THE RUNANGA MURDER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 60, 4 December 1917, Page 9

THE RUNANGA MURDER

TRIAL OF EGGERS {' ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO HANG ME ..■ SIX TIMES; OVER " ' & REMARKABLE interview PRISONER COMMITTED FOR TRIAL By Telegraph—Press Associatian.

Creymooitli, December. 3. At the murder tnal this morning Jfche evidence related to lingers securing a inptror-car «.t Hokitika and going ito Jackson's,- en route to Cbristchurch. iLjetectivu Abbott detailed the arrest of ifcggers m Cliristchurch.

ihera was a sensational development jjust before the luncheon adjournment. iDetective Abbott said that accused a ?*.®4 iu open court for an interview [With Mrs. M'Mahon before being Brought to tho Coast. The Magistrate tsiiid there was ,no reason for an objection, and stated that the police could arrang'e the interview at Cnristchurcli. It took place at 8 o'clock in tho evening, and there were present Mrs. (M'Mahon, Chiof-Dctective M'llveney, iwitness, and accused. Mrs. M'Mahon was warned by the ohieMetective that it would be better for her not to disictiss the case with accused, and that whatever he said would bo taken down sus evideuco. Accuscd was similarly warned. , Mrs. .M'Mahon bad a conversation with accused. . : i Speaking to accused iihe said: "Oh, (Will.? Then there was a pause for a 3)it, when she said: "Did you shoot £he boy?" ■ , Acoused said: "I can't-say, Macklsoy; there's someone else there."

Mrs. M'Mahon Biiid: "Can't you clear yourself?". .

• Accused said: "No, it's no use; I haven't the ghost of a chance. They, have got enough, evidence to hang me six times over."

, Mrs.. M'Mahon said: /'Don't talk about hanging to me, Will; you. know mow I feel.. .Why did' you bring that to our room Accused replied: "I do not, know, Macksey; 1 made two mistakes." He went on to ask her to promise to fill in a form that he was going to write and send her by post. He asked her several times to comply with a request sfchat would be contained in the letter.

Mrs. M'Mahon, again said: "Why Aid you bring the'-money to the ■ room ?' He said: ".Look at the position I ani placed in. I can do nothing. I'm ,watched."

Then, addressing the detectives present,' accused said: "You can take it from me that she did not know .the money was in that bag" ; following this up with; "She did not know I was on Jhe Coast." . :

She said: "Yes, I did not know you were on the ijanst .till 1 got the postfcard. I thought you'were down south.'' i "That," • added , : Detective Abbott, ''was practically the whole of the interMew.

Elizabeth M'Mahon in the Box. At the afternoon sitting Elizabeth fil'Mahonj barmaid at the Empire Hotel, Christchurch,- said she' did not sleep ori' the premises, but had a'room at !286 Gloucester Street, .'jfor. four years she had been in the South Island. She had known accused for . about the same 'period. She first met him in ' Christchurch. Hiu name wis Frederick ■William 'Eggers. She had been barmaid at the Criterion Hotel,- Greyr mouth, for : about' 1 eight or-ten months. , She left the Criterion Hotel about February last: Accuscd was twice on the West Coast during the time she was. employed at the I Criterion Hotel..: He ,was about three weeks on the Coast, on the first visit, and about five weeks on the second occasion, that being before ' iFebruary. She next met him in Christchurch,at Easter time. ~' Mr. Hannan: During the time that you and he were in Christchurch, you lived as : man and wife. ■ Prisoner: I object to-that question, but if witness likes to answer -the question she may.. His Worship (to Mr. Hannan): "Do you press the question?" He did not know that the woman could'object;-'.He . (did not consider the question material. _ Counsel decided not to press the question. He ( said he would obtain the infori mation. from another witness; He put the question in view of witness having Used the words "coming home." . Witness: I always call Christchurch ''home." ,' '■ Mr. Hannan: And you-Occupied the .Same room in "286 Gloucester Street? Witness: I defcline'to' answer'that. The. Magistrate: You must answer ifchat question. Continuing, witness said that acjbnsed,. about a week prior to' October,

