HOTEL MYSTERY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1933, Page 6

HOTEL MYSTERY

NEW ZEALAND WSDE SEARCH FOR .MR FRASER’S MURDERER CHRISTCHURCH, November 20. The spread of the net set hv the police for the murderer of Donald Fraser has been widened. At first it coveied tlio Racecourse Hotel and its i m ' mediate surroundings, hut inquiries and investigations made each day since Friday morning have given the police reason for extending the field of opera tions. The whole of the South Island /has been brought within the scope of inquiry, and also the greater part of the North Island; ■ The search in th-fe, South Island has become '; intense'.' 'll may have been that the murderer used a motor-car or mo tor.-cycle .to-..take himseif; f ron^ > scene of his crime without loss of time. |th' which direction he travelled- is not known. If he elected to travel a long distance, he had the option of going north, south ,- or west. Unices he thought of going into hiding along the coast, near Christchurch, be would not have gone eastwards. Thus it is that all roads leading north, south and west have become channel of investigation by the police. INQUIRIES AT PETROL STATION. Without definite knowledge of the type of vehicle used i,n t ; be flight from ißiccarton. the police are faced with a difficult problem, but it is thought that valuable assistance may come from inquiries made at petrol stations. It is possible that somewhere on Friday morning the murderer -stopped to replenish lii-s petrol supply, and it may .be' that a country .supplier,, who was perhaps' roused from- his e d early in • the'imbruing', could 'funnish a description of the man 'and the vehicle he was driving. With that description the police ,could trace the eriimnal’s movements. Petrol stations, to the north, south and west of Christchurch may yet. play a n (important part in, unravelling the mystery surrounding the murder of Donald Fraser,

The .police in all town 'and country districts in the South Island are on th & look-out for strangers, and inquiries have been made for information regarding travellers on all roads in the early liour s of Friday morning last. A great deal of data has already reached the central station. Much of it is contradictory and irrelevant, making a tangled problem, but a' .siting process is going on, and it is" hoped that a solution will be found shortly.

If the murderer fled 'to the North Island he had the choice of going by steamer from either Lyttelton, Nelson lor Picton, and the police have been actively pursuing thi 6 line of 'investigation.

Meantime the search for clues at the hotel and in the Riocarton district is being continued.

POND DRAGGED FOR GUN

CHRISTCHURCH, November 21

The search for clues to the Riccarton murder mystery continued up to 1 o’clock with success. The police spent some time dragging for a gup in a pond in the paddock at the rear of the hotel.