MURDER ALLEGED

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1933, Page 5

MURDER ALLEGED

DONALD FRASER

SHOT DEAD IN BED.

(Per Press Association*— Copyright

CHRISTCHURCH, November 17.

Donald Fraser, married, .about 35, licensee of the Racecourse Hotel, Riccarton, and well-known in sporting 1 cfroles, was found dead i

near his bed at the hotel thismorning with a bullet wound in the chest.

Foul play is suspected.

A large force of police under Superintendent Cummings, are on the scene. No one is allowed in or out of the building; The foul wound was apparently, inflicted with a shot gun, while the victim was asleep at 2.30 a.m., alongside Mrs Fraser. - Fraser came here from Hokitika five years ago. ;

,It has been' definitely established that Fraser wa-s shot in bed at close rango. The blankets are torn and stained with gunpowder. , He received the fatal wound in the chest and apparently rolled out on ti-e floor dying immediately.

Fraser and Mrs Fraser wero sleeping in a room facing -a balcony on the first floor. ' • - i;

To this balcony, a fire escape gbes entrance from the ground jieloiv. The police have taken iiLnotice of scratches 1 and other, ;fhairks,'j indicat! ig that the escape was used recently*;. The police are also using finger prints apparatus in the preliminary investigations. ■ * v-;

! The tragedy occurred at 2.30. a.m. Within half'an Hour, Superintend ant Cummings and a large forc e of P'lice were on tile scene. By 7 o’clock the police had Wen increased to forty. The murderer has’ apparently escaped, leaving no trace. : ■ :i .

WIFE' AND. TWO CHILDREN

WIFE'. HEARD ’ NOTHING. * 1

TILL ‘AFTER, CRIME

CHRISTCHURCH, November 17. > j n the hotel afi vihe; time .in'-addition to- Ml's Fraser were; their 1 daughter, aged sixteen,-eon, .taged eight, a,.porter and another man, believed to have’ been a hoarder. ■ | ' All the indications point to a s'.ockly cold blooded „c.rinik ; With Superintendent Cummings' in charge of the investigations,' are' Injector Cameron, Stob-InsW&or > -i$ wards and most of the members of the detective staff. dljll the ’ grounds aife be* jng searched . and closely ■ guardeq. Ore nearest house is 200 .feet away. The neighbours heard' no noiscg during the night, Fraser some years ago wag etnp’oyed Lv various capacities’ 'pri the West .Coast, onco as a railway cleaner, then in drapery businesses at Hokitik; and Greymouth. For a time whim in Christchurch, he had a drapery bv-ffness in High 'Street. He then entered the hotel trade, lie was'a keen sporting and rugby enthusiast. He own'd the racehorse Silver Ring. While on the Coast he played football for th' Star .Club, Greymouth. His wife wa s formerly Miss Walton of Greymouth whose brother, on receipt-of the news, flew to-day from Greymouth to,Christchurch. - Mrs ' Fraser heard and saw nothing until after the crime had been committed. The household were awakened by the sound of an explosion and almost immediately the police were informed. Doctor Pearson, pathologist at Christchurch Hospital conducted a preliminary examination of the body this morning, prior to it« removal to the morgue ;.for a post- mortem. ■ --Tt', . i-l'A ; ; Friends of Fraser say he wa s scrupulously fair -and honest and had apparently no enemies. The bedroom he occupied was his -usual room and it is not' considered possible that atv mistake was made by the murderer in the choice of the victim.

NO CLUE

NO ROBBERY COMMITTED

CHRISTCHURCH; November 17. ' The police searched.the hotel grounds thoroughly for any weapon or trace of the assailant, but found, nothing. A neighbour ' passed x the hotel when - returning from the city at two o’clock. The . hotel was then in complete . dark noses. He noticed , nothing unusual. His wife afterwards heard, the noise of a car being driven fairly rapidly along the road, but this may. have no connection with the tragedy.. Eraser at one time hold-ft license ,for the Washdyke Hotel Timaru. In his younger days he was a physical instructor at Trentham. • At noon the mystery was still un, solved. Apparently no robbery cl any kind was committed. -

He wag formerly manager at Hokitika for McGruer’s. Deceased owned the racehorse Silver Ring, which ran in New Zealand successfully and was then taken to Australia where it did, not prove successful. ,