RUAWARO MURDER

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 671, 25 October 1933, Page 5

RUAWARO MURDER

(Press Assn.-

search proceeds j — — POLICE FACED BY VERY : DIFFICULT AND ARDUQUS TASK , A BAFFLING MYSTERY

— By Telegraph — Copyright).

Huntly, Tuesday. ! Although in the course of their j search during the past few days D:e- : tectives T. Sneddon, T. A. Allsopp , and J. Findlay have stumbled across minor clues that may help them to ■solve the riddle of the- mysterious j death of Mjl*s. Christobel Lakey and th& strange disappeaiiance of her hus;band, Samuel Pender Lakey, the disr-' •; covery of M3r. Lakey's hody is of vital ; importance in their case. j The search for the vanished Lakey j con/tinues with increasinlgi vigour, but i so far no itnace has heen found. It is • obvious that moa-e men are urgently ; needed if the search is to be success- ' ful. Th'ousands of acres of broken | country, swamp land and thicket covered valleys have yet to be tacteled". ; With a small posse of 11 police and ! three detectives it has been possible ■ only to sea.rdh the most likely spots* \ in which a body could be eoncealed. | The areas round the Lakey farm • already covered have heen Vorked ;with th'e greatest .thoroughness and ' some near at hand have been gone ; over twice. IHider the direction of ' SeTgeant Bissett police agaiii to-day -searched the creek about three miles from the farmhouse, following its winding course down to Lake Whangape. Several caves some miles south of the farm were carefully inspeeted and an old disused mineshaft many miles away is to be paid a special visit. Two Maoris Startled Various opinions as to where the body might he have been advanced, and every suggestion made to the detectives is considered, and, if praciticable, carried out. A demonstration of the spirit of the police was given last evening. After a gruelling day's search three detectives were prieparing for bed when a strange light was noticed about three miles away. With all speed the three detectives, their hopes high, tramped across countfy towards the flickering light. They moved silently up to a tiny shack on the hillside, and htard voices in a tongue they did not understand. When the detectives knocked at the door two very startled Maoris greeted them, but they were unable to give •the detectives the slighitest h'clp in their inquiries. It may be that the police search in the district is futile. It is possible that a motor car was used lat- at night to take Lakey's body many miles away. At first that was thought unlikely, for the reason that, a car would he heard or seen in the district, but, one farmer remarked to-day, "Wihen we go to bed, we go to bed to sleep. You would have to fire a shotgun outside the window to wake mie." "We Must Find That Body" Interviews of every settler along the road from ihe Naike turn off to the Lakey homestead were recommenced to-day in the hope that somebody may remember some important detail that may lead to a definite clue. Every possible and superficially impossihle avenue is being investjgated. The continual cry of the police is, "We must" find that body." Even if certain articles which are now being tested in Auckland are definitely found to have blood on tbem, the .finding of Lakey's body will still be essential to the police . case, so with' coanmendahle enthusiasm and tenacity ihe men on the job search from dawn still dusk, sometimes even goirug( without lunch to find the body of the vanished farmer. When they come back fired from their day's work th'ey sit down to splendid hot meals prepared by two constaibles who have become tbe camp cooks. . With deepest interest and almosit impatience the detectives are awaiting th© resul'ts of blood tests. They are also anxious tO' learn the mecheal view of the cause of Mrs. Lakey s peculiar death. Periodical help is given the official searchers by settlers in tbe district, who leave. their farm duties most of the day to Iqnd a hand. When milking time comes they have to give up searching and round up their cows. The settlers are just as anxious to find the body and track down the unknown and callous^ assailant of Lakey as arg the police, for womenfolk in the district spend restless nights and have become most agitated. Place of Goncealment Although so far the. police search haS failed to discover the body, and eiach day has brought with it disappointment, th'e s6ax*ch is renewed at dawn every day with renewed vigpur. If the double murder theory is corxect, whoever took the , lives of the Lakeys showed astounding criminal cunning and great care in scheming the ghastly plan of attack. All the cixcumsfa.nces point to the f act that the murderer must have. had the place of concealment of Lakey's body well prepared long before the crime was committed. « ? ,