PONSONBY MURDER

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1920, Page 2

PONSONBY MURDER

TRIAL OF DENIS GUNN

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 17.. In this address to the Grand Jury to. day, Mr Justice Chapman devoted some little time to the Ponsonby murder case in which Denis Gunn is charged with i Shooting Mr A. E. Braitlnvaite, postmaster at Ponsonby,, and with using his keys to rob the post office safe. Regarding the fiuger-print evidence, his Honour said that if this were accepted, fit' would' be that the same man had handled both the cash boxes and the pistols, which were subsequently found near the accused’s house, along with a piece of paper money definitely identified as having been stolen from the post office. On the same assumption, it would also be held that the finger-prints corresponded to those of the accused. The question was; what probability attached to tile resemblance of the prints, but it could bo said with safety that when a number of points of resemblance were found, the evidence of identification was irresistible. However, the Grand Jury had not to try t{ie case, but only to find whether a prima facie case had been made out.

AUCKLAND, May 17. At the criminal sessions of tllfi Su- ; preme Court, Mr Justice Chapman said ■ that 34 cases was the longest list they had had for some time. He hoped it was only an incidental’ accumulation. The list includes three charges of alleged murder and one of alleged a-j>-tompted murder. Before the Court rose, Slay Dolphin was -sentenced to three months for bigamy.