EXTRAORDINARY ALLEGATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVI, Issue 3806, 20 October 1882, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY ALLEGATIONS.

Serious Charges by a Girl of 10

against her Father,

Exhumation of a Body Buried

Sixteen Months Ago,

A BBNBAI iokai, rumour of a most remark ablo nature has bean in circulation through the woitern part of the city, during the last waek or two, aud as moat serious allegations have been c.ntained in the stories afloat, the police bave at latt been compelled to take measures to ascertain whether or not thero is any truth in tbem. It was known more than a week ago, that a girl, living in the nelgbonrhood of Wellington street, had made charges which, if trae, practically amounted to murder again it h.r father, Reports on the matter obtained speedy ci'colation, and although little credence was given to the assertion, it became necessary to take i-ome et-ps to clear up what appeared to be a ra'her mysterious affair. Enquiries set ol foot by the police led to .cveral interviews betwo.n Mr Superintend dent Thomson and the Coroner, aud eventually resulted in the

Exhumation of the Body of Mrs Hedges, a woman who died here about six'een months ago. Tbis -top was taken to-day, tbe warrant being issued by the Coroner in the morning, and the body being taken up late ia the afternoon. The matter having now come prominently before the public, we append a narrative of the circumstances which have induced the authorities to lake the«e proceedings. In Au .ust, 1879, a man named John Cobb Hedgo-i lelt London fer Anckland, by the ship Waikato, and was accompanied by his wife, four daughter., and a son. They anived here three mouths later, and went to live in a house off the lower part of Wellingtonstreet, which they still occupy. Tbe mother died on the 20th June, 1881, and Dr Bayntun, who was called in during hsr last moments,gave a certificate to the effect that death was the result of apoplexy.

Statement hy the Daughter

Amy Charlotte Hedges, the eldest daug_i(~r, who is aged 16, has mado the allegations rrftrred to in a statemant to the police and also to private individual?. She says that somo time before thry left London, her father sent her out to purchase some arsenic, with which he intended to poison rats and mice. Shepracured it at tbe'shop of nr Boothby, chemist, Craw-ford-street, FdteTfare Boad, Loudon West. Some of it was paced on bread and left for"the lats. She did hat see tho bottle containing the poison afterwards until the Sunday before hor mother's death. Mrs Hedges died on Monday, June 20tb, 1881. ■ fcsbo had been ill tor some time, nnd almost entirely confined to bed during tbo two months prior to her demise. On the day previous to tbe Monday.in question, she (ihe daflghtcr) was in an excited state of mind concerning the state of hermither's health, and going to tbe bedroom wlndaw and looking through fiom the verandah, Bhe saw her father at the bedside. Bo was feeding her mother, who was lying on the bod. Jho girl says she is positive that she saw the

Bottle of Arsenic in His Hand. The fiod .being given consisted of egg, and, when she saw this bottle, she cried out to her mather: "Mother, do not tako any of that down yonr throat, or you will be dead." Tbo mother replied : "My dear child, I cannot help It " The girl sajß she then screamed out to somo neighbours who Jited next door, and the father hearing her, cried out, " Shut up, or I'll shove »ome down your b— y throat. She went into the boose and continued tho per formance of her household dutirs. Ber father shortly afterwards came out of the bedroom, and converged with her next-door neighbour, who had been attracted by the cries. Sho, however, did not hear what they wero, talkirg about. Pext day, sho went to her wmk at rervlce, in Karangahapo Koad, as usual, ai-d her father also went to his work, leaving before her. Death of Her Mother. Her mother died at twenty minutes to three that afternoon. Mrs Lemon, next door neighbour, bad her aitent;on called duting the day to the bad state of Mrs Hedges, and wncn sho went in and saw her low condition sho went for Dr. Bayntun without delay. He cmc to tec the sufferer, but ho had said ho was too late to do her any good; that sho was dying. The death look place immediately afterwards, and the doctor sub.eouently gave a certificate; of "death from ap>plcxy." A message was sent to Hedges at the same time as when Dr. Bayntun called, but he did not reach the house until two hours aft ir dentb. Tho girl did not know till night. IVo doctor was called in during Iho illness, but it appears that Hedges was in the habit of treating his wife with homeepathic medicines, which he kept in the bouse. The funeral took place on June 22nd. 1881, Mr J Jamieion being tbe undertaker.

