The Amberley Murder.

Hastings Standard, Issue 311, 1 May 1897, Page 3

The Amberley Murder.

THE ACCUSED CONFESSES TO THE DEED. [By Telegraph.] (-Ptr Press Association.) Chbistchcrch, April 29. The inquest on the victim of the Amberley tragedy took place to-day. After formal evidence was taken as to identification, Constable Johmton stated that the man in custody had mnrlo a statement that his correct name was William Sheehan. He ■went on to say :—" I met the girl on the road yesterday. I didn't fenow her. In a fit of passion I assaulted her and nyirdered her. I met her in the plantation about dinner time, knocked her down with a stick, covered her over with gorse, and went away. I killed her with the knife found on me. There was no blood on the knife, and I got none on myself. I don't know what made me do it. I never saw her before. I make this statement of my own free will. No one has pressed me to make a statement. Signed, William Sheehan." Sheehan was calm and collected when making the statement. . This day. Sheehan states he is the son of a bootmaker in "Wellington, where he was born. That his mother died before he was old enough to remember her. He says that he left home 10 or 11 years ago, and has been roaming the country ever since. A tent and two pairs of trousers were recently stolen from Baldhurst, and these were found in possession of Sheehan. He was using the missing tent as a bed covering, and the trousers were found in his swag. Another complaint was that a man answering the prisoner's description had assaulted a married woman at Shand's Track on April 15, and the woman yesterday identified the accused who committed the assault. Accused has been traced as having tramped from Shand's Track to Springfield, and thence to Oxford, and crossing the Ashley made his way along the Mount Grey Downs to Amberley. Sheehan alia* f raser brought down from Amberley last night and wu conveyed to the Lyttleton gaol. A large number of people were at all the stations along the line to gain a gftmpsA of him but there was not any demonstrations except at Lyttleton, where a "crowd of five hundred assembled. The police and prisoner were hustled on their way to the gaol, and the latter was subjected to a fire of hisses and groans. When arrested the prisoner wore a hat which is too large for him, and inside the lining was found a copy of a newspaper containing an account of the Petone murder. The funeral of Miss Lawcock, his victim, takes place to-day.