THE WANGANUI SENSATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2134, 29 May 1920, Page 1

THE WANGANUI SENSATION.

MACKAY COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. . Wanganui, May 27. At the Court this afievnoon, C. E. Mackay. for thirteen, years Mayor of Wanganui, was charged with attempted murder of Waiter Darc'y Cress well, a returned soldier. The Court room was parked, the police having to clear a■ passage to allow witness to enter. Dr. liutson, medical superintendent of the Wanganui Hospital, stated that on May loth Waller Darcy Cres.-swell was admitted to the hospital, sulfering from a wound in the right side of tlie chest. It was abont on tlie level of the heart, hut on the opposite side. The wouml was obviously, caused by a bullet. The bullet' had no! been located. The woun'd was a very small one. Creswell had been under the (-are id' witness since his admission. As far a.s he anticipated there war-; no danger to Cress well's life at present, but Cress',yell was not able to appear in Court to give evidence. The bullet had entered, the lung, but may Lave-gone right through. "To ;he Magistrate: During tin

IVw bom 1 - (’re--well s <-<*iidil am was serious, hut a Her’the use of I hr rest ora 1 ix’cs Ifis condition improve,] rapidly. lu-p; k 1 leu dry .-tilled Hal on liie 2(51 h ins(7 he received inform;!lion (hill, actftiscd wished to see him ;it I lie gaol. Witness went, ami there saw accused in the presence, uf Mr Treadwell, his lawyer. Witness then produced a statement that had been taken from Waiter Durey Cress well at 1 he hospital. Witness handed the statement to .Mr Treadwell, and suggested that the laiier, il he desired, might permit accused to read il. At accused's repiicst the latter retired with Mr Treadwell, and some twenty minutes later returned to the room am! informed witness that he had read the statement, ami untile the endorsement: —“1 have ■ read the above statement, and so tar as it relates to my own act and deed, ]. admit the statement to be substantially true.” Accused then signed and da.led the statement, and at the* suggest ion oi' w itness initialled each of the pages. Witness I lien produced the '’statement made by Cresswell in the hospital, and read it. It was ns follows: — "I am a returned soldier, 2-\ years of age, and reside with my parental Timaru, in the South Island. ! have done no woric since 1 returned from the war. 1 came to Wanganui on Monday. Iblh nisWuttid met Maekay on that date. S'llfF him at dinner at ('havanae's Hotel with, my cousin at Mr Mackays invitation. Nothing abnormal happened while at dinner, f spoke to Mackay between the time I bad dinner with him on Monday night and entering his onico on Saturday morning, I be loth mst. My cousin and myself went to the Fiawera races on Tuesday, the 11th insi., and returned to Wanganui the following evening. I met Mackay on Thursday, and asked him to come to dinner at the Rutland Hotel that night with my cousin and myself. Mackay kept the appointment, and we had dinner at the hotel. Nothing took place while we were at the hotel, and 1 had not said anything to Mackay that would offend him. On the Thursday evening Mackay invited me to go to,the Art Gallery with him on the Friday afternoon. I accepted his invitation, as I wauled to know more about Mr Mackay. On the Friday afternoon, about A p.m.,'l met Mackay at bis office in Ridgway Street, then we went to the Wanganui Club in St. Hill Street, and had a enp of tea. f rom there wo went to the art gallery. Mackax unlocked the door, as he had the kex’s. and then we had a look through the building. When we left the art gallery xve went to Mackay s office in Ridgway Street, and while there I discovered a certain disgusting feature in Mackay's cuaracler. He also showed me several photographs of nude women. 1 purposely encouraged him to display the (jiialities in his nature which 1 expected. On making that discovery, I told him that I had led him on, v on purpose to make sure of his dirty intentions, and I told him also amongst a lot of other candid things,, that he must resign the Mayoralty at once. He then pleaded for mercy, and asked mo to think ox’er it foi the night, and come and see him the next morning and let him know nix -decision. I stayed at the Rutland Hotel on Friday night, as 1 was going to a dance in the Druids' Hall that evening. During the night I decided that he should resign the Mayoralty in a week's time. At my suggestionf and partly at my dictation, Mackay wrote a letter to my cousin, and I saw it posted on Saturday morning. As arranged, I called on him at 9.30 a.m. at his office in Ridgway Street on the Saturday morning, and the whole morning was spent by him in pleading i with iiie on account of his wife and

family, and not to force him to resign. • I, however, was quite determined that lie. should resign, even though lie threatened to commit suicide. I did not believe he had the courage,. and I did not believe him when he said that his wife was dependent on the i'2o() he got for being- mayor. I was very anxious to be .iust., and do nothing cruel to his family. lie told me he was suffering from a complaint which made it impossible for him to control his passions, and said that his doctor could satisfy me in that respect, lie rang up his doctor on two or three occasions, but each time (he (Concluded on Page 3.)