23, had occupied the samo room as her in Gloucester Street. When ho loft, on October 28, he had said ho was going down south—Geraldine way. Witness licit saw him when he camo back to Cliristchurch on Tuesday, November 13, at the Empire Hotel, at about 1 o'clock in the evening, after the arrival of tho Arthur's l J a-ss train. She had a telegram between Novemfo 3 and 13, sent from Springfield by accused; also a lotter-card, either on the Tuesday or Wodnesday before tho accused arrived. Sho had not kept tho telegram or card as they were of no importance. Sho had asked, him whv ho came from tho Coast instead of Geraldine, the letter-card indicating the former locality. When leaving on October 23,- accused took a Buit case. and a small brief bag. Those ' were tho same as were produced in Court. Later on she bad a visit from the deteotives at the hotel. Afterwards she, went to the lodging? occupied by accuscd . and herself-in Gloucester Street. Witness orjoned all the boxes in tho room for tho dotfictives. Accused was in the room when witness left in tho morning for her employment. She said the suit-case was in the room at the time of the search. She opened it with a key handed her by Detective Abbott. Sho saw when sho opened it that tht suit-case contained two bags of money similar to those produced. She did not see anything else. She got too big a shock when Bho saw tho bags pulled out to notice anything else. Sho wont to the police station after the search, and answered questions put to her. ■On tho following Monday night she saw accused as ino result of a message delivered to her by Detective Abbott. Between the Thursday and Monday night sho had a letter from accused, which was in the possession of Detective M'llveney, and from the communication she knew that accused desired an interview with her. On the Monday she went to tho station. The detectives told Jier she must not- go near him, must not touch him, and must not ask questions that could be used in evidence against accused. Two dctectives and a policeman were present at the interview; and close enough to hear all that was said. The detectives similarl) warned acoused. Sho asked accused how he was, and he said be was very well, that he had asked for an English minister in Lyttelton, anil Could not get one, also about a wire for her to go to- Lyttelton, witness explaining that the wire had gone to another address, and that she had not got it in time to get to Lyttelton. She asked him why he had that money in hig possession, and . why he did not tell her he had it. She did not remember what else she.said. She was upset. She asked him to tell her the truth about it and where he got tho money. All sho remembered was that ho said he could not toll' her. The detectives said she must hot ask him questions^ * "Not the Only One."

She said she asked him how he came to be mixed up in the Riinanga murder, and if he did it. *: Accused, 6he thought, replied, but she did not remember his words. She asked him if there was anyone else in it, and asked him to tell her the truth about it,, and why lie brought the money where she was and said nothing about it. Accused said he was not the only one, and "I made two great mistakes." The detectives again told hor that she must not ask questions. Accused asked her why she had not done -something .for him. She , asked why he had put her in such a position. : He. said it had nothing to do with her—that she knew nothing about it, also that she did not even know he had been to the Coast. Accused said he would write out a statement and leave it for her, telling hor what he wanted her to do.

Boardinghouso-kceper Gives Evidence. Lucy Thompson, boardinghousekeeper, Cliristchurch, stated that she knew accused, who took a room at her house on several occasions. A woman stayed with him named M'Mahon, who said she was accused's wife. M'Mahon was working at the Empire Hotel in Cliristchurch. Accused camo there first on the night of September 10, and remained one woek, and left on Tuesday .morning at 8.15. Accused ncVer stated where he was going. Witness did not know if accused returned on tho following Saturday, and said lie had been op the Coast, but it was very wet. Accused did not say how "he had returned. , Witness did not notice what luggage accused had with him] Witness could not say how long accused stayed. He went away oil a Tuesday ■ morning. , Accused always loft at tile same time: He was away for a fortnight on this occasion, and returned on a Saturday. He said he had come a long way on a motor, which liad Struck a rock in the Waiihakariri,: and the occupants were nearly drowned. " Accused had the knee M' his trousers torn, and his clothes were hung out to dry. On Sunday accused was wearing a blue suit. On that occasion he remained about a week, and then loft again on

a Tuesday. On the next occasion accused was away for a fortnight, and returned two days before the money was found in hjs room. M'Mahon was with accused when ho came to tho house. Witness hoard a motor-car stop, but did not turn round to see what luggage they had. Witness saw accused on the Wednesday morning. He came to the washhouse whoro witness was, carrying a bundle of paper. In the paper was brown and white tweed in small pieces, which ac-cused-burnt. He returned with some more and burnt it also. Accused was a commercial traveller as far as witness knew, and was travelling for Anthony Hordorn. of Sydney. '

Accused on the West Coast. William Guard Kellar, hotolkeeper, Hokitika, in his evidence, stated that he know the accused, who arrived at tho hotel at a quarter to ten on tho morning of November I' 2, booked up, and took room No. 1(3. Accused had a small handbag and a small suit-case. Witness took the larger bag, and went upstairs and showed accused the room. The bag produced was the same bag that witness carried up. The small bag exhibited was the same as the one accused had. The suit-case seemed heavy, and was heavier than usual bags of the same size which witness lmd handled. Witness heard accused discussing the murder, with four or live other persons. He informed witness that he was leaving for Otira next morning..

