility of infection also- from material in the tooth sockets. Unconseiousness due to brain injuries would be liable to cause pneumonia. The brain injuries must have resulted from violence in the vicinity of the rigiit eye, temple and ear. They could have been inflieted by heavy blows from a man's fists.