GENERAL TELEGRAMS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 March 1917, Page 4

GENERAL TELEGRAMS

DOUBLE TRAGEDY NEAR NELSON MURDER AND SUICIDE. NELSON, March 20. Two miners, Abraham Turner, aged sixty, and James Knight were found lying dead. The men had been on a visit to Nelson, and after their return Knight developed delirium tremens. Turner had to get assistance to look after Knight, and a man named Eearmonth stayed in the Hut on Friday night, leaving on Saturday morning. On returning at 1.20 a.m. Hearmonth found Turner dead and Knight on the bed with his throat cut in two places, but still alive. Hearmonth went to communicate with the police, and on returning about noon found that Knight had exploded a detonator in his mouth, inflicting terrible injuries, from which he died an hour later. An examination showed that Turner received a blow behind the car, evidently with an axe. At the inquest a verdict was returned that Turner died of injuries inflicted with a blunt instrument. There was no evidence to show how. or by whom, the blow was delivered. Knight evidently died from injuries self-inflicted while in an unsound state of mind.

Knight attempted suicide some months ago by cutting his throat.

MILITARY BOOTS CONTRACT. i TWO INFORMATIONS WITHDRAWN WELLINGTON, March 10. Two informations brought by the Crown against R. Hannah and Co., boot manufacturers, were finally dealt with in the Magistrate's Court to-day. One alleged that boots supplied to the camp were not properly screwed, the other was that defendants failed to make deliveries in accordance with contract.

Mr. Meredith, counsel for the Crown, in asking leave to withdraw the informations, said military boots required a particularly fine quality of sole leather, and investigations made by departmental officers satisfactorily established the fact that there was a shortage of such leather. The military authorities, fortunately, were not hampered by the delay in delivery, because stocks of boots were well in advance of requirements. Mr. Neave, counsel for defendants, stated that his firm would have pre-

ferr?. to have the whole facts investigated. The deficiency in the supply of boots arose entirely through inability to obtain an adequate supply of leather.

Mr. Reid, S.M., allowed The with drawal of both informations.