THE HIMATANGI TRAGEDY

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3998, 17 September 1929, Page 2

THE HIMATANGI TRAGEDY

LITTLE FURTHER TO REPORT

There is little further to report h. connection with the. Hiinatangi tragedy.. The police are prosecuting the strictest enquiry into the matter but at the time of going to press there was nothing further to hand to throw any light on the mvsterv. CARTRIDGE SHELL DISCOVERED.

On Friday last our representative made a further investigation of the ruins of the Westlake homestead and in the ashes at a spot eighteen inches or so from where My. Westlake’s body had been located, discovered a blackened and discoloured butt of a cartridge, which would fit a twelve gauge shot gun. All that was left of the cartridge was ihe brass butt. The percusion cap had been fired. The shell had been a Noble No. 12. It was lying within eighteen inches of where Mr. Westlake’s feet had been a little to the south-west of the feet but definitely in file living (room. The butt was handed to the police that evening on our representative’s return to Foxton and as a result the police paid a further visit to the scene of the lire and carefully sieved the ashes hut failed to.discover anything of importance. . In addition to the cartridge butt our representative discovered in the ashes where Mr. Westlake’s body lay further metal and bone buttons which were also handed over to the police. These add further proof to the fact that Mr. Westlake must have been dressed at the time lie met bis death. Window fasteners were also discovered on the location of the bedroom windows and these were not locked when discovered bearing out the statement that the windows were not secured and could easily have been opened. Mr. Griffin, a shepherd in the employ of Mr. Renton informed a Standard reporter that he could not account for a strange shallow french which ran along the front of the house and under the eastern corner of the building. There is nothing mysterious about this trench. It was constructed by the late Mr. Westlake to carlry off surface water from the front of the house. Previously the drain ran along the western" side of the house but when additions were made along this wing the - drain was covered over hv the building and filled in, a new one being dug to replace it. Photographs of the-ruins distinctly show t his trench and it is not considered it had anything to do with the mystery at present baffling.the police. MR. WESTLAKE IN FOXTON DAY OF TRAGEDY. ■ From inquiries carried out by our representative it has been ascertained that Mr. Westlake visited Foxton on Friday, September 6th, the day preceding the night on which he met his death. He called at Mr. J. 'Symons, blacksmith’s shop to pick up a spanner he had ordered but as it was* not ready he look away the spanner he had left to be copied saying that lie might be able to pick one up cheap in Palmerston Nolrth.

Interviewed, Mr Symon stated that about three weeks ago Mr. Westlake first called at his shop ipth a badly, damaged octagonal wheel spanner.and asked the cost of a new.one. Mr. Symon told him that the usual cost of making such a spanner would be 6/-. Taking him for a farmer in poor circumstances however, he said that he would he able to make him one for 8/6. Mr. Westlake had then said: “Couldn’t you do it for 2/6.” Mr. Westlake left the spanner with instructions that should it be finished it was to be sent-out to him. On the Friday of the Tragedy he called into the shop about'l p.m. and as the spanner was not ready took the other one away. He also made some enquiries with regard to some wheels and axles Mr. Svmon had. MR, WESTLAKE’S WATCH.

Mrs. Judd, of Pahiatua, a daughter of deceased, informed the police last week, that Mr. Westlake possessed a very valuable gold watch and a. leareful search was made for this article in the ruins. Our representative was in conversation with JVflrs. Judd to-day however, and she now states that the watch is safe. Mr. Westlake had deposited the time piece with the Bank of New South Wales at Palmerston North, prior do taking over the farm as he attached great value to it, and had replaced it with a watch of a cheaper variety. NO EVIDENCE OF POISONING. The fact that it would have been possible for the occupants of the house, to have been poisoned has not escaped the attention of the police and some very stringent inquiries have been made throughout the district to this end hut nothing has been discovered to lend colour to this theory. Local and district retailers have been interviewed and inquiries at the Manawatu Rabbit Board’s office have failed to disclose any sale of poisons to Mr. Westlake or the Wrights. Mr. D. R. Balrron (inspector for the Manawatu Rabbit Board) when interviewed, said that Mr. Westlake s property was fairly clear of rabbits but lie had written him relative to their destruction as soon as ho took over the property as is usual when a property changed hands. He showed our representative a reply lie had received from Mr. Wiestlake saying that he realised the good work the Board was •doing and would comply with its instructions. Mr. Barron said that lie had not supplied any poison to any occupant of the house. THEORIES AND SUSPICIONS. Although many theories have been advanced during the past few days relative to the Himataugi tragedy, most of which favour the

