KAIAPOI MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1916, Page 8

KAIAPOI MURDER.

NO NEW DEVELOPMENTS, i By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Yesterday. There are no fresh developments in the Kaiapoi murder case, but the police are pursuing their investigations along many lines. The general theory obtaining is that Holland's money provided a motive for the crime. FURTHER DETAILS OF TRAGEDY. The detectives and the medical men engaged in the case were interviewed on Friday night, states the Star, at the scene of the tragedy, but beyond confirming, some of the facts already outlined, and stating that in their opinion both deceased met their death by murder, they cast no further light on the mystery. Questions elicited from the medical men a statement that rigor mortis had set in on both bodies when they made their first examination, which would place the time of death some hours earlier.

In regard to the little boy, Cyril Holland, it was stated that very little help could be expeced from him in the way of an account of what had taken place. He seemed to have no idea of what had occurred, and lie was very backward for his age so far as talking was concerned. The boy was ravenously hungry when the police came to the house. The bed occupied by the Hollands was not made. The house where the tragedy occurred is a comfortable six-roomed two storey place, lying some distance back from Raven Street, which runs eastwpjrd from the Main North Road, parallel with and near to the river to the south. Mr. Holland's house is the last house in the street, «ind stands on a corner, another little-used road running southward from the end of the street, and connecting up with the new freezing works. Mr. Holland's house is a quarter of a mile from the main road, and there is only one house near it, the residence of the local schoolmaster, which has been temporarily unoccupied for the last few days. The house where the tragedy occurred is partly screened from the road by a very high and thick matipo hedge. The trapshed at the rear, where Mr. Holland's body was found, is near to the side road, and two gates open on to the side road from the backyard, one leading to the d"dr>r of the trapshed and the other to the sf*bles, still further back. At the time of the tragedy'the place must have been a very lonely one, and cries for ■help could quite conceivably have been made without avail.