ELSIE WALKER INQUEST

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1929, Page 5

ELSIE WALKER INQUEST

AFTERNOON HEARING

(By Telegraph—Press A.xsocint'on)

At the Elsie Walker inquest, Audric Bayly, a niece of the Ihiylys, who was staying with them at the time of the deceased’s disappearance, said that she saw Lhe deceased in the kitchen just before eight o’clock on the night of her disappearance. Nothing had attracted the attention of witness. While they were talking in the billiard room next morning, she was told that Elsie had gone, and she was told to see if any money was missing from her bag. She (witness) found seven pound notes and a Ids note had gone. Mr Mmvhray: Did you notice anything peculiar a bout. Elsie Walker?— No; nothin except that she had a slight giggling habit, which 1 thought was natural to her.

.Mr Hunt: Nobody commented on the fact that Elsie was missing duriirtbc evening?—-No.

Recalled. Mrs Bavly said that she was not decided that the first garments found on the body she recog nised as belonging to Elsie Walker. The second was similar to a garnien' that Elsie owned and shown by Detective Bickerdikc, hilt were not in the same condition.

The Coroner: When Detective Bickerdike showed you the garments at the house, did you sav that they never came out of Elsie’s things?—No. I said l did not recognise them. I questioned thorn. I said : I don't recognise that lace; hut I said : .She might have got it unknown In me. Did you say to Detective Bickerdikc, “No garments lclt the house in that condition ” —No.

Thomas Clifford Bayly, aged 11, another cousin of Elsie Walker, said that Hie was not talking at all when they washed the dishes on the night tha‘ the girl disappeared. Elsie seemed to be angry that night. She was quieter than usual. .Mrs Dorothy Teague, of Papamoa. said the Rnylys were neighbours, and she had known them about 18 months. She had known Elsie Walker since siic had lived at Bayly’s. Witness had seen her at a neighbour's about three weeks before she died. Mr Meredith: Was there any conversation about motor cars that aftoi noon ?—Yes. Elsie Walker asked me how I got there, and I said 1 got a lift. Elsie grabbed me by the arms and said, “ I can drive a car.” Did anybody else hear that remark? —T don’t think so, because she passed tlie remark very quietly, and the others were a little distance away. I took it as rpiite natural, and did not ask am questions, because so many girls can drive these days.

The father of the dead girl, Charles Do Ren/.y Walker, said that in August, 1927, lie made arrangements with Mrs Bayly for Elsie to stay with her. Ke thought it would do the girl good, if she went to his sister, for it was icr\ quiet at his place. He had letteis from Elsie and the tone of them was “quite all right.” The last letter that witness received (from his daughter was on September sth. It was a general letter, and in it she Said that she would he home for Christmas. In the letter she said that Bill was going to he married. As far as he knew, there was no hoy connected with Elsie’s life. There was no trace or suggestion of Elsie corresponding with anv hoy friend. As long as Elsie was with her father, she could not drive a ear. There was no appearance of rancour about Bill Bayly’s marriage in the letter that Elsie wrote to witness. The inquiry was adjourned till tomorrow. INQUEST CONTINUED AUCKLAND, Jan. 15. At the Elsie Walker inquest. Roger Butler, a garage proprietor at Papatoctoe, said lie took Bayly’* abandoned car to the garage. It had a lair good drop of petrol in the tank, lhe ear was in good order and started at once. / James Morris Thompson (aged 11),

and His uncle, Stephen Carter, gave evidence of the finding of the body on the night of Oetolier sth. Carter said there was no" indication of a struggle. The Coroner: You would never have .seen the body if tlie feel- had not been sticking out of the scrub? AYitnes: No.

Cross-examined Carter said the clothes on the body were not disar-

ranged. He thought the body was thrown into the scrub nob dragged nor pushed there. It appeared the swelling under one eve and the nose was full of blood.

Constable Collins, of St. Heliers, said his opinion on first seeing the body was cither suicide or death front natural causes. When lie rang the* detectives he was told to take the bodv to the morgue.

Coroner (to Constable Collins) •. You came to that conclusion (suicide or natural causes), after examination by night, with an electric torch. Witness: Yes. And why did you not make a report to the Coroner? Witness; I left it to the detectives. Do you know you should’ut have moved the body without authority of the Coroner. Witness: I understood from the regulations that the body bad to be taken to the morgue within three miles. Mr Hunt: Did you. Well read your regulations. Air Hunt read a clause affecting the removal of bodies and then remarked—] think it’s grossly wrong. Sensible people would h*ve left the body until daylight, instead of trying to make a torch examination by night. Somebody should have been posted to

guard the body and a careful examination made. Frederick Coppin, undertaker’s assistant, said he got tho impression that the girl was thrown into the hushes, hut as the grass had been trampled down by other people there before him he eould’nt say whether there had boon any struggle. When he got to the morgue he noticed blood on the underclothing for the first time and thought it was damp.