HIMITANGI TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1929, Page 5

HIMITANGI TRAGEDY

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

ONE OF THE VICTIMS SHOT. : INTERESTING l?OLICE- INVESTICATIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association). i PALMERSTON N.,Sept. ,16. Unremitting investigations into tlio jHiniitangi fire .tragedy bring further revelations; .iiew'(developments emerging from the web of circumstances. , .The latest indications:seem' to support: the .murdertheory,- but many suggestionsVar e advanced, accounting for the ’ affair. Disclosures of ’■?, great significance have .«been -made .by the police and there is almost. definite evidence that one. of j Victiihs, bvas shot. r , ‘ Conclusive; proof was obtained of a round hole at the base of, , a skull, found in Wright’s room, not attributable ‘to - a; bullet, 1 '’but,.to .'a twelve gauge shot-gun. A • weapon found m the . ruins was ,of that calibre. '■< The bole could have been caused by .the discharge of it,- or a similar gun. An even stronger feature is .that the liole must have been caused by a gun discharged at a distance -of a few feet, owing .to the character and perforation of the lead found in {.the skull, which is understood to be shot melted ‘together with heat, hut {still distinguishable, and it could not have been self inflicted. "S The mystery is, whose hand fired the gun., . The fact that one of the victims/'of the tragedy was shot, seems to .{.bo established practically beyond/ 'doubt. Nothing has been Vdisclosed- to, , indicate ' whether -the ; othei' v 'irimates of

the house perished •’ in a similar manner, owing to the incineration of ‘the bodies being-so complete.' Tt is understood the butt of a cartridge bearing percussion mark whs found* in- the ruins but it is impossible to say how long 'ago it- was fired. . ’■ / . ■’’ .- : - l -, ! . ’ .. . I * When - the ruins * were first examined,. it is understood that' three groups of ‘bones'were catalogued.-' , " - .Among the remains discovered were those of 'four adult males, eight bodies'in all, within a radius* of eight to ten feet.’ , , ~ . It is understood that three sets of adult hones were found!It is reported that the remains .of Wright and Thomson w r ere found close together/afid according to the police, it is impossible to state .which one was shot. The ‘ remains of. Mrs Wright completed (the-' group.' AH were, a certain space from the bed, . . Westlake was found in the living room and the' three children were huddled ' together in their room,, the baibv being in Wright’s room. The police stated tliey are qpite satisfied of' the. position where the . remains w r ere found in the room. ; . . . . From the evidence available it'Has been determined that Thomson !; oc-* cupied the I same rootp as Westlake. A significant feature is that the bodies of neither were- found i where they were presumed to have slept, * and considerably apart, -v ■>,. V The remains near the exit of the dwelling/‘at first’ 'supposed to be < Thomson’s. have been: definitely identified as those I ,of a dog./ The opinion is held by the pol'.co that all the occupants of the house perished. The failure of any inmates ' to escape is • certainly a feature call- , ing for comment. The ruins of the homestead have been subject to a rigorous search and the .ashes have been put through a / sieve. The police have never ceased to conduct exhaustive investigations. The remarkvlble intensity of the fire,is 'attributed to the fact-that-it burned for fifteen hours.,. . ! ■ It is linderstood that the locks were in' good order and that on the bxit was, unlocked. .... '"■] At present there is, nothing to : indicate another person was involved. That aspect, is considered extremely unlikely. All the/occupants of the house .have been accounted for. /;-.' It is understood the police will. be able to bring evidence at the inquest indicating the remains of,..eight persons were found. It is probable that-inquii-ies. in hand will he completed \ in less than a- fortnight’. It is learned as a strange thing, the presence of a - long,' sHallbw trench across one' corner of- the house, ‘ giving evidence that it was dug about two days previous to the fire. The ■reason is unaccountable. It is stated there is an interesting ; explanation of this singular thing.

SICKNESS ABOARD STEAMER. AUCKLAND, Sept. 16. A wireless received by the New Zealand Shipping Company elates that the steamer ’ Tregonnel, ' bound for "Westport, was diverted 'to Auckland, and is due to-night,- with' a case of sickness aboard.