ALLEGED MURDER AT PAPAKAIO.

Evening Star, Issue 6030, 10 July 1882, Page 3

ALLEGED MURDER AT PAPAKAIO.

[Bt oob Special Rbpobtkb.J The Coroner’s inquest touching the death of Sarah Beattio alias Adams or Adamson, whose body Was found In a creek near Peebles on the 2nd Inst, was commenced at the Peebles Hotel at 1 o’clock to day, before MrW. H. S. Roberts, acting-coroner, and a jury, of which Mr Gordon Millington was chosen foreman. Inspector Weldon conducted the inquiry ; Mr O’Meagher appeared to watch tho case on behalf of Alexander Beattie. Tho Coroner said that at the outset there could be no objection to Mr O’Meaghor being present, bub as there was no person before tho jury as an accused he could not allow him to cross examine the witnesses. Mr O’Meagher replied that the Coroner had already caused Beattie to be arrested on a charge of killing the woman. The Coroner said that this was only a preliminary inquiry as to how Sarah Beattio came by her death. Mr O’Meagher urged that tho result of tho inquiry might bo a verdict of murder against Beattie, and he thought it might bo possible that a further inquiry would be held before the magistrate. Tho witnesses present to-day might die in the interim, and no opportunity would in that case be available for cross-examination. The evidence would, however, be admissablo before the Magistrate. The Coroner said if counsel were allowed to cross-examine the witnesses tho inquiry might be extended to a great length. He felt inclined to allow Mr O’Meagher to put questions through him that he might deem necessary, Mr O’Meagher remarked that that was a roundabout way, but he must agree to it. Ho was anxious to have tho fullest Information elicited, but had no desire to prolong the inquiry. If he was guilty of unnecessarily lengthening the inquiry he asked the coroner to check him, Dugald Allen, hotel-keeper at Peebles, on being sworn, said: I knew the deceased. She lived with her husband, Aleander Beattie, on the Coal Pit road, about one mile and a-hfelf from Peebles. I never heard of any disturbance between them until the -®ne which occured about Barney Carroll. After that Beattie was arrested. I have lived here about fourteen months, and had seen her about four or five times. I was friendly with them. BeVMe brought a bag of men’s clothes here. 'lbis w*s the Sunday after the disturbance with Carroll. Mrs Beattie afterwards came and took them away. Beattio said he meant to take them to where he was working. About a week afterwards Beattio called again and left a small bottle of solder and a razor. He said that Mrs Beattie had been cutting fowls’ necks with tho razor, which was a favorite one of his, he having brought it from Home. He asked me to clean it. The razor was stained with blood. I had the razor about throe weeks. I rolled it in paper and put it in my desk. I afterwards gave it to a constable in the presence of Dr DeLautour. It was then exactly in the same condition as when I received It. Beattio was at the hotel on Sunday, a week or a fortnight after the row with Barney Carroll, and stopped there that night, I saw him before he went to bed at about one o’clock, and afterwards at about two or half-past. I could not fix the date when Beattie was at the hotel. I first heard of Mrs Beattio being missing about a month ago. I could not say positively whether it was before or after I heard Mrs Beattio was missing, but I think it was after I heard it that I gave up the razor, because either the constable or Dr DeLautour asked jfor it. The idea of giving it up to the police before that did not strike me. Both Carroll and Beattie stopped at the hotel the Saturday night after the row took place. Carroll left on Sunday. I believe Beattie remained all Sunday, but I could not say that he stopped at the hotel that night. When Beattie came to tho hotel a week or a fortnight after the row he remained until four o’clock on the Monday. I have heard that Beattie had been out of the house early in the morning, but I could not say from my own knowledge whether this was so or not. To the Foreman: Beattie was at the hotel the day you came to see after Carroll. To Mr O’Meaghor: Beattie was in the habit of shaving. When I gave np tho razor to tho constable I had seen tho body and the cuts on the throat. Before I put the raz ar away I examined it and saw nothing on but blood. I was a witness in the case in which Beattie was bound over to keep the peace. I saw Beattio in his house at the latter end of the week, and believed he called on tho night of the evening on which the case was heard (May 81). No one was with him. To Inspector We] don : I gave up the razor on the day or day after I saw the body. I examined the razor. It was closed when Beattie handed it to me. Beattie asked me if I would clean it for him. I opened tho razor and told Beattie that he had better send it to town and have It properly cleaned. The blood was quite dry, , To Mr O’Meagher: Beattie was not drunk when he handed me the razor, but he had had some drink, To the Jury: I locked the door when I went to bed, but Beattie could have left the house without my knowing it. [A number of questions were put to the witness by jurors and the coroner with a view to having the dates of the several visits of Beattie to the hotel fixed, especially as to tho time when Beattie gave him the razor, but the witness could not say anything definite upon these points ] To the Jury; Mrs Beattio was at the hotel on the Sunday after tho row, I heard high words between Beattio and Mrs Beattio. I could rot say whether Mrs Beattie was at the hotel with Beattie afterwards. Joseph L. Tait, assistant clerk of tho Resident Magistrate’s Court at Oamaru, was called, and said that two cases In the Court, between Carroll and Beattie, were heard on May 31. Beattie was charged with damaging property and assault. He was bound over to keep the P6 John Warwood, laborer, In charge of a section of the water-race In Papftkaio, said that ho lived close to the road leading up to the house m which deceased lived. Her house was about a quarter of a mile away. Witness was her nearest neighbor. On a Friday about a fortnight after the row took place between Beattie and Carroll, ho was told that Mrs Beattie was missing. On Sunday, July 2, at about nine o’clock in the morning, he discovered her body. He was looking for a horse, and saw the body when passing- the mouth of tho coal-pi r. In going down the bank to cross the creek he saw a pair of boots stickirg up in tho creek and went down to examine them. Ho then saw a small portion of a woman’s skirt and a portion or an arm and hand. Having made sure that there was a body he left. All tho body except part of the arm and hand and a portion of the boots was covered by the gravel. Tho body was not covered with water. Water was running round the body except at tho head. Ho saw a place where there was a fall of gravel below the body. There was sufficient water m the creek to wash the shingle over the body and cover it. Ho could not say whether or not there was sufficient gravel above the body to cover the body. There had been a couple of freshes in the creek. The gravel In the stream was intermixed with grass. He gave iniormation to the police, and assisted the constable to remove the body. They used a shovel to cm. a water-way round the body in order to remove the shingle. There might have boon three or four inches of gravel on the body. He recognised the body directly he got it out as that of Mrs Beattie, who lived close by. He believed he last saw her alive on the Sunday week after the row. She was going down the road past witness’s house. She was sober so far as he could see. Beattio took some clothes to witness’s house on a Saturday-a fort-

