TIMARU MURDER

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

TIMARU MURDER

TRIAL OP MATTHEWS BEGUN LARGE NUMBER OF WITNESSES Br T«l««rflnli—Press Assoclatlos. Timaru, November 18. Reginald Matthews, charged with the murder of Clarence Edward Wagstaif, at Timaru, oil October 27, appeared to-day in the Magistrate's Court- before Mr. i Mosely, S.M. Mr. A. T. Donnelly.. Act-ing-Crown Prosecutor, of Christiihureli, conducted the ccso for the proseoution, and Mr. C. S. Thomas, Christchurcli. was counsel for the accused. There are between thirty and forty witnesses to be examined, and tho proceedings are expected to hist two days. Accused -entered tho dock without displaying any emotion. Ho appeared to take a keen interest in the proceedings. Tho Crown Prosecutor made a lengthy opening! statement. He said that although tho Magistrate had presided at the inquest, additional and important ovidence would now bo submitted. Dealing with tho movements of accused from October 5 to about 8 p.m. on October 27, within three hours of tho murder, counsel said that it was known that ho stayed one night at Phillipson's and left a dressbasket and a box there. Ho went to Timaru the next day, October 20, taking with him a' leather suit-ca6e. From Timaru he posted to a Mrs. Davey in Dunedin a box of chocolates, and got back a receipt ip. tho name of Irving. It would bo proved that some time before ho had asked Mrs. Davey to address letters to him in that name. This was a fact of some importanoe in tho ca6o. Two young women would he called to testify that they were rudely accosted by a man in the street not far from the scone of the murder, and they would both identify the prisoner as tho man.. Evidence would be railed to show that, .tho accused was found in an untenanted house belonging to Mt'.''ltobert Parr. Ho was permitted to stay there oil the plea that he could not get lodgings. Subsequent to .'his arrest, some vases and signed postcards stolen from tho housn '.wiv tonnft in acciweu'sbelongings. 'Coming to the actual crime,, Mr. Donnelly said that three shots were fired and hre* empty cartridge cases were found in AYagstaff's garden. Also three parcelpost counterfoil receipts for parcels sent from Wellington to Taihape. On the back of each was impressed with a rubber stamp,, "Young Brown, ohampion light-weight boxer of California, 1317-18. Born Invercargill." The stamp had been hand-made. In the room accused had occupied in Parr's house four pieces of paper were found, apparently torn from a writing block, and on each of them was the same stamped impression. Accused returned to Christchurch on October 28 and went to Phillipson's, where the murder was mentioned; he said thev would have to prove it on tho man. When he left the Phillipson's lie 6aid he was going to Wellington. He was arrested' at Lvttelton after wounding Constable Tenipleton with an automatic pistol. Five cartridges were .taken out of the pistol, and these wcreW tho 6amo kind as the empty cases found In the garden. When arrested, accused had in his possession some papers- marked with the rubber stamp previously mentioned, and in his suit-oose was found the rubber stump with which the. impressions had "'been made. The suit-case, was identified as the prisoner's l>y Mrs. Phillipson, who recognised some of ithe clothing in it. The accused's dress-basket was taken on

the steamer to Wellington, and in it were found three vases and signed postcards which hod been stolen from Parr's house. In it was writing which would be proved to be accused's handwriting, also his photograph, and on the back of this in his handwriting were the same words ns those of the rubber' stamp. After his arrest a number of people vlentifled the accused as a man whom they had seen in the locality of the murder and within a few hours of the commission of the crime. The Evidence, The first witnesses called were a photographer and a surveyor, who hart prepared pictures and a plan, to assist the Court. Then followed several witnesses who had been accosted by or had seen the accused in the vicinity of the crimo on October 27.' Jtobert Parr and Mrs. Parr gave evidence concerning the trespass by accused in their unoccupied house. He was cooking something, nnd was told to get out when ho had dono there. ' Ho left half an hour later, carrying a Brown paper parcel. Constable Smith, who had been given duty in plain clothes in Wai-iti lioad because of complaints of women being mo-les-.ed, testified that the accused camo along the street. Witness, after some conversation, in which accused said his name was Irving, challenged him to go to a house where girls who had complained lived, and accused' then bolted. Witness gave chase, but lost him. 11. Scott, owner of flho house referred to, gave corroborative'evidence about tho accused bolting. Chase of the Murderer. Clifford Wilson Knapp, deceased's companion, gave evidence'(as at the inquest) about seeing a crouching man moving about the house at 11 p.m., and the two young men endeavouring to capture him. The man turned at a corner of tho house and fired one shot at them. Then he moved on a few paces, turned, and fired two more shots. 'After the third shot, deceased staggered and fell. The man jumped over a fence, and wh'jiess followed through the gate. He went after him for some distance, and then return-

Ed on hearing deceased's cries. Deceased's parents and sisters were then attending to him. A doctor arrived, and i/lien Constable Palmer, who found a slip of paper about where the second and' third shots were fired. It was a counterfoil of a parcel post receipt. Witness did not identify the accused at tho gaol an November 3. , Henry WagstafF, father of the deceased, said that his son was nineteen years of age. At about 11 p.m. on October 27 he heard a noise as of persons running round the house. He went out, and found' his son lying on the path. He saw a man leap over the fence, and saw a revolver in his hand. The man appeared to fire three times, but witness heard no report, and thought the revolver was not loaded. The nian ii-cmed to him to take deliberate aim. Dr. Gibson gave evidence of the treatment a.nd subsequent deaiOi of the deceased 1 at 12.15 .a.m. At the post-mor-tem, examination next dny witness found a. bullet wound beside the breast bone. Deceased died of haemorrhage. The bullet was extfractcd,'nnd hand«d to tho police. A statement made by the dying'man before his removal to the hosnital was put in by Constable Palmer as follows.:— "Clifford woke me up, and said someone was trying to get into (ilm house. Then we chased him. and he shot me." Witness searched about .and found n folded parcel post counterfoil about ten feet from where the boy was lying. About 4.15 a.m. next day he picked up n cartridge case near i!he same spot. Another Was found the next day. Detective Abbott gavo details of the various other discoveries in Tirnaru concorning stamped papers and comparisons of impressions of several papers found, and concerning the contents of accused's dress basket, as mentioned by (ho Crown prosecutor. Tlie Court adjourned till 10 a.m. tomorrow.