PAPAMOA MURDER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 May 1929, Page 6

PAPAMOA MURDER

INQUEST OPENS

BODY AY AS SHIFTED.

AFTER. FATAL SHOT

[By Telegraph, Per Press Association.]

OPOTIKI, May 28

The inquest into the death of Samuel McAleese, who was found dead on Papamoa Hill with a bullet wound in the facc ; was reopened before Air F. J. Short, Coroner, and a jury of six, to-day.

Detective Mc-Leod described the finding of the body, and the events during the day of the tragedy, May 9th. Lappin found the body lying on the side of the road at 1.55 p.m. Makarini stayed with the hotly, while Lappin rang for the police. Ihe body was taken to Opotiki. A post mortem was made by Dr Budd. Dr Budd stated the body was that of a well-nourished man, aged about 30, the height being oft 1.1 in, and the weight about I2st 71b.' The face was severely injured, and the nose "as broken. There was severe wound on the upper lip, and abrasions on the head' on both sides. There was a bullet'Wound jn the chest-the. buljct-.hav-ing pierced the Jieart a,nd ..a lung, •'causing instantaneous: jdea'th; Efe . was •satisfied that the body had IxWfT shifted affer the, fatal .gunshot wquucl and. when" first found. ,-Th©. fascial .injurjes had'' been received after' the "gunshot • wound,^amL had not been caused by a. fall. They were consistent with the body being struck by a motor car ; wheel and forced’ ’into the hard road ! surface." • .;. k '' ..l ' ’ ’ . G. S. Kelly, Manager of the Colonial Ammunition Coy,; 'Auckland, gave expert evidence of the firearm found in deceased’s lunch bag in pieces. He gave a demonstration that the rifle could be exploded by throwing it down on a hard surface. He was satisfied that the bullet had been fired from the deceased’s gun.

J Lappin gave evidence of the finding of the body and also of a red car passing along the road about two o’clock. He bad found the body 35 •minutes /after tiro* .( catt had', .^passed), /There .were., no blood stains on the road., .but. near the body only. Deceased had never said anything about .doing away , with himself.,. Ho was 'vory cboei-ful, rtnd .'contented.' ' ./ i / ' IThc case is proceeding. ... ...] HOTELKEEPER (JUESTIONED. OPOTIKI, May 28. At,.thq. McAleese .inquest, William. . Noadj fice'nscd of. the /Idiisotup.,Hotel* : • Gisborne; stated'that he left 1 Aucklandon the Bth of May, and arrived at Whakata the same evening. He left at 9.10 o’clock on the following morning. He continued:— “J was driving the car—-a ,/ Fiat- ; ii'ud .arrived at;. Opotiki /at; .10.45 a.m. I drove straight on. On the first bill at-Meremer, I bad trouble witii the car.’ i pulled lip at Toata, and had du'iVchv I'Ur o\”(i ion up -'th.q Pjipiimda Hill. .1 stopped near the.top and spoke to,tho roadman who remarked. tjujL. Jie. 'warned me’ ho thought the 'car. wa> ■fin aeroplaiie.' I asked him iMie-kiveiv [a I ijy't hit ig.. about cars;. slid Iliad m. idea. J couldn’t say who cranked the car, to start/it;’, 1 ;'All of the servic. cats had passed ihc. M.v car was giving trouble. We went to Motu, anti procured oil and a bottle of cordial.” The constable at Motu, said witness, asked if lie had seen the body of a dead man on the road. Witness told him he never saw one. Witness left Motu about 3 o’clock, and arrived in Gisborne at 7.39.

Detective McLeod suggested to witness that, on turning a corner of Papamoa Hill, lie run into a dead •num.-dying on the road. Witness denied this, and got very wroth, and accused the dotcytjyes ’■ in Gisborne on 10th May, of endeavouring to make a false statement, and said .it. was like the detectives, cheek; to/suggest that he ran into the body and moved it: lie did no such tiling. .. The Coroner told witness that h n was not aippyering. the questions put to'h'im. very satisfactorily, and that lie must curb his temper. .. • (Witness Replied that , lie was indignant at the accusations 'being east at him. He produced his driver’s license. He did not have any liquor at Motu in the ear. He had not scpn Mr' dead man. If lie had he would have reported the same to the police. William Ewart Richardson, retired, of Rcmucra, Auckland, stated that lie had accompanied the previous witness in his car from Auckland to Gisborne. Ho practically corroborated the previous witness’ statements, and gave liis evidence in a more satisfactory manner. TTo stated that a roadman cranked the car at. Papamoa Hill. He recognised him as the deceased by his photo in tho papers. 'Phis witness also denied the detectives’ suggestion that they ran into the body of the dead roadman and moved the body to the side of the road.

In reply to the detective, witness said he was wearing the same overcoat as lie had 011 the day of the 9th. He did not .know what stains wore on. tho sido of tho coat. ITc got thorn on the trip. The detective could have the coat. Tho detective said lie would collect the coat afterwards. Witness said ho could not account