RUNANGA MURDER TRIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1918, Page 8

RUNANGA MURDER TRIAL.

SECOND DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. I'lirislcliurch, Yesterday. Tin- west coast murder trial was conliimi.'il. William McKay, n medical practitioner, of Oeyniouth, gave evidence Uiat James came to His room He had a wound in the left thigh. Witness extracted a bullet which was similar to the one produced. The cartridge was low grade or James was hit from a distance. There was also a small contusion on one hand which might have been caused by James' hand catching the door of a motor-car. Peter Manderson, a deputy at the State mine, and a witness of the tra:mly. wiid that when be and his sou in.;' >d the bend they noticed a box on the road, and at the same time saw a motor car approaching. The car crashed into the box, and a man immediately sprang from the bWhes beside the road, wearing a mask, besides something .tight across his skull. The man made a jump into position with' a revolver in each band, calling, "Hands up!" Witness and'bis son got off the road a few yards, turning as a succession of shots took place. Witness then moved to watch the corner of the road and noticed the same man on the railway as had stuck up the car. The man had a bag in his left hand. A car then came along, and,. with the occupants, witness went to the motor car. Collitliard was laying on the roadside dying, and Hall was in the back scat of the car- About a minute elapsed after the filiooting stopped before he saw the man Q.rain on the railway line. Witness went to Runanga for a doctor, and on returning saw a ladder on the road. He had not seen it before. Hall's pocket was on fire when witness reached the

William Leonard Manderson, son of the previous witness, gave corroborative evidence Hugh' Steele, i man going to 3rcy nrouth on the morning of the tragedy, said lie saw the scene. Manderson signalled 'him to stop. He and his brother pulled up near a motor. Ooultliard was lying on the side of the road, hut died a few minutes later. Hall was kneeling in the oar and groaning and one of Coulthard's pockets was on fire, also a sweater lying across his chest. Witness put the fires out. He saw an empty cartridge case on the road in a clot of blood near Coulthard's head. On a rise near by witness found a billhook. Inspector Cruickshank, of Greymoutli, identified four cartridge shells and two bullets handed to him by James, and detailed the work of the police after the tragedy. The injuries suffered by Ooultliard and Hall were described by Dr. Usher, medical superintendent of (I'reymoutli hospital, who said it .vould have been possible for Coulthard, after "icing shot, to get out of the car and walk a few steps. After Hall was shot in the forearm he might have been able to shoot, but not with 1 accuracy. Wit' noss was in Orcymouth three times between October 23 and November 0. Accused's luggage when he saw him on the Ohristehuri'h laihvay station on the f.rst-mentioncd date, consisted of a bicycle, a small bag. and a big bag. John Pender, a groom at DunolTic, ( ] e . tailed a conversation he had with accused about lost papers and other matters, while Joseph Oarvie. a miner, of Duiiollie, and Ismund Alcock, bootmaker, of Runanga, gave evidence as to accused's occupancy of the cottage in the vicinity of the tragedy, the first-named identifying the occupant as accused, though the latter could not. Timothy Saunders, laborer, of Greymouth, who had known accused for fifteen months under the name of McITahon, said he had seen him going across the Cobden bridge on November 8 with his bicycle, and had drawn the attention of one MeGuire to accused's presence in the district. The Court adjourned till to-morrow.