RUAHINE TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2352, 7 January 1915, Page 6

RUAHINE TRAGEDY

INQUEST AT MANGAWEKA

! ROTTMANN IN" COURT

! (By'Ttlcgraph.—Presa 'Association.) , . Talhapßj January .6. i , TKe Mangaweka Courthouse was not t pearly large enough to accommodate j: the large raowd which sought this r morning to obtain a glimpse of Arthur !:; 1 ißottmann; • the young German charged ... [with ..the: murder, under 'peculiarly v brutal circumstances, on Docember 28, . pf John Josoph. M'Oann, a well-known > dairy, farmer of Ruahine, his wife, ! 'Lucy, and their infant son, John, aged i- /fifteen months, . i j Rottmann had been brought up from iWellington to be present ,at the ini quest on the bodies of the victims, and as thore was some talk of a hostile i •/demonstration; ■he had been taken I quietly lin to Mangawefc under an ;■ «scbrfc of half a dozen constables. Mr. W. It. 'Haselden,; S.M., officiated p ,as Coroner. Mr; O. C. Hutton; .Wa:i . • nganui District Crown Prosecutor,, ap-' i peared for the Crown, and tho polico ; ;were. represented by Inspector Wilson land Detective-Sergeant Siddolls, ,Wanganui. - r. The history of the tragedy,, already i /fully: described in the. Press, was out- ! dined by tho Crown Prosecutor.. ['■ '■ Thefirst witness, Herbert Sweet, a. '• . of M'Cann's, stated that he '•saw M'Cann last before noon on Sun:day, December 27. He was quite cheer'ful and arranged to come to help ,witness shearing next morning. He, howi, ever, did not arrive, or send any mes- 1 . sage. : .'V |. 5 Albert Pachett, manager: of the Rua-. f rliino factory, which M'Cann supplied,' said fourteen suppliers delivered milk i .about the' same time each morning; 1 M'Cami arrived usually at 7.45; on Sun- : day, he , arrived ■at that time and deliver-' I: Jed 6691b./of milk.On Monday, liott'.maim brought the milk at'6.3o, a.mi; He v . y/as tho first to arrive.*, Rottmann ; Said: "We were in a hurry; Joe is . going fleecing." Rottmann was in a j. ihurry. The milk • that day , weighed 6541b..; He' pointed this :ouV to Hottimann, who said: "Joe: spile :a can of |~ inilk." In no previous easel had M'Cann's supply dropped suddenly, and | . there, was no previous case of any supi ply dropping to the extent of one-sixth I of the supply.: M'Cann's drop of 1101b. f. ,Was unprecedented. There was no milk

i from M'Cann's on; Monday, and wit- ! Bess and Poole went to M'Cann's house. I It was locked up and they went to the cowshed,' opened the door, and saw | ; M'Cann's body in a pool of blood, with ; the head .split open. They closed tho i ■ itloor, came away, and. informed tho p- police.. ■ . .1 , Gustave Kreger deposed to visiting i 'M'Canna's with Felix Fox at 4 p.m. on i ~ [Tuesday and to finding the bodies. ... Archibald M'Mi'Jan, gave ' evidence k; that he saw Eottmann going to the faci tary early on Monday morning;' It was i a warm .morning, -.and''he noticed'that Bottmann's <:oat was "buttoned, and hid j.. Ihis shirt. He appeared'to be in a'great i ( hurry. Rottmann ivm using one. hand. | {The.other,.was in a pocket.i: ''. -, _At .this stage' Rottmannj for the first i: : iimey -availed himself of the right to ask !■ ■■"' questions t '-'You say I only used one hand. How can that be, when I made a cigarette 1 whilst getting the whey?" he asked. Witness replied: "I did not see you i . tnaking„a cigarette or- smoking either.!' ; Jas. Badland stated that he saw i Rottmann at.Rangiwahia on-' Boxing Day.' Rottmann said M'Cann could i milk the cows, ■ arid he'did not care if ho ..got the sack. •: He. next saw Rottr ; mann; at Mangaweka-on. Monday mornsaid M'Cann had tho cheekj. to4ock : -:the back door, and he.'had had ! the cheek to go in the front ' door. [■:.... Kottmann said-'M'Cann.:.was going to. I Feildingthat.day, driving via Kimbol- : tan. Witness asked how about'the j cows, to which Rottmann replied: "Joe [• • is- coming back, and; he, will milk the' !• cows." Witness uudorstood from' what i SRqttmaaui said -that M'Cami had ' not i v spoken -to' him -on . Monday morning, .: ]et alone, reprimanded him. p . Dr: Tumbull described the injuries of i. 'M'Cann, Mrs. ' M'Cann, and the child; ! .The former had six wounds, four of i which penetrated the brain,, and were sufficient to 'cause death. Mrs. ; M'Cann jihad 'four- severe wounds, • one ;of 'which : penetrated the brain, and was sufficient r {to cause, death'.' 'All would cause ini- | / mediate, ■unconsciousness. The ..baby. '.had Wo, wounds, which penetratijd the | •brziri. ' A shirt was found in !. man's;., room with., blood-stains ;on .it,. ! but mtness unable, to .determine if the .-stains were of human blood. .: Conßtablo . EsseU' deposod aa fe ini storming; Rottmann that the;- new' alien '(regulations prohibited him from leaving the district without the [permission: ; of tho police. Rottmann said ho had no intention of leaving'tho.',district; as I 'Jio' was doing ( well in. his present situa- !, tion.- ' However, Rottmann left weka by train a few miiiufes later. Wit-' - ness had found a blood-stained tomahawk on Uio grass under tho window : Rottmann's room. ' There was no track of milk spilt in M'Cann's cowi shed and the vicinity, which had been soarchihgly examined. 1 • ■ v Wm: Neal said )he was in company ■with Rottmann on Boxing Day at Hangiwahia. Rottmann ira 9 drunk in j. the afternoon, but wa9 sober-when ho 'left at midnight. . Rottmann Baid he ! did not want to go home till M'Cann, | wis in bed, as he would reprimand him iv . for being away. ■ -Thos. James stated that he saw Rottmann ride into Mangaweka on M'Cann's i horse on Monday morning, and leave it at the stables.; - ! . The Coroner stated that he would take i time to -consider the verdict. Rottmann, who was brought ■up to ! -Mangaweka from Wellington in charge i . of Constables Crowe and Chapman, will i 1)o charged at, the Magistrate's Court j here to-morrow with the murder of i M'Cann, Mrs. M'Cann, and the child: : Then- he will be taken back to Wel- | . lington,arid will later be transferred r to .Wanganui to stand his trial before j . a Supreme Court Judge and jury.'