THE PAKEHA TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 222, 13 June 1919, Page 6

THE PAKEHA TRAGEDY

~ ANOTHER ADJOURNMENT MEDICAL WITNESS NOT TO BE FOUND. '•The .case.'in which Sergeant Edward George!. Furlong Marsden, New Zealand Field',.Artillery, was charged with laving ; .jailed Staft'-Sergeant-Major Samuel Stanley Choate. on the transport Mieha, on.May 26, thereby committing manslaughter, was called'again yesterday morning at tho Magistrate's Court before Captain Hennah and Mr. I. Salek, J.P.'s.

' Chief-Detective • Boddam stated that owing (to the fact that Captain Gordon, medical officer of. the : Pakeha, had not iftived in ■' Wellington to : give evidence regarding,'the nature of the injuries wtyqh' the. sustained, ho would have to ask for a further week's remand. Thei' only conclusion that could be come to'i wasi.that' Captain Gordon could not be/found. He had been instructed by the Crown Law Office that it would not be proper for'the police to close their case without tho production of the medical testimony. As far as the > police wfe're concerned they were in no way to blame for'the delay that had occurred, because they did not receive the military papers.until the Pakeha had left Wellington, arid by that time'the witnesses had 'scattered" all> over the Dominion.

•, llrt-H. E-.- O'Leary, accused's counsel, concurred -that it would only be right td'agreeto theXrequest for'an adjournment,'because, if the Court did not hear the doctor's evidence it would bo competent for the Crown to reopen the. case.

The adjournment, was granted, bail being allowed as before. ' , 1