ALCAN DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED Tank Car Distributors for British American Oil Co. Lid. Products * DAWSON CREEK FORT ST. JOHN Phone 48 Dawson Implements LIMITED * Massey-Harris Farm Implements WASHING MACHINES STOVES - TWINE * DAWSON CREEK WILSON FREIGHTWAYS Limited Cperations: Motor Transport Lumbering: Peace River Block and Alberta Planing Mill Dawson Creek CONTRACTING J. Gordon Wilson General Manager B.C. H. S. Patrick Supt. DAWSON CREEK Across the road, and at the place where Wiegner said Louise and he had shot at cans, were found 10 addi- tional cartridge cases, and several cans with .22 calibre holes through them. Numerous photographs were taken of the scene, and of the victim, then the police party after securing auth- orization from the coroner com- menced the journey back to Fort St. John with the body. In the meantime Headquarters of the Force had been kept posted on developments, and the Royal Can- adian Mounted Police at Beaver Lodge, Alberta, were requested to have Nelson Reed interviewed rela- tive to the incident on August 9 at Hythe. INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS The international aspect of the case presented certain difficulties. From the information available there appeared to be no eye witness to the tragedy. The statement made by the suspect, Wiegner, was of an excul- patory nature, that is, he had made it to explain certain facts in an effort to exonerate himself from blame. His story that the killing of McComas was purely accidental was of course in his favor. But it must be remem- bered that the only evidence of a direct nature relating to the killing, lay in hts own admission, and in the admissions he had made to the girl Louise at the time. Of course there was a great deal of secondary evi- dence of a circumstantial nature, but it became a matter of deciding whe- ther, in law, there was sufficient evi- dence of crime to warrant extradition if necessary. For the lay reader, it is perhaps best to explain that the killing of a human being is not always a crime. If the death is the result of pure acci- dent, without any negligence of omis- sion or commission or intent to kill, then it is not criminal. But if there is some negligence or recklessness, though no intent to kill or harm, it may lead to a conviction for man- slaughter. However, if there is intent to kill, or to harm, reckless of the consequences, then the charge would be murder. Up to this time, anyway, the girl had given added corroboration to Wiegner’s accident story, and so it was necessary to proceed with cau- tion before such a serious charge as “‘murder’’ could be laid. There were, of course, circumstances surrounding the case which required explanation, and pointed the finger of suspicion at the young man involved. Why had Wiegner and the girl left the scene of the accidental shooting in such a hurry? Why had they not asked the man and woman on the road for help? Why had they not reported the matter to the police at Fort St. John or at Dawson Creek? (they had passed through both places on the way back). Why had they passed Nelson Reed’s by night to avoid answering for McComas’ absence? Why had Wiegner told his wife he had $400 when he ‘phoned her from Laramie, Wyoming, when he only had a few dollars when leaving Day- ton? Why was there such unusual affection between the man and the child whose father had been killed? Why had the father’s money been used to buy a restaurant? There were too many unanswered questions. or at best, unsatisfactorily answered. to accept Wiegner’s statements at face value. The conditions under which the statement had been made to the auth- orities in the United States were also open to review in considering its ad- missibility before a Canadian Crim- inal Court under our rules of evi- dence. Commissioner John Shirras, head of the British Columbia Provincial Police, therefore conferred with As- sistant Deputy Attorney General Mc- Lean on the legal and international phases of the case. Called also into conference was Inspector Richard Harvey, Officer Commanding the Criminal Investigation Branch of the Force. It was decided that before any legal step was taken, an officer of the Rodacker Sets the Standard for Quality and Service Mel. J. Rodacker At Both Branches Expert Tire Vulcanizing Expert Tire Re-capping Dominion Royal Tires FAMOUS DOMINION ROYAL TIRES W. R. NELSON, Manager DAWSON CREEK AND GRANDE PRAIRIE At Grande Prairie Only: J. I. Case Farm Machinery Farm Machinery Service Up-to-Date Machine Shop EXPERT FARM MACHINERY SERVICE ee Page Ninety-eight THE SHOULDER STRAP |