BRUTALLY SLAIN WHILE DEFENDING HER HONOR

NZ Truth, Issue 1196, 1 November 1928, Page 7

BRUTALLY SLAIN WHILE DEFENDING HER HONOR

POLICE APATHETIC— DESPITE SENSATIONAL CLUES

Little Elsie Walker Was Done To Death Whilst

Fighting To Retain Her Virtue

DETECTIVES' CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE?

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Investigators.) STARTLING DISCOVERIES as to the motives which led up to the murder of Elsie Walker have been made by "N.Z. Truth's" special representatives daring the past two weeks. This paper is now m a position to ask: Who Was the man with whom the girl from Cape Runaway corresponded? It is not supposition, but fact, which enables this question to be asked, for Elsie received letters from some man and Wrote to him m return. Whoever he may have been, it is reasonable to conjecture that the man played on the romantic susceptibilities of the girl — and who knows what promises he ma)) have made to entice her from the safety of her uncle's farm? '.. . Certain documents are m existence which lead to the belief that this man possibly resided somewhere near Panmure. It is very significant that within a few yards of where "Truth" believes the first blow was struck at the girl, several "Mintie" wrappers were found; and a little further away, amid the broken ground, "Truth's" representatives discovered a paper bag which probably contained those "Minties." That bag would have meant nothing had it been an ordinary sweet-bag, but it so happens that it is one printed and circulated by chocolate manufacturers by the name of Yeatman, of London. It is a line only recently introduced to the market and inquiries at Panmure led to the discovery that a store there had only about four weeks ago opened several boxes of confectionery m which those bags were placed. _ Were these bags m general use, this remarkable fact would be of small consequence, but they are not. This is also known — that those "Mintie" papers were there when the girl's body was found, but the bag was not seen by the detectives. None of the Pye boys took "Minties" to the scene of the murder. Who, then, is the person who sat oh the grass beside Elsie Walker that morning and passed her sweets, probably eating them himself but a few minutes before he killed her? Have the police carried their investigations to the West Coast of the South Island — and delved more than casually into the identity and movements of a mystery man of Panmure ? Is the singular reticence and aloof ness of the police but a prelude to a startling and sensational arrest ? Or is their attitude of superiority to all criticism due to the fact that they are baffled by a cold trail and dare not admit it ? .

and, with each succeeding twentyfour hours, harder still to pick up.

Twelve days had actually elapsed after the finding- of her body when a detective arrived at the'place whence the girl and her murderer — or his accompjice — had set out. . "Truth" challenges Commissioner Mcllveney to prove beyond doubt that more than one man had been detailed to investigate the murder of Elsie Walker up to October 25. -

In any case, the bloodhound of the law had to cast about blindly on a stone-cold trail, and this paper asserts without fear of contradiction that up to the time of writing he' is completely baffled.

So much for this aspect of the case; now let- "Truth" relate some of the discoveries which its representatives have made during the last two weks, both m the Bay of Plenty and at Panmure.

.In the first place, it can ' be said m the real sense of the word that Elsie

They had, found, said Bayly, nothing among her effects m the way of letters which indicated that she had any attachment; she had, so far as he knew, no particular boy friend. . Trevor, his second son, actually discovered that the car was missing when he came home that; night,. but although he woke his brother to ask him if anyone had gone for the doctor, he never inquired from the rest of Hhe family. "It might have been a. different story to-day if your son had awakened you?" suggested "Truth's", representative. . "Yes," was., the reply, , "this might never have happened." . Bayly gave the impression of being a man who felt the whole tragedy to weigh heavily vp v 6n- him and he spoke nothing but good ''of the dead girl; : "She was a good girl to have about the house; she was' so quiet," he said. She Jiad always been honest and happy. Reverting to the Monday when, sin disappeared, he said that 'there weve several things he had noticed, ..but- -the only one which he would mention was that he and his wife found the nexi day — when they looked for Elsie and discovered her sleeping place to be empty — was that she had, not made her bed. • ••■• ( |

This, he considered;. an indication of an unsettled frame of mind ; that day for she was a tidy-girl/: ■ --..-■ About a tbird ■ of a mile from the Bayly home to. the north-west is -the Papamoa railway station, and it is the custom of some member of the household to walk clown to the station, to collect the mail each day.

Bayiy told "Truth" that one of his boys usually went ..for ; it, but from other sources it is said that Elsie very often called for the mail herself..

It would be an easy matter for 1 whoever carried the mail, or came from the station, to walk a short distance along the railway line and then enter the Bayly paddocks, travelling across them to the house; m fact, it was the custom when fetching the mail.

How the girl would contrive to post her own letters, if- she wished to do so

Therefore, when the . train from Auckland via. Tauranga ''. arrived .at Papamoa at 6.18 p.m., it was weil dark.

!A young man leaves the train at Papamoa m. the dark — and leaves by the off-side. .It is a moot question win ether he hud the cunning to. buy a ticket to a more distant station or -not.

.Obscured by darkness, he ' 'walks along the railway line, chrnbs the embankment and finally arrives m the vicinity of the homestead.

It is a few minutes before 7 p.m. then. Treading carefully, he spies out the land, possibly pacjfles the clog, chained near the back door, and — when he is finally assured that the family have retired to the biliiard-room, well out of ear-shot — he' makes his presence known to Elsie, Who is cleaning up after the evening meal.

Whether his coining was prearranged, or not, cannot be more than conjectured. '

Before making l.imself known to

the girl, he may have made a tour of thevarious bedrooms, and robbed Audrey Bayly, of .£B, Frank Bayly of « about £4, and taken young Trevor Bayly's watch.

Though why he should have taken a cheap American time-keeper is hard to say. .It may have been to put the poiice off the scent when the theft was discovered.

"Truth" believes that the theft was committed without the knowledge or approval of Elsie, and certainly does not believe that the little girl, whose reputation had always been an honest one, would suddenly turn thief. The very 'character of the girl goes to prove die contrary..

In any case, the man wanted money, which indicates that he was either out of work or had made a certain promise and .needed the funds to carry it out.

In the light oE subsequent events, this .contention must, carry weight, for

it is fairly conclusive that whoever the man was, he would stop 'at nothing.'

Had he. promised to take Elsie to Auckland and marry her? Was his arrival the climax of a correspondence of some duration? Or. was he but an intermediary? ■ ' *

That he had promised to take the murdered girl to the Queen ) City is; however, discounted by the fact that she had not made any preparations to leave, and was still m her working clothes when her body was discovered — even to her apron. . -

But, on the other hand, having committed the robbery unknown to her, he may have induced her to accompany him as far as the gate m her uncle's car. He may even have suggested a short spin of which nobody would be any the wiser.

Or again, he could have struck her over the head then and there, dumped her m the car and driven off; but this surmise^again, hardly holds water, for the simple reason that had he so early m the affair used violence, he could have discarded the girl's body -far-m ore safely en route to Auckland, rather than drive it all the way to the paddock at Fanmure.

And. wounds on her head, such as they were, would hardly have bled to the extent they did after, she had been dead eight hours! , The only conclusion which is

tenable is that he cajoled Elsie into the car or threatened her into

silence, then drove off with her.

It is even possible that he intended to take her just far enough on the journey to debar her from giving the alarm until any pdrsuit was well left behind, for the Baylys are. connected with the telephone.

, With the girl beside him, or well concealed m the car, he takes the wheel, heading by the best .roads for the- north, which would be through Paengciroa and so to the mountainous country dividing Te Puke from Rotorua.

Any promise to drop the girl which may haye -been given," he disregards, and with the poor child of sixteen pro-