LETTERS AND AN INTERVIEW

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 739, 12 August 1929, Page 1

LETTERS AND AN INTERVIEW

Movements of William Bayly

MRS. BAYLY SEEKS POLICE AID

rEN Mrs. Frank Bayly, of Papamoa, aunt of the late Elsie Walker, was worried by letters from a woman who claimed she possessed important information bearing on the now famous Elsie Walker case, she handed them to the police. Certain statements have been made available to THE SUN concerning subsequent proceedings when an interview between the two women took place. This, it is stated, was arranged by the police. Further, it is stated that Mrs. Bayly’s action in handing the correspondence to the police was at the suggestion of her son, William Bayly, who desired that the information be fully investigated.

Tie death o£ Elsie Walker occurred M ar Panmure some time during the Jight ot October 1. the body being discovered in a clump of underbrush jj a small boy. Mysterious circumc'anees surrounded the departure of ile girl from the residence of her lode and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Frank rjaj-ly, of Papamoa. Extensive inquiries by the . police riretv very little light on the girl’s movements and at the inquest which Uted some eight days the moveneats of Mr. William Bayly, son of jlr. Frank Bayly, occupied a prominent jart. Although a commission of inanity, set up by the Minister of Jusace, completely exonerated the police in regard to their conduct of the inquiry, police headquarters in Auckliad has by no means shelved the esse and Inquiries have since been continued.

night before disappearance la February fresh developments occurred in the case, when Mrs. Bayly received a letter from Mrs. Thomassoa in which the writer stated that she wu worried ooncerning the movemeats of William Bayly in the Papamoa district the night before Elsie Walker’s disappearance from her hose. She said she had seen him on the train at Papamoa. At the time of the disappearance of Elsie Walker, Mrs. Thomasson, whoso unhand, a builder, was working in the (Utrict, was living at a house situated atar the entrance to the Bayly homesteal

She was one of the first questioned when the police were making their inquiries, and she said that she had not seen William Bayly since ten days before the girl’s disappearance.

The letter was replied to and the following letter, dated February 28, vis received by Mrs. Bayly:

G.P.0., Wanganui, „ Feb. 28, 1929. D«r Mrs. Bayly,— I am in receipt of yours dated the 11th nstant, stating you were going to see Hill in regard to my other letter and I "onder did he explain. My dear, if he you the truth there would be no need | a letter from m**. I told you both ■ l[rs - Langdon and l were on that parcular train, and if Bill won’t tell you truth then I will, as I think you • Jght to know. He was on that train. ' ert ainly I should have told you before j At Papamoa, but I didn't know that lings would turn out as they have done. , and Mrs. Bayly, we mourn for both ■ tyou in the cross you have to bear, but i.in you imagine how I feel knowing ■ know and not doing my duty as °ught to do? I feel to a certain degree 1 am committing a crime myself by keeping this knowledge. Mrs. Bayiy’s reply to this was to iae effect that it was rather surprising ’Qat that information was not made known to the police at the time the ujQuiries were being made. Mrs. Jijomasson replied on March 21 as follow: G.F.O. Wanganui, March 21, 1929. ! «lL^ ust your let er and seemingly itn ncver have troubled writing you tell l 1 You’ve always asked me to you of anything I know or hear, and

yet as soon as 1 do, you just treat it with contempt. Mind you, I expected it. But I do think you could have appreciated the spirit it was written you in. My dear, it only needs that information to have gone to the coroner and probably there would have been a different aspect in the case. However, if you are quite satisfied with Bill’s version of where he was. then there’s no more to be said. I thought I’d tell you just in case you are unprepared when the information goes to other quarters. ACQUAINTING THE POLICE

A letter was sent to Mrs. Thomasson stating that she, Mrs. Bayly, would do whatever Mrs. Thomasson thought was right.

It was about this time that Mr. William Bayly wrote to Mr. Lusk and pointed out that as his mother was being worried by Mrs. Thomasson he thought the only ceurse was to acquaiut the police with the matter and place ti> correspondence in their hands.

Some time later a telegram was received from Mrs. Thomasson urging Mrs. Bayly to see her at Wanganui. The telegram added that the newspaper “Truth” was going to interview Mrs. Thomasson a w’eek later.

The whole matter was then put in the hands of the police, who arranged for Mrs. Bayly to go to Wanganui to see Mrs. Thomasson. They booked a room at Foster’s Hotel and on the day that she arrived, Detective Sneddon, of Auckland, also arrived at the hotel. According to the information given to The Sun Mrs. Thomasson arrived at Foster’s Hotel on Saturday, June 22, and was taken upstairs to Mrs. Bayly’s room. A room, with bathroom attached, had been engaged and it is stated that Detective Snedden was placed in the bathroom during the interview. It is further stated that in the course of the interview Mrs. Thomasson said she saw Bill Bayly on the Papamoa train on October 1. She said that she was accompanied by Mrs. Langdon, who drew her attention to Bill. Bill recognised them, she said, and raised his hat. She stated that when the train was at Papamoa she looked for Bill, but could not find him on the train. RECOGNISED THEM

It is stated that when Mrs. Bayly asjeed what Mrs. Thomasson wanted her to do, the reply was given that the suggestion should come from Mrs. Bayly. Mention was also made of “Truth.”

It is said that, at this stage, Mrs. Thomasson drew attention to the bathroom door and suggested that they go for a walk, Mrs Thomasson objecting to saying anything further in the room.

It is understood that at tire same time as the interview between Mrs. Bayly and Mrs. Thomasson was being conducted, Mrs. Langdon, who was on the train with Mrs. Thomasson on October 1, and who was alleged to have seen Bill Bayly, was interviewed by the police. It has been stated that Mrs. Langdon denied that she had seen Bill Bayly. Since then, police officers have visited Mr and Mrs. Thomasson at their home outside of Wanganui, but the result of the interview has not been disclosed.