THE EPSOM MURDER,

The circumstances of the murder of Packer by Winiata in 1876 are still fresh in the minds of the settlers, but as there are many resident here to whom they are not familiar, we recapitulate them in a succinct form. Henry Winiata and Edwin Packer were both employed on the farm of Mr. Cleghorn, at Epsom. Winiata had been for a long time at that gentleman's place, being a skilful, industrious workman. Packer was the son of a Devonshire farmer in a good position, and had come out to the colony for his health. The native lived at Onehunga with a butcher named Higga, and Packer slept in an outbuilding adjoining Mr. Oleghorn's residence, into which Winiata had free access, and thus was acquainted with Packer's affairs and mode of life. On the Tuesday previous to the tragody Packer missed some £2 10s. out of a sum of money he had in his possession, and taxed Winiata for the theft. After some words Winiata offered £1 to Packer to hush it up, which he refused to do. Information was given to Constable Green, who proceeded to make inquiries, and Winiata appears to have determined to have revenge. On the Thursday, Winiata was up at Mr. Cleghorn's, and in the evening went to a ventriloquial entertainmet, by Professor Davies, returning to Mr. Higgs' house in good time, and perfectly sober. He rose very early in the morning and went out, as was afterwards known, to wreak vengeance on Packer. About 4.30 o'clock, Mary Anne Sutton, a domestic in the employ of Mr. Cleghorn, was aroused by a noise in the yard, and on looking: out, she saw Winiata crossing it and entering the out-honse in which Packer slept, and also heard Packer call out, " Hullo, Harry, where are you off to ? Shortly after, the girl dressed herself and went over to the out-building, the door of which was partly open, and called Packer, but received no answer. She, however, did not suspect that any thing was wrong. Some short time after Mr. Cleghorn, jun., and Master Stodart, left the house for the purpose of shootinw rabbits, taking with them a dog They followed the dog through the yard, when it pointed to something neir a lot of posts which had been stacked near the shed. Mr. Cleghorn, on examining the place, to his horror saw a human foot protuding beyond the timber, where he also found, partially concealed the body of a man terribly gashed. It was at once identified as that of Edwin Packer, and, as the quarrel between the Maori and Packer was known to Mr. Clejjhorn, hia thoughts at once reverted to Winiata as the murderer. Ana' tempt had been made to conceal the body, for a grave hnd been partly dug at the other side of the furze hedge. The were marks in the ditch were the bottom had I been tried to find soft ground. It was 1 presumed that the murderer had been disturbed while concealing the body of his victim by the girl calling on the other side of the buildintis. It is presumed the grave was dug on the Thursday, while Mr Cleghorn's people were away at Buckland's aheep fair,_ as theiM was not time to do it otherwise before the diacovery, and this circumstance shows the dihberateness of the crime. Constable Green was Bent for, and an examination of the room in which Packer had slept was made. It was at once discovered that the murder had been perpetrated with a bill-hook. Packer had been struck while rising from his bed on the head, face, and neck, all of the wounds being mortal. The murderer had then taken the purse and knife of Packer out of his coat, the coat being found behind a gorse bufih. A search

in the vicinity proved fruitless, but he was seen about an hour afterwards mak ing in the direction of Orakei. This information was not given promptly to the police, and in the meantime they had gone off on a false scent, a boy having given an exact description of the murderer as riding on horseback in the direction of Henderson'3 Mill. When the police got on the right track and searched Orakei settlement, where Winiata had been harboured by a Maori, their game had flown. It was discovered that supplies of bisouits had been purchased by natives at Parnell bakeries and Winiata, after concealing himself for some days in the stretches of scrub near the native settlement, ultimately succeed in working back into the Paparata ranges, and thence to Waikato. The coroner's jury at the inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder asjainst Winiata, and the warrant has hitherto remained uuexecuted till ygflterday morning. J^m