Deva Kata Stands His Trial for Barman Barrett's Murder

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 113, 3 August 1927, Page 9

Deva Kata Stands His Trial for Barman Barrett's Murder

PAHIATUA HOTEL TRAGEDY

trial of Dova Xala, the Hindu who is charged with the 1 murder of W. Ziarrett, barman of the Commercial Hotel, ;•Pahiatua, on June 4, was continued in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North to-day.

PALMERSTON N.. To-day. the case to the jury, the v Crown Prosecutor stressed the fact that the accused, on being questioned after the incident, had admitted that he killed Barrett. Any defence that might now be raised would only have the effect of reducing the charge to one of manslaughter, but on the facts that would be brought forward, the prosecutor submitted that the jury should have no hesitation in bringing in a verdict of “guilty of murder/’ Hugh Pascoe Perry, licensee of the Commercial Hotel, gave evidence that as far as he lthew all his employees had been oil good terms with each other. Thomas Davidson, a kitchenman at the Commercial Hotel, said that at about 1 o'clock cn June 4 he had been in the scullery washing plates and Barrett, passing through on his way to the kitchen, had exchanged greetings with him. Ten minutes later witness heard a groan from the direction in which Barrett had gone. Proceeding into the kitchen, witness passed the accused coming out, the latter making no remark. There witness saw Barrett lying on the floor in a pool of biood, with a gash in the back of his neck.

He had not heard anything in the way of a discussion between the accused and deceased. Subsequently he met the accused and asked him, “Did

you do that to Bill?” the accused replying:. “I kill him.” The only other thing: he said was. “The chickens are in the oven. Tom,” referring to the dinner being prepared for that night. WHAT HOUSEMAID HEARD Constance Tester, housemaid at the hotel, stated that while she was in the pantry which led to the kitchen, she heard a gargling noise, then a chair fall. After hesitating a moment she went to the pantry door and looking into the kitchen she saw Barrett lying on the floor and the accused walking away. No one else had been in the kitchen. Ruby James, a waitress at the hotel, said that at lunch she had given Barrett a cup of tea. The accused was quite near and was cutting bread. Witness went out to attend to orders from the dining room and a minute or two later she heard a terrible noise come from the kitchen. Hurrying there, she saw Barrett on the floor and Davidson trying to lift him up. The deceased’s chair was overturned. Kala was not then in the kitchen, but on going through the kitchen she saw him at the front door, dressed in his best clothes, a navy-blue suit. His kitchen dress included a white coat and apron. She asked him what had happened, and he replied, “Me don’t know.” He had then gone into the kitchen with the manageress.