PETONE TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 207, 2 September 1896, Page 2

PETONE TRAGEDY.

VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER.

AGAINST SOME PERSON

UNKNOWN.

(BT TELEGKAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Wellington, Tuesday. The inqueab on the body of Mr and Mrs Jones was resumed bo-day ab Potone. The evidence in the forenoon was confined to those who were the first to discover the bodies. Henry John Fleeb, nexb door neighbour of tbe victims, deposed to seeing the door open and a light burning in Jones' house ab nine o'clock and eleven o'clock on Thursday niehb, and again ab 4.30 in the morning. Had the door been open ab eighb o'clock ab nighb when ho left the house, he was sure to have noticed ib. John HouDslow, Edward James' House, John Cotton, Constable Cruicksbank, and Benjamin Studley gave unimportant evidence. . i Joseph Cairns said Shore accosted him and a lad named McWhirter under Jones verandah aboub 6.15 p.m. on Thursday. Shore lived in Beach street, and bhis was juab ab bhe corner. He asked if the newspaper boy had passed, and further, " Have any of you kids a knile !" He received a reply in the negative. After stopping a newsboy, Shore wenb down Beachsbreeb. Shore then waa apparently sober.

George James Reltel, a young man employed in the blacksmith's workshop at the Government Railways, said he passed Jones's store aboub half-past ten o'clock on Thursday nigbb, and aboub 50 yards from the store he saw Shora looking into the yard which separated Jones's store from Atkinson's. He appeared to be trying bo close the gate. Witnass said, •• Whab are you doing here, Jimmy ?" He replied thab he waa closing bhe gate, as he did nob desire to see tho poor old —- robbed. Witness saw tho accused was very drunk, and said *' You had better come home." Accused gave the gate a puD and came on. He was staggering very mad?, and witnees asked him where he had been all night. After going a shorb distance Shore said, " That , I should like to rob him, George. Witness and Shore went on towards the accused's house, and witness gaw him enter his gate. J. H. Coleman, working on theStopbank contract with bhe acqused, said he met the latter at ten minutes past eighb o'clock on Friday morning. Accused remarked that thero must be eomebhing wrong in Petone, and added, " Perhapa somebody has cub their throab." Inspector Pender said he arrested Shore, who, in reply to a queation, eaid, " I know nothing aboub it.' Shore admitted having been drunk on the previous night. The licensee of the Empire Hotel said Shore was in the hotel aba quarter to six on Tburaduy night, when he was sober, bub between three and four hours later, when be again came in, he bad evidently been drinking. Wibness saw him resting up against tho stable later in bhe evening, and accused was then in a much woree sbabe of drink.

In summing up the coroner said one thing against Shore was bhab be had beon Been outside bho house of the murdered people, both before and afber the bime ab which tbe supposed deed had been commitbed. The knivee also had some bearing on the case, and the fact that tbe accused had expreeaed a desire to rob Jones. After deliberating a few minutes the iury brought in a -verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. .