sensational, there is still a possibility that the whole affair was of an accidental nature. Drs. King and Wyllie, who performed the post, mortem are satisfied that . all the occupants of‘the house have been accounted for and the fact that burial warrants were issued and the funerals conducted bears out the fact that everything must he in order in this connection. The eight bodies having been accounted foi' there remains the explanation of the tragedy. There is a possibility that everything may have been as Mrs. King suggested when first in-

tervicwed by our representative. Mr. Westlake may have returned home late at night, been seized with a. heart attack and accidentally set tire to the house;' The occupants might not have been aroused until they awoke choking and coughing from the smoke and then found the wharc a mass of flames. If the place was accidentally set fire to the position in which Mr.: West la

f.ke’s body was found would go to how that the western portion would catch alight first and with the strong westerly wind blowing the flames would possibly sweep along the southern wall preventing escape from'the bedroom windows and driving the children in the direction of the living room. Thomson may have been in his bed and , attempted to reach the others only to be trapped and to perish with Mr. and Mrs. Wright. Concerning the dog, there .is no evidence to prove that theanimal was in the house at the time of the tragedy. Mjr. Weight’s ’dog was tied' up at the cpwbailSj and there is no evidence .of any other dog being on the'farm to hand yet. It iis quitto reasonable! to assume that a dog or some other animal may have crawled under the house 'at some time or other years ago-when the whare was not occupied, 'and died there. The original whare was on the estate years ago and was not occupied far long periods on end. Then comes , the hole in the skull ' argument. The shot grin belonged to Mr. Wright and lie registered it t ir. Rongotea although no transfer to its new address had been noted. It is quite feasible that Wright had been using the gun, which was evidently 'kept in Mr. Westlake’s room, on the wall, and had left some cartridges in his pocket. On the night of the tragedy he may have reached the end of the heel where his clothes were and collapsed. *■ His coat which may have contained . a live shell might have fallen. near ‘ bis head and when the heat ignited the cartridge it may have shot Mr. Wright through the head. Everyone knows that a cartridge thus fired loses its power to a very great extent through the charge not having to escape through the barrel of the gun. An argument in favour of this theory is that Mr. Wright’s skull was not shattered as is‘usual ia gunshot eases and besides this load was discovered inside the skull which would scarcely have been'the case had a shot gun been fired at his head from a distance of eighteen inches or so. -!.

Mr. Wright possessed a very large head, aceoirding to Mrs. King, vlio informed ouir representative that he had to take a special .size in caps. This fact should definitely'establish the identity of the skull with the hole in it.

Mrs. King says Wright was a genial man who was always turning everything into jokes. He was a returned soldier and three of the children were born after his return from the front. Mrs. Wright did not have her top teeth in when she was nursed by Mrs. King. * She had lost the top set and Mrs. King did not think that she had them in at the time of her death. Her bottom teeth were her natural set.

The previous shareniilkers on the farm since February were Mr. Tasman with whom was his }nother-in-law, Mrs. King (no relation to the Mrs. King the neighbour), and Mr. and Mrs. Moles.

Mr. Cadogan informed our representative that Mr. Wiestlake expected a lot from his employees. He worked just as hard on Sunday as any other day and expected the others to do so.

This, together with the terrible loneliness of the place, may have contributed to the fact that the previous share-milkers did not- stay long on the farm. The Wrights, according tp Mrs. King, were guite happy on the place. They were not very pleased with the dwelbngmnd on account of its rough nature did not take their good furniture on to the place but sold it prior to moving in.

Thomson was almost a member of the Wright family. He had been with them six years and was very fond of the children. When Mrs. Wright was ill he attended to the cooking and other domestic duties.

Over a week has gone by now since the tragedy and so far no motive has been advanced for any tragedy. The whole thing may have been purely accidental and it must he remembered that where no one knows the reasons for a tragedy such as this or anything of the cause, everyone immediately becomes suspicious.