WOMAN MURDERED.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1927, Page 2

WOMAN MURDERED.

THE MVnrl'H VICTIM. (Bv Telegraph—Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 16. The murder victim is identified a.s Gwendoline Searff. of 11. Thorrington St. Cashmere, single, in service, not living at home. Her father is AA'a'ter Sea rtf. member of Hoathe ate County’ Council. Deceased was 20 years of age.

A SPANNER FOUND. CHRISTCHURCH, June 16. The victim of the Bin-wood tragedy has been identified as Gwendoline Seal'll’, domestic, aged 20 years, daughter of AValter Seal'll', carrier, of Cashmere. The murdered woman had not recently lived with her parents. The only development reported today wore the finding of a heavy, blood-stained spanner, about two feet long, in a gorse hush 23 vards from the scene of the murder and the discovery by schoolboys this morning of a. fragment of a man’s shirt, heavily blood-stained, in Bottle Lake Road. 300 vards front where the body was found.

The piece of shirt may not prove to he important, hut the spanner was undoubtedly the weapon with which the murder was done. The woman's damaged wristlet watch had stopped at half-past twelve, just an hour before the boy. Eric Mugford (not Miunfoid). made his grim discovery. There is little doubt that the man the Iwv saw running away was the murderer.

It is possible also that the same man was seen by Alfred Hawtin, who was on his brother’s baker’s cart in North New Brighton yesterday afternoon, when lie saw a strangely-garb-ed man rush out from the lupins which cover the sand hills in the vicinity. stop, and run back into the lupins again. The man wore pyjama trousers or underpants. He wore no hat. and his shirt was open.

The man’s behaviour was that of a person partly demented, or much agitated.

It would have been possible for a mail to make 'his way across the country from the scene of the murder to the spot where Hawtin saw his man. It is suggested that this fll giti\ e was the imnxlercr, who, having found his trousers to he blood-stained, discarded them. The boy Mugford’s discovery of the bodv was pure chance. He was bringing'in cows and these became excited by the smell of blood and were difficult to manage, running round wildly. But for this, the boy would not have been in the locality where he saw the body.

POLICE ENQUIRIES. CHRISTCHURCH, June 17. in connection with the Bunvood murder, it has been that Miss Scar If stayed at the Hotel Federal from June 9th to June 14tli. Mi 1. W. Lewis, the proprietor, was approached. but he stated that lie was unable to give any information at the moment. From other sources it was learned that Miss Searff had registered under an assumed name at the hotel. She left on Tuesday evening, having previously communicated w it.li a taxidriver with whom she was acquainted. She informed certain female members of the staff that she was going to Wellington. Nothing more was seen of her until the discovery of the body on Wednesday afternoon. The police have so far not recovered two suit cases, which Miss Scarif had with her at the Federal Hotel. The suit cases were removed from the hotel on Tuesday evening, it is believed with the intention that they would he taken to the ferry boat.

Yesterday afternoon the police interviewed the driver of a taxi which called at the Federal Hotel for Miss Searff on Tuesday evening and took a statement from him.

From inquiries made to-day it is learned that the girl stayed at the Federal Hotel under the name of Miss Armstrong. When recognised hv a waitress, she made a certain disclosure and said she intended leaving lor the north with a man on Tuesday night. On Monday last the girl’s mother called at the hotel and urged her to return home, but the girl refused. CHRISTCHURCH, June 17.

The two suitcases belonging to Owen Searffe were found this morning at the Parcels’ Office in the tramway shelter iu Cathedral Square. Detectives took possession. The taxi-driver whom the police interviewed yesterday for eight hours on end. told a reporter this morning that he had not seen Miss Searffe since Saturday at noon, and she then said she was going north. He had gnen the police his finger prints, when asked to do so.