BAFFLING PROBLEM

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 664, 17 October 1933, Page 5

BAFFLING PROBLEM

(Press Assn.

WHAT . A MILKMAN. FOUND EARLY IN THE MORNING NO CLUE TO CRIMINAL

— By Telegraph — Copyright).

Auckland, Monday. Mr. Hedley Davis, who found the murdered taxi-driver, Mr. James Blam, at Modnt Roskill, said: "I was serving milk in King's Road between 5.30 and 5.45. I saw a stationary motor-car standing in the road, and as I was passing it, standing up in' my milk float, I no.ticed a man sitting in the di,iver''s seat I stopped iny horse and wbnt over to loolc at him. He was leaning h'ack in his seat with his head turned toward the open window of the door at his right He was unconscious arid breathing heavily, and I think he had his right hand up behind his head. ^.11 the doors of the car were closed. "It was obvi'ous that he had been terribly injured and I saw I could do nothing' for him. I dro've as f ast as I could to the nearest telephone box and telephoned the central police station. Mr. Davis said Mr. Blair was injured on the right ear as well as at .the back of the head. In the opinion of Mrs. Blair, wife of the murdered man, her hilsband's , assailant was probably sOmeone who had not the money with which to pay 6his f are and' sought to evade his respohsibility by attacking the driver and makihg oif. Mr. Blair who was a returned soldier, and had been wounded in action, was highly esteemed and very popular with his colleagues. No Apparent Motive The police are faced with an apparently baffling task in tracing th'e murderer of James Hunter Blair, taxi-driver, who was found dying at the wheel of his car by a milkman yesterday morning. It has been found that death was ' due to heavy blows by a heavy, blunt i instrument, which fractured the skiill. | There was no apparent motive. Blair was a quiet, trustworthy man, j highly esteemed by his colleagues in ' business. ; He was not robbed, for £2 2s 9d was found in his possession, although it is possible that his assailant was frightened by the extent of the injuries he had inflicted, and made off without looking for money. A thorough search for the instrument was made by the police, but was fruitless. The police are now dependent upon information coming in from anyone who saw a taxi in the vicinity after 3.30 on Sunday morning. None of the residents nearby saw anything, although several heard the milkman galloping along the road to the police station after he found the body. An inquest on the body of Mr. James Blair was opened to-day, and was adjourned sine die after evidence of identification had been given by the proprietor of the taxi, who describes Blair as a steady, reliable man.