KARIOI TRAGEDY

Levin Daily Chronicle, 2 March 1918, Page 1

KARIOI TRAGEDY

CHARGE OP MURDER.

STORY OP THE CRIME,

OHAKUNE, Tuesday. Yesterday morning, at Ohakune, a powerfully bulit one-eyed man, with a dark beard, John Roberston, of Karioi, labourer ,aged about 50, appeared before Messrs Barry and Robinson J.P's and was charged with the murder of Peter I.arsen, also of Karioi, labourer. Mr W. H. Tusiin (of Tustin and Waldegrave barristers and solicitors, Raetihi), appeared for the accused, who seemed quite calm and collected. The police applied for a remand, which was granted, and Robertson will appear before a magistrate at Ohakune on March sth next. Mr Tustin, for acucsed, applied for bail, which was refused.

After the Court proceedings, a party consisting of' the coroner (Mr J. J. Pilkington), Dr Feltham, Mr Tustin, the accused and Constable Annison and McCowan, proceeded to the scene of the tragedy. The accused expressed a wish to go.

Messrs Hans Larson and Thomas Austin, who are engaged in metalling a piece of road near Karioi, have a camp situated in a quiet valley on the Karioi River. They employed seven men, Peter Larscn, John. Robertson, Henry William Farrow (cook), John Jackson, (a Maori), Louis Savich (a Serb.), and Sam Covis (a Russian). The camp consists of five sleeping tents and a galley. The accused shared the tent next the falley with Farrow the cook, and that occupied by the deceased is situated away from the rest on a slight rise at a distance of 137 links fronjj the galley door. The galley' and three tents are all close together in a sort of' street, and the tent occupied by the contractors Larsen and. Austin is on the opposite side, and separated from the row of tents by about 10 feet.

On Saturday night at about 10.30 or 11 p.m. three residents of the camp the deceased, Hans Larsen, and Jackson the Maori, arrived at the same with some beer. They found the rest of the men in bed and' asleep, and proceeded to arouse them to partake of the beer. Jackson the native went into accused's tent, and asked him to get up and have a drink. Accused, the Maori says, said he did not feel inclined to drink, and Jackson asked him if he brought some would he have it. Accused said he would, and some beer was brought to him, which he drank. The other men, with the exception of Covis the Russian, forward as soon as the way was clear, of that branch. I'll take you to him." up, were then all drinking in the galley. Austin was at his home in Ohakune. After some time Peter Larsen went to Robertson's tent and endeavoured to persuade him to get up and join the party in the galley. Accused again refused, but subsequently he did get up, went into the galley and had some drink. A GAME OF NAP. Somebody then suggested a game of "nap"—a game in which Hansi Larsen, Louis Savich, William Farrow and the accused took hands, ,then commenced. After the first hand Hans Larsen refused to play any more, and Peter Larsen, the deceased, took his plaee. After the game had proceeded for some time with an accompaniment of drinks, Peter Larsen accused Robertson of cheating. Among other things he (Peter Larsen) said: "You are robbing my camp mates you ." Peter Larscn, it is alleged, then hit Robertson about the head two or three times. Robertson, it is stated, madu no endeavour to hit back. Larsen then demanded that Robertson should return some of the money, and some was returned.

It would appear that the men then went to their respective tents, leaving Larsen and Robertson in the galley. Robertson must have also gone to bed, because when getting up he awakened Farrow, his tent mate, at. about 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. FaTrow states that he saw Robertson looking into a looking glass examining the marks on his face. Farow got up, and remembering the row he feared trouble. He ran to Hans I.arsen's tent to awake him and tell him of his suspicions. THE TRAGEDY.

Hans Larsen was very sound asleep, and took some time to awake, but after about from five to ten minutes had elapsed Hans Larsen and Farow entered Peter Larson's tent and found him groaning and bleeding from the ear. endeavoured to arouse him, but toi no purpose. The groaning stopped, and soon the body was cold. As Farrow returned to the tents he saw a pick lying on the wood pile, but later he looked for it, and found that it was not there, but had been returned to where it was previously lying next Hans Larson's tent. Robertson stayed about the camp and washed at the water-hole used for that purpose He left the camp at about 11 amT It is stated that Poole spoke to accused while he was washing, and remarked upon the fact that Peter Larsen was dead. -Accused spoke as though surprised, and made a remark as though he thought Poole was joking. ConstablQ Annison received word at about 10 a.m. on Sunday morning that Larsen was dead ,and he and Dr Feltham proceeded to Karioi. After examining the body they returned to Ohakune At about 9.30 p.m. Robertson returned to the camp and went to bed in his tent. Constables Annison and McCowan arrested him at the camp at 11 P Dr Feltham conducted a post mortem examination to-day. A Coroner's Court was constituted, and Mr Pilkmgton heard evidence of identification. The police then applied for an adjournment of the inquest to March sth. Mr Tustin obiected, contending that the inquiry should procecd, but the adjournment was granted. The deceased was well known about the district, where he had worked for some years as a bush faller and general labourer. He was a Dane, was about 32 yers of age, and was a strong, wellbuilt man. He was not related to Hans Larsen.