SYMONS MURDER

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1931, Page 5

SYMONS MURDER

(By Telegraph —Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 14

Maurice Erie Teeling, single, and a relief worker, gave evidence as to buying for the previous witness, at the market. When he bought vegetables at auction he gave the initials T. and S. to the auctioneer. Witness saw some of the sacks marked by the storeman, and he identified invoices (produced) as the ones relating to his purchases. Witness said that as sacks became empty, he put them in the coal house. These six sacks were the only ones about the - premises. According to the invoices, the sack' of parsnips he bought had the identification number of 16. When the police inspected the sacks at Adelaide Road, there were only five there. The missing sack corresponded with the one shown on the invoices. A sack shown to him was similar to the missing one.

Alba ’Cooze, single, storeman, at D. .Bowrie and Co., and Charles Henry Buchanan, carrier, gave evidence in regard to the marking and delivery of sacks.

Lancelot Lee, married, said that he had worked with Coats on the Hataitai relief works during the latter part of April. They were working together on the lower tip and became friendly. Coats mentioned that his wife was dead and he had six children in a home. He also said that he had a girl, and she was in a certain condition, and mentioned about a lady sending away fur some stuff, ho understood to bring about a miscarriage, DOG BURIED IN SACK.

About April 27 he was working with accused on the tip, when a young man carrying a sack came along. The man said the sack contained a dead dog. He si id his father was a chemist, and that the dog had been run over by a car, and that he often got a job to poison dogs by his father. Witness scratched a hole and buried the dog in the side of the bank. Accused was present. Witness evidently visited several times at Cotris’ rooms. On the night of June 27, Coats told witness that Phyllis had gone back to her brother’s place, and would be all right there.

Noel Evan Burberv, shop assistant, •said that' his father was a chemist, He gave evidence as to taking a dog that was run over, to the tip for burial. The Court adjourned for lunch.

DR LYNCH’S EVIDENCE

WELLINGTON, August 14

'ln the Coats ease, Dr P. P. Lynch, Pathologist of Wellington Hospital, read, and put in, a report of his association with the body of the deceased girl, and the result of his post mortem examination. He described the position of the body when he was called to _ the spot where it was found oil the afternoon of Sunday, 12th July. The body was hunched, and the face was pressed into the earth. A small sack was lying over the lower part of the body, A muffler, or scarf, was over the face, and when the body was removed, the impression of it was left in the clay. Dr Lynch continued that a further examination was made the same day at the morgue. This showed that the scarf was bound two and a half times round the head, covering the face, the eyes, the ears and the back of the head. It was snugly, but not tightly bound. It was caught with a small pin. On the next day, Dr Lynch, continued, along with Dr Hector, a further examination was carried out by him. H was revealed that the ghl had been pregnant. It was normal, uninterrupted pregnancy. The body was in an excellent state of preservation, owing to the cold. Dr Lynch detailed the head injuries, which were found. He said that there was no fracture of the underlying bone. He made the following deductions: That the deceased was struck a violent blow on the right temple, and that the deceased was struck a blow, or, very likely, a series of blows on the back of the head and neck. He thought it very unlikely that a single blow would produce haemorrhage to the extent described. The injuries to the right side of the head and neck were, he thought, caused about the same time. He considered that either would cause unconsciousness. In regard to the weapon used, all that he could say was that it was a weapon with a broad surface. The immediate cause of death was asphyxia, due to the stomach contents being vomited into the windpipe, He thoughtthe scarf had been placed round the mouth to lessen the sound of strenuous breathing or other noise. He concluded that death had occurred in the attitude in which the body had been found. I)r C. M. Hector agreed with, and confirmed, Dr 'Lynchs report. BUPI Kl > ALIVE? Mr Macassev: “In your opinion, was this girl alive when' she was buried?” __ , Witness; “Tn my opinion, all ot the indications point out she was alive when she was underground.” Mr Macassev: “Did the attitude in which the body was found correspondwith that- of the attempting of a person to rise from the ground ?” Witness : “Yes—attempting to rise against difficulty, caused through weakness, or super-encumbent weight.”