BELATED DISCOVERY OF CRIME

Chronicle (Levin), 7 November 1949, Page 4

BELATED DISCOVERY OF CRIME

An elderly woman, Emily Christina Hall, a widow; aged -69 was found brutaliy murdered in the -kitchen of lier home at the corner of Cook and Main Streets, Foxton, yesterday morning. She had been slowly strangled and her neck had been broken, Her head had been battered with a household fire shovel, the edge of which had been dented by the foree. The head wounds, however, were of a superfieial nature and were not sufficient to have eaused death. The discover-y Was made by Constable Ballock, of the Foxton police station, when, in response to a request to investigate a report that Mrs. Hall had not been seen since Fraday morning nnd that her house was locked up with all window blinds drawn, he forced an etitry into the house by releasing the door latch with a pocket-knife. A squad of- detectives from Palmerston North under the personal direetion of Superintendent H. J. Joyce imrnediately began investigations but at midnight no arrest had been made.

When Constable Ballock broke into ' the house he found Mrs Hall lying on her baek on the kitchen floor a short distance from the eoal-range arouiid which were grouped four chairs as though arranged for a quiet conversa tion between four people. Mrs Hall-'s head was lying in a pool of blood. The household shovei, whieh obviously was the instrument with which the kead in juries had been inflicted, was lying a short distance from the body. The side of. the shovel was badly dented and wacovered in blood. A gag improvised from an oven cloth made out of a pieee of sugar bag and edged with binding tape was tied around Mrs Hall's mouth and knotted ai the back with a single hitch knot. A linen^oven cloth was underneath hehead.

It would appear tnat airs nan mei her death as a result of being strangled by humen hands, but it is not yet cleai whether the head injuries were inflicted before or after Mrs Hall had" succumbed to slow strangulation and a bro ken neck. There wero no signs of an.y violent struggle having taken plaee, the furni ture being arranged in orderly fashiou. However, this is not thought surprising in view of the faet that Mrs Hall was of a very slight, frail build weighing not much more than 6st. There was no evidence that the house had been ransacked. '

There was some mention by foxton residents yesterday that Mrs Hall was in the habit of keeping fairly substantia.1 sums of money in her house buf aecording to the police last night nc large sum had been found in the house The diseovery of the murder resulted from the concern f elt for Mrs Hall V welfare by an old friend, Mr Jack Ross, an old age pensioner, of Foxton, Mr Ross has known Mrs Hall for nearly 20 years

and was a daily visitor to her house. vVhen he ealled on Priday afternoon he found all the doors locked and the blinds drawn. He called again on baturday and when he found the house atill shut up yesterday morning he suggested to a friend that they shouid ?ing Mrs Hall's sister, a Airs de Ridder, who was staying with friends in Whitvaker Street, Palmerston North. Mrs de Ridder was made aware of Mr Ross's concern and she rang the Foxton Hotel and asked a frieftd to visit the house. The hotel licensee, Mr Holland, went to the house and found no one there and it was then decided to acquaint the Dolice with the position.

Constable Ballock went to the house and there made his terrible diseovery. Mrs Hall was thought to have been last seen alive at' about 11 a.m. last Priday when her neighbours, Mr and Mrs S. Bills, of Main Street, saw her go out on a shopping expedition to the Foxton township. So far as is known no one saw Mrs Hall after that time. Mr Charles Nelson, a brother of Mrs Hall, ealled at her house as was his custom to exchange newspapers, at 3 p.m.. Finding the doors shut and at least two of the window blinds drawn he went away

again. . The houses of Mrs Hall's neighbours — Mr and Mrs Bills on the one side, and Mr Len Stevens on the other — are in very close proximity to Mrs Hall's residence but neither neighbours heard any untoward noises from the Priday midday to the time of the diseovery. ' When adviee of the murder was received at Palmerston North at 11 a.m. yesterday Snperintendent Joyce accompanied by Senior Deteetive O. S. Power, Detective-Sergeants J. G. Fong and J. H. Alty, and Deteetive F. Pine, made a t'ast journey through to Foxton arrivLng there at 11.40 a.m. Lajer in the day the Commissioner of Police, Mr J. Cuinmings, of Wellington, aeconrpanied by the pathologist, Dr. P. P. Lynch, visited the scene and Dr. Lynch conducted a post-mortem examination of the body. Sgt. J. Colelough, the department's fingerprint expert, and Constable W. Miller, police photographer, also came through from Wellington. When she was found Mrs Hall was fully clothed and was wearing a house dress. Her clothes were somewhat iisarranged but the police incline to tiir* view that this was probably ddiberately done with the intention of creatmg a false impresslon. It is understood that the post-mortem examinastion supported the view that the victim had not been outraged. Mrs Hall's nose was broken, possibly by a blow from the fist of her murderer. Mrs Hall had lived in Foxton for over 20 years and although she lived alone in her house she had a very wide eirele of fiiends and was not by any means a reeluse. She went out frequeutly and Lad many visitors. She was very active in her garden which she kept in very attractive state. An inquest was opened yesterday af- * ternoon before Mr ,T. S. Moir, of Levin. Evidence of identification was given by Mrs Hall's brother, Mr Charles Nelson, and the inquiry was then adjourned sixve die.