THE KUROW MYSTERY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 124, 29 April 1925, Page 5

THE KUROW MYSTERY

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. GIRL KILLED BY A BULLET. Per Press Association. OAMAR’J, April 28. Tho inquest was opened on the Kurow motor accident victim, Olivo Jeun Rutherford, and adjourned after formal evidence of identification. The father’s evidence showed that the girl had been employed in an office in the city for tho past three years. Tho discovery of a bullet in the base of the skull of Miss Rutherford, and the announcement that the other injuries received by the girl were allegedly not sufficient to cause death, are the latest developments in connection with the affair, which is still shrouded in mystery, writes a correspondent. Miss Rutherford died at Kurow on Saturday night without having regained consciousness, and the post-mortem examination on the body was completed late last evening. Tin DRIVER OF THE CAR. No light has yet been thrown on the whereabouts of the driver of the car, Philip Hudson, the nineteen-year-old son of Mr Arthur Hudson, of Dunedin. Formally engaged with the approval of their parents, the two young people had been keeping company for four years. they had been away together on several oceasions. On the day preceding the accident the girl had words with her mother eoncerning certain details of the former s employment. On Tuesday morning, it is understood, Miss Rutherford left home carrying a dross barket. She did not go to work, and it in believed that a room was taken in a Dunedin hotel and the dress baiket left, there. Miss Rutherford died at 9. p.m. on Saturday without regaining consciousness, except to murmur “good-night” to her mother. The post-mortem examination showed that a bullet had entered the top of the girl’s head on the left side, emerging near tho right ear. The brain was badly lacerated, and it was remarkable that she lived so long. Search parties and dragging operations have yielded no sign of Hudson. lie is generally believed to be in the river, but it is quite possible that he is in tho back countrv where ho might remain for a long time i( assisted. A warrant was issued on Thursday for the arrest of Hudson on a charge of attempted murder. Holes apparently caused by bullets appear in the girl’s hat and in Hudson s hat, which were found near tho injured girl. SEARCH BEING CONTINUED. A large force' of police will bo on the river on Wednesday and Thursday, when it is expected that the body, if in the water, will rise. In tho meantime, the search is being continued. No theory will explain all tho details. It is extremely doubtful that Hudson was in the car when it went over, but probably the girl was. There were no blood-stains in the car. Iwo cartridge cases were found near the girl. Tho police know that Hudson took a Winchester .22 automatic away in the car from Dunedin. Hudson, who is said to have been a careful driver, was given permission to take the car out about 6.30 on 1 ue.sday evening, but there is no official information as to the' time the two took their departure from Dunedin, nor as to their movements up to the time of the accident. About the scene of the accident tho country is very desolate, but the point where tho car left the road is hardly one where an accident would bo likely to happen. There is a gradual slope from tho road for about 103 yards terminating in a steep cliff with a drop of about 150 feet. Apparently the car was out of control and did not follow the natural slope of tho ground, but inclined to the right of the shallow gully. Marks show that tho car narrowly missed crushing into a iron telegraph post. When first seen, the marks gave rise to the opinion that, tho brakes had been applied when nearing tho cliff, but this has not been verified by the police. CRASH OVER CLIFF. Crashing over the top, the ear apparently struck the cliff at a point 50 feet below; then, from all appearances, it turned a soineiaault, continued another thirty feet, where it again struck earth and finally came to rest twenty-five feet further down.

Portions of tho car. a two-seater, were found distributed over a wide area. The impact was so severe as to reduce .the machine to atoms, the spare wheel alono escaping damage. It has been learned that Mr Condon, a resident of Kurow, was passing along tho road at 7.10 a.m. on Wednesday when ho saw a car pulled up on the road there, near where tho accident happened. Hudson waved his hand as a signal that all was well. Twenty minutes later a shepherd who passed the point in a heavy fog noticed a disturbance of rnotul on the road whiro the car had left it. On returning later, tie investigated and found the remains of tho cal’, and a body lying on a ledge twenty-five feet down. Dr. Mathenon, of Wharekuri, was summoned and assisted by bis wife dressed the wounds and conveyed the girl to Kurow Hotel. The police have been investigating the matter since Wednesday afternoon. They found a watch belonging to Hudson lying beside tho body of the girl. It had stopped at 7.25. They also found a glove, a hat. and a man’s handkerchief saturated with blood. Nearby was a man’s hat with a hole in the top. An empty cartridge was found beside Olivo Rutherford, and another near the wrecked car. Close at hand were empty chocoiato boxes and lemonade bottles. TRAIL OF BLOODSTAINS.

Bloodstains rnado a grim trail from the body of the girl right down the hillside, past the debris of the car, and across the stones to the water’s edgo. Endeavours have been made to formulato theories, but in the absence of Hudson none can be established as the girl is now dead. No rifle has been discovered. Whether Hudson and the girl were in the car when it went over the cliff has not been determined and probably never will be. There was a bleeding wound on tho top of the girl’s skull when she was found, and there was also a small round hole in the head. On Wednesday evening an operation was performed. Aliss Rutherford’s face was scratched, apparently through striking the rocks, and there were severe abrasions about tho body. Although unconscious, the girl spoke several times, but made no reference to tho accident except to say that her neck was sore.

Dragging operations are in the meantime being carried out by the police in their efforts to find Hudson or tho rifle which it is understood he sometimes carried with him. Portions of tho river have been dynamited in tho hopes of finding the body, but with no success.