Ihe Girl Denies that Hedges ts

her V ather

Hedge., who was the husband of the deceased woman, is a tailor, employed at Mr Mv chic's. Tbo girl etrc'iiunualy asserts that bo is onl. her ■-tepfalher, but we believe that he is prepared to prove otherwise; that lie was marrird to Mis Hedges seventeen yrars iK-o and that the girl in question was born sixteen jears ago, Amy Hedges adheres strictly io her statement, and mentions names < f persona who havo told her that Judges was only hor stepfather. She alto .ays that her mother assuted her on this point,

The Exhumation. The body was buried in that part of the public cemetery opposite tho Caledonia Hotel. While j the polico had grave doubts concerning the truth of the girl's . tatcratnts, it was seen tbat the most advisable courrc was to exhume tbo body, and tot all reports at rest by a pod mortem examination and analysis of the stomach. Application was made for a coroner's warrant for tlio exhumation, and it was issued this morning. Mm were .at work when wo went to pre.s taking .up.tbo coffin. It will be conveyed from the cemetery to the Morgue, and opened there iv the presence of Dr Goldsbro1, who will conduct the post mortem examination. Ihe st-mach will be ' forwarded to Mr P#nd for analysis. Eurther Statement. Tn a further statement, the gitl Amy Hcdi-cs said rer mother had .told her sister, a child of nine years, that her father had given ber something which-hastened ber death. It is only fair to Hedges to say that the police interviewed the cbild in. the presence of the headmaster of the school which she attends, tbat she remembered the Sunday before the death of her mother, aud the fact cf her father administering the food referrt d to; but she did not hear ber ti.ter call out, nor did she remember what her mother -was alleged to bave said. Amy Hedges has al<<o made other charges of a most serious nature against her father or stepfather) but, in the present position of matters, it would be inadvisable to publi«h them. Doubt is cxpiesscd concerning the truth of tbe allegations regarding the poisionlug, and, pending the result ot the analysis, the police do not consider it necessary lo interfere with the liberty of Mr Hedges. Mr Arthur Wood's Statement. As Mr Arthur Wood, butcher, of WeU lington-itreet, was referred to as being able to corroborate the girl's story in many material points, our reporter interviewed him, aud obtained the following statement i —On 30th Sept. last, Amy Hedges came into my iliop, and while waiting for me to serve her, enteied into conversation with another girl who happened to be present. Amongst other things, I overheard her make mention of tbe death of her mother, I was busy at the time, it being Saturday morning, and subsequently had not the opportunity of paying much attention to what she was saying.. I heard scraps of the conversation, aud Loin what she said I was inclined to think that ber father had been beating her, I was startled ty hearing the words "poison my mother," and I resolved to enquire her meaning. I did not hare the chance tlun, hut I mado up mi ad to speak to her at the first convenient time, as I had been very well acquainted with her mother. She was a customer of mine, and we had often conversed together, un tbe morning of the 12th October last, tbo girl came into my s .op .g-in, and I at once .aid to her, " I wish to speak to you about the statements made by you here the other Saturday morning. You stated that your father poisoned your mother. 1 think it vmy wrong of you to say such s tbiap, as it is sure to get spread about. You shoold be very careful ol what you say." She then dated that what -be " had stated was quite true, that sho had been sent for arsenic in L-ndoo, nßd she gave the name of tte chemist from whom she obtained it and tbe s'rect in . which he [lived, fler mother t,-Id ber ' when she was living in England tbat hor father wa~ going to takehcr to New Zealand to get rid of her there. - After they camo out herc^ber mother became ill and the girl asked her mother if sho knew where tbe bot le of nrnctiic was. Her mother replied ''•yes," and pointed out the shelf where it . was standing. She then said " Why don't you make away with it," and her mother replied " I dare not touch it, aB my life : might be made the shorter if I did." They, therefore, wero afraid to touch tho ! bottle, aod left it there, She _aid that her mother then told her to watch her lite, and tbat of her little sister, as they i would be very narrow, aod aftor her death , they must not be separated, un the Sun- . day morning before tbe mother died she -aid , she taw her father give her mother a spcon- [ fnl of something from the arsenic bottle. She knew the bottle again, a- she saw tba label on it, and crind ont aod womod hor mother. She did not say anything out.ido , about it,as she was afraid to do so.

The Girl's Statement Discredited.

The above statements indicate the general character of the testimony upon which tbe police have proceeded to the exhumation of tbe body. It will be obscved that the suspicion rests entirely upon most improbable statements by the girl, which she has dc'ayed mukinsr for an unaccountably long time, and that they lack, na yet,any kind of corroboration. Whether tho

_;irl is labouring und«-r a hallucination, or is actuated by malice, remains to bo proved, but in tho present state of ,tho ciss no weight whatever can be given to her extraordinary allegations against her father, although iho police have un. dbubtedly taken the rght cou'se in resolviug upon the institution of a search, ing inquiry.