MUCH EVIDENCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1205, 3 January 1929, Page 1

MUCH EVIDENCE

i 4, . Expected At Inquiry Into Elsie Walker's Death

SENSATIONAL RUMORS AFLOAT

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative). Any possibility of the inquest on the murder of Elsie Walker being opened before the New Year has been dispelled, and it is now practically assured that nothing will take place before the legal vacation terminates on January 7. So far as it is possible to ascertain, there are no fresh developments, and all those who are m a position to make an authoritative statement are as reticent as they have been since the first stages of the affair.

WHETHER the inquest will be held at Te Puke or Auckland is also uncertain, but there is reason to believe, as thero are many witnesses to be called from both places, and such a number of police officers to give evidence, not to .mention the court officials, who Avill be engaged on the case, that it is more than probable that it will be staged m the city. By this method the Crown would have all those, concerned near to the northern police headquarters, and as several detectives have been engaged on | the case, and there is little doubt that I more than one senior officer will be called to give evidence, not to mention the medical men who held the postmortem, this centralization would moan much saving of time. The sensational mystery of the death of) the little gn ] from Cape Runaway has a deep hold upon tne general public, and with the vast amount of evidence which m a case of this nature is. inevitable the inquiry imiiiiiiiiimiimimiiiiiiiiiiKiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiimiiimin

will probably extend over several days. Counsel, it is practically certain, will be m attendance to watch the interests of several persons whose names must inevitably come into considerable prominence, and the legal gentlemen will.be sure to ask several questions. * It is not surprising that the public interest is so intrigued, for apart from the obscure circumstances of the victim's death, the unique apathy of the senior officers m charge of the detective staff, which was very conspicuous during the flret phages of the crime,

has been one of the most common subjects of discussion. The singular silence of the daily papers, which, give such length to crime mysteries emanating from other countries m their supplements, but have ignored one m their midst which is probably unparalleled m recent years, has also been the subject of much comment. If all possible and probable witnesses have been interrogated by the police, and their statements taken, there must be a very bulky sheaf of testimony to/be handed over to the office" of the Crown who will handle the inquiry. Rumors of a most sensational nature are constantly cropping up, and there are those who, believing that they i-re m possession of "inside information," still maintain that the climax will take place during, or immediately after, I the inquest; but what foundation iiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiliiiiiilliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiillitl

for these surmises there may be this paper is not m a position to state. Nevertheless, it is often the case that where there is smoke there is fire. Nothing would please this paper more than to discover that tne officers m charge of the case are waiting for the last round of the rubber to play a card which will trump the murderer's ace of clubs and give them a grand slam, and m achieving this master stroke prove to the. bewildered public that they are much maligned men whose alpine frigidity has been but a cloak for their subtle master stroke.