PUKEKAWA TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 8

PUKEKAWA TRAGEDY

. POLICE EVIDENCE AGAINST THORN INVESTIGATIONS DESCRIBED "Br T«legra.Dh—Press Assoclntioa ' . Auckland, November. 18. The trial of Samuel John Thorn on : the .'charge of having on August 21 last, at Pukekawa, murdered Sidney Seymour Eyre, was continued in tho Suoreme Court' to-day. William James Taylor, licensee of tho Tuakau Hotel, gave evidence of a conversation which was alleged to have taken place between him and Thorn in , the presence of a reporter. Accused 'asked: "Whot do you think will happen?" Witness replied: "I am satisfied the'police are bound- to get you or someone else," or words to that effect. Thorn then said: "If they get me, I will drag in some other . There is someone nearer the end of a rope than they think." Witness said: "I do not know whether you are innocent, or guilty, but I think you are very foolish to talk like that." Andrew M. Shugar said that he was present when accused, tilting- back his hat, exclaimed: "By ,if they get me I will drag 60me other into .it. Thfire is. someone nearer the Tope than they think they are." . Cross-examined, Shugar- snul that the last witness did not say to accused: 'I am satisfied the police are bound to get yon or someone else." Two witnesses were called to Rive evidence that after.the murder TNorn made inquiries as to the whereabouts of His. W H. Hazard, gun merchant, recalled, eaiifthathe had weighed an ounce oi!Eng- ' lish' No. G shot and shot from a ho. 7 J. stem cartridge, and the number of pellets •was practically the same. He had hred a Peters cartridge in the police barracks this morning, and he could not-describe the room as having been filled with smoke like a thick fog. ■ ' Mr. Singer (for tho accused), said he 'though* the jurv should.see a shot hred. Mr Martin (for tho prosecution) sail he would not object, provided the conditions, were similar to those PrwaiU™ at Pukekawa'on August: 24. «» the size of the room, the colour of the walls and tho position of the window irelative to the dead m»n and also relative to the position occupied hy Mrs. tyre otherwise he would strenuously, obfeet to the jury having any misconceived idea of what occurred. ~,..,.■„ His Honour pointed ont that there was now three months' difference in ternwrature. Again, the temperature might ■be different at Tuakau from that at Auckland: The experiment would rorraire to be made in a house ,on a dampish nisht. Without the same conditions, ■he would tell the jury that anv experiment would not ho evidence; it would not to lnTnswer to His Honour, the witness said that the wads shown to him by the polioe could'not have come from any cartridge except a Peters. j Police Evidence. Detective Andrew. M'Hugh, of Auckland, stated that prior to joining tho Police 'Force, he was a ounlined blacksmith for eight years. After the mnr- ' der he searched an area inside a radius of twenty miles from Tuakau. Altogeilher, ho examined' 1800 horses, of which 418 were shod. In no case did lie find any of the animals wearing-shoeß of the same measurements as those pro-

duoed in court. He then gave detailed, measurements of the shoes produced. Thomas Wolfendale, a member-of the Mounted Police, stated that on Augusil 25 he saw the tracks of a horso near - Byre's house. ;The form of the shoes was quite distinct. "Witness afterwards rode "Micky" to Eyre's house, and he . • did the' journey in 2hrs. 40min. When wiihess sot to" Eyre's the animal showed no signs of distress, and was dry under the saddle. ■ Detective J. H: Rweonev was the next witness called. He and Detective-Ser-geant Cummings had 1 examined horse ' tracks behind Eyre's property, and the shoes produced in court fitted these Sergeant J. T. Cowan, police officer in charge of the Pukekohe district, was in charpe of i!he police .party that visited Eyre's house early on the morning after Hie murder. Tho sergeant testified to the finding of, horseshoe prints. Ho and Detective-Sergeantl Cummings measured the prints very carefully, and fol- •. lowed them to tho junction where a branch ran off the main road to Glen Murray. • Along this road_ the tracks. • turned hack, crossed the highway, and went! on towards ' Glen Murray. Wit-ness,-with Detective-Sergeant Cummings, • arrived later •at Granville's place, and saw accused, who was nsloe.n in a wTiare; . Cummings told him that Eyre had-' been shot the night hefore by some person with a shot-gnn. Thorn said: "Yes." Cummings said: "Tho top of has head was Mown' righ'.l off with the shot.", Thor.n said: "Yes." Cummings then said»they had come to see if Thorn could assist; their inquiries. Answering questions, Thorn told tho defective that he was at Eyre's last Sunday week: Thorn said that Aid Eyro and ho did not get on too well, hut he' got on all right with the resti. Witness did not see- a gun in the whare, but saw the gun case under the bed. Accused pave Cummings the key of the case, and the detective took the gun and fifty-five ■ cartridges. Two police officers examined the Run, and Cummings said: "This has been recently cleaned." Thorn said: "I cleaned it yesterday or to-day." The cartridges wero all "Peters high gun," No. 6 and No. 7. Cummings handed the gun to witness, who examined it. and found both "barrels clean, the left barrel being particularly so. Witness smelt the breech of the gun, and said to Cummings:' Smell the powder." Cummings then asked accused when he fired Mie 1 gun last, and accused said: "I may hav» Tised it since he came over hero, or I may not." He . said that. he had shot rabbits with it over at Granville's house. Interview With Thorn. Deteotive-Sergeant James Cummings, who was in charge of tho police inquiry, described the course of the investigations as' described by_ previous witnesses. On . September 2 witness interviewed Thorn, stating that statements had been madn' by Mrs. Eyre ami her two sons. Accused asked what Mrs. Eyro had said about him. He, added that ho would give the police all tho assistance in his power. The statements wero then read to him, and he made a further statement.

Witness proposed to road Mrs. Eyre's Statement, and Mr. Singer mndo t\ formal objection, whioh was noted. It was then agreed that tho statement, should not be read, but be handed to tho jury for perusal. Accuseds statement in reply was fen read. On September i, continued witness, he Interviewed acousffd 'ftgWn, anH told him ali>out~the statement he was reported to have made at Taalsnu regarding pulling someone else in if- arrested. He asked accused to say who that was, and accused refused. Pressed to say who it was, accused said: "No, I won't sny. No stranger did it, anyway. It must have been done try someone having knowledge, and no strangor could have- done it. Ho added that he did not suggest that Mrs. Eyre or any of the family had dono it. Thorn was than confronted by Mrs. Eyre, and they h<id a conversation, which Witness noted. This was the conversation nt Tuakivu referred to by lire. Eyre in her evidence. Witness then read bis note of the conversation. This took place after, accused had refused to say who it was to whom he referred nt the Tuakan Hotel. At that time accused said ho had heard that thoro werq two shots fired; he also said that If two were fired in mrlck succession tho person concerned would have his arm grazed against tho window. Before Heaving, accused again said he would not say whom he meant that ho would drag in if arrested. On Soptomber 11 accused was arrested and charged with tho murder. Ho said "Right-ob," and was taken to tho police station at Tunta. When advised fo get a solicitor, ho said: "What Rood could a. solicitor do for mo now?" Accused eai(l furtßer, "Don't bo too hard on my. A man doesn't want to be too callous. Iho caso was again adjourned.