night after the row. He emptied them on to the floor, and asked ■witness to pack them v.p for him. They were chiefly his own clothes. Witness said if Beattie would go to his work ho would take the clothes to Georgetown for him, ami d (1 so on horseback the following day. Beattie remained at witness’s house that night. He went a .wy to get a bottle of whisky, and returned wicli one. Ho could not say iiow long he away. Mrs Beattie was missing at this time Witness knew tho fact on the Friday before Beattie came to his house. When Beattie came to witness’s house witness lent him a lantern, and ho went to his house for some clothes. When Beattie came down again witness asked him if lie had heard anything of his wife, and ho said “No.” Beattio had been at his house five or six times after tho row, and before tho body was found. Mr Fraser bad first told him that Mrs Beattio was missing a day short of a fortnight alter iho row. To the Jury: Beattie had not come to his house at any time between the row and tho fortnight afterwards. The grave! had not been stripped down by witness walking on tho bank. Beattie was under the influence of drink when he came to witness’s house, and ho paid no attention to what witness said. Witness did not see any footmarks on tho banks when ho discovered tho body. So far as he knew, Beattie and Mrs Beattio were not in the habit of quarrelling. He could not say whether the gravel had been placed on the body or whether tho water had washed it there. Ho thought some gravel had been washed away from the body. He could not say whether or not the body had been carried by hands, but he was inclined to believe that the gravel had been washed over it. There was a small waterfall at the head of tho hedy, and this had caused tho hole.