GIRL'S DRIVE TO DEATH

NZ Truth, Issue 1193, 11 October 1928, Page 11

GIRL'S DRIVE TO DEATH

Body Found Seven Miles From Abandoned Car

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

A sudden departure from the hqme of her aunt at Te Puke m a motorcar and a long drioe with death as her destination. Such is the tragic finale that Fate has written across the pages of the brief career of Elsie Walter, aged 1 8, whose body was discovered last Friday evening m a stone quarry near the Khox Home, Tamaki, under mysterious circumstances. ,

HOW came' this young girl by her tragic death and what was the

underlying motive of it all?

The inquest, whicb/Vwas formally opened: following the discovery of. the body, has been adjourned sine die, pending a post-mortem analysis of the contents of the stomach. While it is understood that the police do not suspect foul play, there is a suggestion that the girl met her death by poisoning, but this point cannot definitely be cleared up until Dr. Murray's pathological investigations are concluded.

In the meantime, however, there are several aspects of the tragedy wrapt m the deepest mystery and which are giving rise to the keenest speculation on the part of the public.

Elsie Walker was the daughter of De Renzy Walker, of Raukokori, on the Gisborne side of Opotiki, but for some time past the girl had lived with her aunt, Mrs. Bayly, who resides at Papaonga, Te Puke, Bay of Plenty. On Monday of last week the girl disappeared from Te Puke-

and with her went a motor-car. At the time of her departure, which was unobserved, Elsie Walker was wearing a pair of dark, rubber-soled sand-shoes, and over her dress was a boy's overcoat. This coat, the police have established, belonged to one of Mrs. Bayly's sons. . ' . ■ What the girl did after leaving her aunt's home, until she met her death on the outskirts of Auckland; is a,t present a. mystery. But one point which is certain is that she met her death not later .than Tuesday, the day following her departure from Te Puke. The car which she was driving was found abandoned at Papatoetoe, havinerrun out of petrol. From the place where the car was found abandoned, to where the body was 1 discovered, is a distance of seven miles', u ~so that Elsie Walker must have walked that distance;

Three .days later her body, lying face downwards, was found In the

quarry.

Quarry Quandary

Her head was lying m a small pool of blood; about the face and • one arm

were evidences of mutilation, but obviously not of human agency. No money was fbund on the body and "N.Z. Truth" understands there was nothing about the girl's clothing to lead to identification except the two letters^found m the pocket of the overcoat. ' . . ,

These letters, however, threw no light whatever upon the mystery, as they were letters written to the boy whose coat she .was , wearing, by his mother! ;

There was no trace of a handbag or the usual, vanity case nearly all women, carry about with them. So much for the general facts covering the last known movements, of tho girl and the finding of her body m the Quarry

But what about the object of her death? It is here where the mystery element creeps m. ■■[■' At first the police theory was' that the girl, after abandoning the car, wandered "along ■on foot until she sank down exhausted m the quarry and then died, either from exhaustion or exposure. . Assuming that.it was her fixed purpose to go to Auckland, and having no money with which to buy a fresh supply of petrol when the car'^'stalled" at Papatoetoe, it would be the logioal thing for her to walk the remaining distance of a few miles into the. city. But this certainly does not explain her death. From all "Truth" can glean about the girl, she appears to have been m good physical health, although she has been stated to have been subject to fits of depression at times., • It is likely that she would die of exposure. During the week" m which her death occurred, the weather was mild and there was little rain. Clothed as she was, she would not be likely to die as' a result of exposure to the elements.

The possibility of poisoning cannot be ruled out altogether. Even when she was found three days or so after death had taken place, her face was stated to be slightly colored— a faint pinkish hue. > ■ This fact, if the position is as stated,is strong evidence that her death was not a natural one, for all students of toxicology know that a facial tinge m a corpse Is -at. least suggestive of poisoning of a certain type. .

Then there is the mysterious pool of blood. Generally speaking, there is no bleeding by injury after death has occurred.

i Which raises the important question as to whether the bleeding ensued before death or whether it resulted from the mutilation of the face by agencies other than human after death. As far as can be ascertained, there were no marks of violence on the body; superficially, at least, there appear to be only two points of view, either of which may be confirmed by the coroner according to the evidence placed before him;

JElsie Walker died of heart failure following exposure or. she died by other means — presumably poisoning. There seems absolutely nothing at this stage on which to hang the theory of foul play, but "Truth" considers that this cannot altogether be ruled out as a possibility. . " *At least, no stone should be left unturned to clear up the mystery. If there is' the slightest chance that the girl was the victim of foul play, then the matter should be investigated to the last detail.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the girl-— when she left Te Puke — had any money m her possession and whether she was carrying a handbag, a most likely possibility. No money and no bag was found near the body — and this fact is suspicious m itself. , Unless the girl was completely deranged — and there is no evidence as yet that she was — she would naturally carry a bag with her, while she could reasonably be expected to have a. few shillings, at least. But not a suggestion of either money or bag. There can be no doubt that Elsie Walker was anxious, to get to Auckland, else why should she have taken the Bayly's car without saying anything about it? Provided the motive to get to the city was sufficiently strong, the few miles between Papatoetoe and her destination would not daunt a physically healthy girl, as she i 9 reported to have been. What, then, over-

■ - came her after . she had tramped seven miles? And why should she choose the quarry, which was off the main road? All the information that has reached "Truth" concerning the girl shows that she was of impeccable character, and the suggestion that there was a man m the case is not seriously considered m well-informed quarters. But if the 'element of romance finds no place m the enactment of the tragedy, there must have been some other powerful motive underlying the girl's anxiety to .reach the city. What that motive was, remains to be

seen,

*.■ Should it transpire ihat Elsie Walker, suffering from a fit of depresssion, took her own life, and that she took poison, where did she obtain it and. where did she get the money with which to buy it? ,• . ;, Had she purchased poison before 'her departure from Te Puke, the fact would m itself have been highly suspicious. . 1 Then there is the other aspect of the case that has to be considered. That, assuming she had made up her mind to take her own life, she should travel over a hundred mlles.in a car before making up her mind to do It, is; hardly feasible../ .• - . • Then, again, there, is no evidence so far; as "Truth" cian glean to indicate that the police found a bottle containing poison or anything suggesting it.

However, in v view of all the.clrcumstances of the case, it seems most unlikely that she died from exposure. '•■.. - ; '

And if she committed suicide by poisoning, then there must have been a motive, unless — m a fit of acute depression—^her mind became temporarily unhinged. The whole affair is at present wrapped m mystery, and until the, inquest is concluded the cause of her death will remain m doubt. ; :■•'■'

Why she left home and what brought about her death will perhaps never be known.

The secret of Elsie Walker's long drive to death lies buried with her m the grave. ,

Whether it will emerge to dissipate the clouds of mystery that now enshroud the tragedy, time alone can tell.