CRIMES.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 23, 28 January 1888, Page 6

CRIMES.

Nils Jacobsen, charged with the murder pf Mat Johanseu at Little Eiver, on October 3rd, was foupd guilty of manslaugher at the Christchurch Supreme Gourfc op Jan. 14, and sentenced to penal servitude for life.

The police authorities have received intelligence of a suicide at Omaha Flat,' near W'arkworth, under circumstances of a shocking nature. The victim is a gumdigger named George Brpw7i, and hie act pf .self destruction -was carried out in a most deterpiined manner. The unfortunate man lived entirely by himself,- j|n a house which was'distant'about half a niile from tlje, nearest dwelling. Previous to hisi death, he gather a quantity of combustible material together, including his garden fence,, and built it up inside h\B fenpe. — Qvpr this, it is surmised that he spread a quantity of gunpowder or other explosive, and then la/ dowr* op ..$6 fatal pile, after setting fire to it. Some neighbours heard a terrible report as an explosion of dynamite had occurred, $nd the. house was immediately observed to be in flames. Tho. first 'person to reach the house were tv/o gumdiggers named Lloyd and Savage, and they dragged out; the lifeless trunk of the unfortnnate suicidef rom the burning building. The le.gs and arms were also missing from the b,pdy ; and. thege, with a portion of the skqll, were * found at a. considerable distance from the house. They also discovered a. note, stuck on a stick in the ground, In which tb,e deceased, addressing the coroner, said lie was tired of life, and b^de goodbye to the, green ea,rth. The letter wa,s signed George' Brown, An inquest y?as held the same evening, when these facts were deposed to and a verdict returned to the effect _thafc deceased destroyed himself while in an unsound state of mind. He was a single m,an, 30 years of age, and a native' of tondon, and had been 25 yeara in tlj© colony,