MURDER CHARGE.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 May 1925, Page 4

MURDER CHARGE.

THE 11 () AJ) t ASK. TIMARU. May A. The trial oi Reginald Hoad, for the murder of lo- daughter. Elsie- llttxei Head, at Kia lira, was commenced at the Supreme (unit this afternoon. Mi Campbell appeared for the Crown and Mr I'. W. Ouglov (tlamaru) appeared I'm- accused. Mr Campbell outlined llie (■<■ se at i.-ngth. A plea of not guilty was entered. The lir-t witness was Miss Myrtle lloail. sister of the murdered girl, who slept in the same room. She related how her lather had come into the room on several occasions during tin- night. About three o'elocß she w a.s aw akened by her sister -a reaming. Witness saw her sister covered with bjood and her lather standing by holding wlmt she look to be an axe. but which she afterward.- discovered was a tomahawk. Witne-s had formed the opinion that for some time her father had been becoming morose. Maur-ire Hoad, aged Itwelve, also gave evidence regarding oceiirrenee.s of the fatal night. (.Verge MacDonald related how in the early hours of the morning, he went to accused's house and .saw the girl lying dead. dame, Wilson, farmer, of Kia Ora. stated that a day or so before the tragedy. accused had keen digging potatoes for him. (An the morning of April 3. .lie was disturbed by a shot about a quarter to four in the morning. Following that, he heard someone. call out., “(lit", lie heard a knock at liis front door, and whoever was there went to the back. Witness went out. and saw that it was Hoad. He asked for a drink of water. Hoad said he had come down ro dig potatoes. but saw that they were all dug. After a few moments Hoad asked if the children hail stuck him with n fork'. Witness later found the title (produced) on the side of the road. His house was about two and a half miles from Hoad's place. When witness picked accused up first, a razor dropped out of his pocket. Accused then asked him if be had eotne there to shave. His Honor: The remarks made by accused had no bearing on anything yon were talking about. Albert Anderson said be went to Wilson's house before daylight, and while there saw a razor drop out of the accused's pocket. Accused said: “Where the devil did that eotne

Dr. R. > Fitzgerald stated that Mr A mlei son brought accused to his surgery about live oh lock in the morning. He bad a wound in the centre cf the forehead. He. asked accused how it happened, ami he said he had fallen off his bicycle. W it-ne-s sent accused to the hospital. It was a lacerated wound, rounded at the hot tom and ragged at the top.

The wound was consistent with a shot having been fired at- close quarters. Accused was under witness's care for a week, and whenever he saw him he was verging mi melancholia, and was weeping, k was difficult to get him to take any food, anti he showed signs of acute remorse. T)r. Donald S. (I. Orhell. of Oamartt. said that on the morning of April 3 he found the girl Klsie lying dead on a hed. and the ledolntbos and pillow "ore eovercid with hlood. He conducted a post-mortem examination, which revealed an incised wound three inches long-, extending to the root of the This wound passed through both tahles of the skull, and lacerated the hrain for a depth of one inch. There was another incised wound on the left elbow, opening into the elbow joint. There were also minor wounds and considerable bruising on tho arms. On the left side of the chest there wax a perforated wound. Death was due. in his opinion, to shock, following injuries to the hrain. and possibly accelerated by a gunshot wound. Without the gun-shut wound death would have re-tilted from the head injuries.

Senior-Sergeant T. Shanahan. of Oamaru. stated that he went out to Kia Ora on the morning of April 3. accompanied by Constables Orilhn and M'uuivj. On arrival there lie found the girl dead, and lying on the bod with her amis folded across her chest. A tomahawk, which had Iresh hh-od on it. was handed to him liy the accused's wife. Accused's wife handed witness iiftcen cartridges, which would Sit tile rifle belonging to n- eii-ed. Ibe pellet recovered I'rot n the deceased's body was similar to that in the cartridges handed to him hv Mrs Hoad.

Constable Trcthemoy. of Oamaru. stated that lie arrested the accused at i lie Onniani Public Hospital. When arrested accused asked. “Which one:" Whites* replied. •'Hazel." Accused said. “That could not I <■- I loved her best ct all. 1 don't remeinlier what happened last night." Witness said accused seemed both genuine and surprised. Accused later told witness he must have shot himself With a ride. Witness had a revolver in his pocket which accused saw. He asked witness if he would shoot him (accused) if be jumped through the window. He had nothing to live for now. Accused pulled a razor case old of his pocket, saying, “Thai is the case of the razor I shave with, llow did it get here:' f mils! have meant business." Accused also added that lie bad been worried over money mailie bad 1 it suffering from nciiniluia. and had also said that he had sharpened till the ieio’e and knives at his home, hut could not say w 1 1 v he had done so.

This concluded the case tor Uncrown.

Air Onglcy said he would not say much except to ’congratulate ticCrown (in the attitude they had talon up. They had had the n-ciised. examined by two doctors, and their reports were handed over to the deionoe to be used in accused’s favour. l)r. A. C. Al'Killop. Superintendent of Snniivside Menial Asylum, sod le* (‘X ainili ed lbe a ecu si 1 d i w u-e. tie 1 1 1 a~' time for an hour and a half. He questioned the accused regarding tintragedy, hut he remembered nothin': about it. Accused complained of tenth.n-lic and a shooting pain in his bead. lie knew nothing of the tragedy till the constable told him in the hospital. On further examiint wit ue - v. a - able io find that for a number of yur- a.-ieed had Icm troubled with pet -isient I a!1 1! : ',aI inns I I ill I ring. lie ten hen rd w bisp.eri lig.s behind a hed-c ami iii.iiiv e-i-asiniis went 1n ■! 1111 d the |,. in •ee if iinyone «as t lio'-e. If this was eonelioraled. a -eir-i d would he sutferiiig from epilepfic automat is. A 1 cased a I-a stated to him that on two or three na asious aher lie had gone to hed at night be bail beard tb- v.iinli w of l-is d.-tutdi-room opon. !lo "u.'is <»| opinion t!i ;11 -oim-tno* tia< I «• i 1 1 1« ■ r jxono m <>r on mo out. .viriKPil Iml I -:»* i 1»• •1 - Imin.-i lions of sijj'bt. I ii:.- tv; 1 .-; bon.*out by bis boys u bon ibov upiv m;i t boro. Ho lnnl ji!v> bml lmlhu inatitins of |.orsooiit ion. nn<] witness wits of tin* opinion Iliit i b-*