An Export on Cuns and Bullets, | William Hendry Tisdsill, gunsmith, Christcliurcii, said he had examined the 3'l calibre Colt automatic pistol, with a | magazine holding eight shots. If the revulvor had been used it had been carefully cleaned. It was impossible to Say it had been used. There were six , grooves in the barrel. "Witness took a ; wax impression of the interior. (Accused examined the impression carefully.) Witness, continuing, said he had examined the cartridges. Some were made by the W.R.A., and others were made by I'eters. The cartridges were loaded with fully metalled patched bullets. He tired the revolver on the previous day, and two of the shells were produced., The indention on the cap varies little, and the grooves show very distinctly, quite the satoo as on the wax. He weighed the bullets, ■which were exactly 74 grains each. Witness also examined two metal patched bullets, and they exactly corresponded with the ones witness tired. The bullets were not of the same class. Both bullets weighed 74 grains, the samo weight as tne ones witness fired. Tho grooves on the bullets corresponded exactly with- grooves on the wax impression. Witness examined four shells which were of two different brands. Tho Bhclls were similar to the ones witness fired yesterday. Witness also examined a plain metal patched bullet (from Mr.- Hall), and it bore the • same grooves as the wax impression, 'and was the 6amo weight (74 grains), and had the same grooves as the bullets iired by i witness. The empty cartridge shell (exhibit I) witness examined and found it a 32 automatic W.R.A. Co: The cartridge fitted tho automatic pistol (exhibit G), The pistol took eight cartridges, and was loaded with Peters and part W.R.A. Co., and the cartridges contained all metal patched bullets. The automatic threw tho: shell, but the average throw-out would be about 10 or lift. Tho sound bullet that was found in the car might havo been-stopped in its mission by a coat or anything like, that, and dropped in thenar, but witness could not express an opinion on whv it, did not go through the car. Witness found a weak cartridge when he was experimenting. Therefore the velocity would be poor. Witness examined (exhibit K) Mr. ' Hall's -revolver. Four cartridges had - been discharged, and one live one was still in the chamber. The calibre was ■ 38. It would bo quite impossible to , fire the W.R.A. Co. or the Peters cartridge from that revolver. It was not an automatic and did not dischargo the shells, which Would havo to be removed by hand. To acCi'Bfid: Of the four empty cases that had been discharged by witness, two were Peters and two wero W.R.A. Co. Accused: Did the indention vary on the four rounds P Witness: Tee, they varied. Accused: Did they vary right throughout? Witness: Yes, right throughout on both types of ammunition. Tho Crown' Prosecutor stated that tha,t was all the evidence. Committed. For Trial. i The Magistrate,, to uccused: It is necessary that yovt should have heard all the evidence. ,' ' Accused: .I have hwara it all. Tho Crown Prosecutor stated that he. had heard to-daj l from the medical superintendent at the Grey .River Hospital that thero was a possibility of Mr. Hall being able to give evidence at the end of the week. "The evidence should be taken in the ordinary way instead of the depositions, and if.Your Worship thinks it important a remand till Friday might be granted. It .would mean that the prisoner would, be kept hero till Friday next. . The Magistrate: I.have read the depositions, and I don't think there is any necessity for a remand. In reply to His Worship accused said he had nothing to say. _ The Magistrate,: Then the evidence is such that I commit you to take your trial for the murder of one John Coultbard. , Tile Crown Prosecutor: Will the trial take place at Cliristchurch or oil tho Coast P The Cliristchurch sittings take place in February and the Greymouth sittings a month later. The accused: If there is no objection from the Crown, I myself would prefer Cliristchurch, The Magistrate: My own view is that it should be held in Cliristchurch in February. The Magistrate, to accused: Now is your time to make an application for counsel to defend you. Accuscd: Will the application have to be made immediately? The Magistrate: "I am prepared to make p, straight-out recommendation regarding the application." He asked tile Crown Prosecutor to assist in seeing that the prisoner was defended. The Crown Prosecutor: Any application made from Your Worship will not be opposed by the Crown, Tho Inspector: It is the police wish that the prisoner proceed to Christchurch as soon as possible. This closed the charge against Eggors for the murder of John Coulthard. Tho ' Court rose at 5.10 p.m.