KUROW TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 29 May 1925, Page 4

KUROW TRAGEDY

KVIDKNCK AT IXt.H'KST. DA.MARC. May 27. The inquisl in connect Inn with tli Knrnw tragedy was n-smm-il lasi even ing and concl tided to-day before M Rumllc. Coroner. inspector Wills r presented the police. Cecil I .melon, an employee „f I) Mat lii-snn. I i oseiiea t li. near Whan kuri. said that on tin- muruiug o April 22 ic- left Kurow to return t li-iseueaib by mot or-cvcle. Arrivin at the top of Shank’s llill. he saw ; car standing on the right side of tin road going up tin- rivir. The man ii the car was sitting on the left-ham side. Witness slowed down and tin man waved, which witness look as at indication that all was well. The mat was wearing a fell lull. Witness wu unable to rceogni-- the Inti prodtierd lie saw no girl. Witness went on P Ros-.-neat li. I|e knew Criblie at Rose 110 : 1 11 1 . Cribbe left about ten or 111' teen uiiitiil -s alier witness arrive! there to to Ixurnu on horseback Wilness saw Cribbe return ten minutes later and inquire fur a donor, telling witness Hint a ear had gout

over tin- elilf. Witness told the doctor what lie had seen and went across the paddocks to the scene of the tragedy. Cribbe. Mrs .Mai boson and uiincss went down 1 1 1 .- cliff to where tlnglrl was lying, three-quarters of the way down. She was bleeding from the bead and appealed imcniiseiniis. Dr Mathesou then arrived. The girl's clothing was not disarranged, and she was lying in a comfort able position, lie .-.aw a man's handkerchief covered with blood ten feet below the girl. The girl was atleudod by Hr Mathesou. The ear was covered when it ness passed. 1 1 was a foggy morning, Intithe road was clear. Witness saw two Imts besides the handkerchief, a man's

j and a woman’s. Both were lying I alongside the girl. Dr Watt arrived later and ordered the girl's removal j to lx urow. J Sydney Ross, labourer. Olekaike. said that he Intel been employed by (Mr Hudson in the search for the body jof Philip Hudson. Hn May ID. while ■ in a boat with Kenneth M’Leod. he found the body about three miles Ih--low the bridge. The body was fully elm la!, with the except ion of the hat. Dr Watt. Kurmv. said that he r - eciv -.l a call at S..TO on the morning of April 28 to a motor accident at Wharekuri. He went there with Constable Melville and found a girl with j two large wounds in the head, one a | punctured wound. Dr Douglas operj ated later and four pieces of bullet I were found in the wound. The laxly

j of Hudson was in nil advanced stage | of decomposition, with a bullet wound !in tlt,- forehead, about three inches above the right eye. The bullet produced was lodged in the brain. The cause of death was a bullet in the head. Hudson could not have lived from the position in which the bullet was found, but witness was unable io say how long he could live niter the wound was inflicted. The wound might easily have been selt-inflicted. | 'William Cribbe. an employee of Dr Mat boson said that on the morning

; of the trad-gey ho left <>u horseback to go to Kurmv. tin Shank’s llill j witness noticed ear marks leaving the 1 road going towards the elirt. He rode on a little way. but returned and followed the wheel tracks. Arriving at i the edge, lie saw a ear lying smashed at the bottom. Witness saw no one about. lie galloped hack to Mai he- ; son’s and informed Hr Marheson. i ; Constable Melville said Hint the accident was reported to him ar eight o’clock. He went to Wharekuri with ? Hr Watt and saw wheel marks leav- , ing the road going towards the cliff.

which was !O'! yards from i'nc road. The tracks went direct to the edje of the cliff. The tracks were not plain for some distance, hat then hocume clearer, as thoiioh the brakes had been applied. Tiien it looked as if the brakes iiail been removed over Ihe last ten yards. The fact that there was no cruaddiaic at the edje indicated ihat the car went ever at a

croud speed. The eirl was Ivins a a hundred feet front the top of the cliff and the ear was sixty-three feel farther down. The oirl was attended hv Dr Watt, and then removed to Kttrmv. .Vear the cirl was the side curtain of the car and on this was the shell of a ,JJ c alible carl r ill je

for an automatic. id-n a purse cimtainiii”; £4 odd. and a man's handkerchief bloodstained. A distinct trail of blood led between the car and the oil!. lie car was a complete wreck. The two hats produced wore alongside the trill. The hole in tlie crown oi the baly's bat resembled a ballet bole. There was also a hob m ih - man's bat. Witness saw no blood marks on incar. Witness found another carl rid.ee ease near the liandkerehicl. If' bloodstains led to the river sixty yards away. The trail was only slieta and no rifle coaid be found anywhere. Hudson's watch was loaml near the tt>rl. It stopped at i -JS. On .May lit witness was notified that a body had been found in the river at Otokaioko. lie conveyed the bad;to Kttrtiw. where it was identified by Arthur Hudson, an uncle, as that "1 Philip Hudson. There wet- three CU’ iioies and live £1 notes in the pocket. There ttas a "oand above tile

Dr Douolas cave evidence ' niccrnia the extent oi du-s It utherloi d s v. oijnds. The patient died on April •Jo. A post-mortem next day revealed the holly of a voting woman well nourished. ft bad extensive supoi(sieiitl nbra.sinns over the liotly. Ah the vital organs were healthy. In reply to the coroner, witness stated that, it was almost impossible that the. wound bad been scli-inllictcd. The coroner commented on the nieitjre, painful details, lie reviewed i fie evidence, and said the facts fueled hint to euoeltide that th" ear had been intentionally sent over at a tail speed. There wits no possibility of a third person I in;' concerned in the death of either man or ttic* jirl. ( onsidcrinj all th.' circumstances and after visit nip; the scene, lie was lowed to the conclusion ihat the two dociiliij to commit suiede for reasons known to themselves, .tl is.'-- Is"therfnrd remained 111 me car wuicli \t .ts seal over the clilf. Thera was clear evidence that Hudson had a title. lbdescended the clilf. found the J ll ' l livine, ail.l in piirsiinnee of th- pin! di.-charpeii a Indict result inn in her death. Than be att Oltpied to sbnnl himself and threw himself into Dee r j V er. H was obvious that tU'itMi' prat- was in n rij’l.l slate of mind at Th . coroner formally found that Hud-.in committed suicide by shnoljji <r and drowniitfl on April 2J. and that Mis- i!atbcrl'iu d died at Ixfe'nv on April Jo. the result of u btilict wound inllieted l.y Hudson oil April .)■) 1! . added tint I in the interest s t ,|' (lie paunls lea hoped the sad detail- w mild 1 ' lOf jot l -41 as soon apossilile.