THE AUCKLAND MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1916, Page 7

THE AUCKLAND MURDER.

MAN STABBED TO DEATH. ..■■'rfllßTEEN, -KNIFE WOUNDS. .. The Auckland Herald fives the following details of the terrible murder which was committed on the western slope of Mount Eden, in the midst of a quiet and picturesque residential quarter, at about nine o'clock on Saturday night. The victim, who was stabbed to death, was a waterside worker named' Horatio Heywood Erecherville Kamsden, aged 25, and unmarried, who' had been living with his mother in Nelson street. The circumstances reveal evidence of an exceedingly savage crime. Investigations elicited the information that Rnmsden left his home at six o'clock on Saturday evening, telling Lis mother that he was going to meet someone, but not mentioning who, nor the place of meeting. No more is known of his subsequent movements, but about three hours later his dead body was found lying beneath a eluinp of castoroil trees, situated at the bend of Hillside Crescent, on the side of the mountain. There were 11 knife wounds in

his chest and side, a contused wound on .the top of his head; and a deep' cut in the palm of each hand. The latter injuries made it evident that the victim had vainly' attempted to save, himself, and had desperately clutched the blade of his assailant's weapon in his struggle for life. DESCRIPTION OF THE .LOCALITY. ■ There are several houses within a comparatively few yards of the scene of the murder. .Hillside Crescent, is a thoroughfare of ft roughly semi-circular shape, crowning the first rise on the slope of the mountain. Both ends of the crescent lead down into the Mount Eden roadff, which they enter one on either side of the 2d section tram-stop. At the top of the stop where the actual bend occurs,' a track leads off to the eastward for some 30 or 40 yards to a gate giving access to the Mount Eden Domain, kt the right-hand side of this track is the clump of castor-oil trees, beneath which the ground is covered fairly deeply with an overgrowth of nasturtiums, amongst which the body

was found. ■.'.'' , This area is bounded on the downward side by « concrete, wall forming the end of an enclosure, containing an old and disused one-storey block of buildings, which were formerly used as stables by the Hon. Thos, Thompson, whose private residence is situated beyond the lower end of the stables. A row of houses, all inhabited, runs along the hillside overlooking the bend in Hillside Crescent, and there are several other residences in the vicinity. From th clump of castor-oil trees to the foot of the chescent at Mount Eden road stretches a tarred footpath, worn hard by 'pedestrian traffic. RESIDENTS HEAR CRIES FOR HELP. In the house on the hillside, directly facing the roadway below, reside Mrs. Xiccolls, her son, 'Mr. Charles Xiccolls, a waterside worker, and her sister, Miss Smelt. Shortly after nine o'clock on Saturday evening, Mr. Niccolls left his bouse and started to walk down the slope towards the Mount Eden road. He had passed the clump of trees and the old stables,- and was about opposite to Mr. Thompson's house, when he heard two cries for help in a man's voice, which came from behind him. At first

he thought some larrikins were calling out, as tlioy often do in that locality, but when the cry was repeated and a crash as of a failing body followed, he turned back, being then under the impression that something was amies at his home. . Mr. Niccolls had almost reached his gate when lie was joined by his aunt, who had heard the feame cries, as well as the noise of a fall from the clump of castor-oil trees, whilst she was standing on her sister's verandah. MAX RUNS' FROM SCEXE OF CRIME. At that moment Mr. Niccolls saw a man dressed in dark clothes come hurriedly from the chimp of trees, and run round the corner of the wall and in a southerly direction down the footpath towards the Mount Eden road. The running man's footsteps rang out loudly on the path, the' sound of them being heard by some of the neighbors.

, It was very dark at the time, and on proceeding to make a search amongst the trees Mr. Niccolls and his aunt had to use matches:"'' Ordinarily a strcjet Jimp at the .tod of , ( the crescent, ihd' sist outsiders; Nieeoll's fence, -Xfo& have shed ai : light'directly on the "spot, but, for some unknown reason, this particular lamp'had not been lit for three nights,'

DISCOVERY OF MURDERED MAN'S BODY. Mrs. Niccolls then appeared on the scene with a lighted lamp, and by its aid the body ol'Ramsden was soon discovered lying amongst the yellow nasturtiums. , The man had evidently just breathed his last. Mrs. Niccolls left the body in her son's care and Went for Dr. S. A. Bull, of Mount Eden i'oad, afterwards ringing up the police. The doctor arrived on the.scene promptly, but Enmsden had then been, dead, he considers, about a quarter of an hour. The body was subsequently removed to the city mortuary. DEED PROBABLY INSPIRED BY JEALOUSY. , It would seem to be altogether unlikely that robbery was the motive for the sensational crime, none of the pockets of the clothing worn by the deceased having been rifled, and none of their contents having been disturbed. A letter was found upon the body written by a female corresponden. This was not distinct as to signature, and the contents did not refer in any way to an assignation. It is thought probable, however, as the result of the en- I quiries and discoveries made by the detectives, that the murdered man had gone to Mount Eden with the object of meeting a female acquaintance, and that a third party intervened, inspired by motives of jealousy or revenge, and took Jlamsden's life. 'POLICE TAKE UP SOLUTION OP MYSTERY. Both Mr. Niccolls and his aunt were under the impression that the calls for help which attracted their attention came from higher up the mountain tiian where they found the body If this was actually ; te ease, it would indicate that the attack upon Ramsden took place on .the track leading to the reserve gate, and that the victim ran, fell, or was pushed down the bank)' at the