Untitled

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 8, Issue 713, 30 December 1865, Page 3

Sep.ujation. — The Council of the Northern Association thus refers, in its x'eport, to the boundaries of the proposed Northern Colony : — "This Council has not thought it fitting to %>ronouuce definitely what shall be the boundaries of the Northern Colony, the establishment of which we seek. In refraining from defining the ultimate decision upon this subject, the Council has followed the precedent set in the gpctllion from the inhabitants of the Province of Auckland, as also in the petition from the Auckland members of the General Assembly, and in the petitions from the Provincial Council of Auckland. The reasons that seem to evince the propriety of this partial reticence are mainly the following : — The Province of Auckland alone is represented in the Northern Association; and what the province of Auckland demands, and is entitled to demand, is, that this province shall be freed from the rule of the ; Southern Island. In the same manner a large j and increasing portion of the population of the Southern Island claims a liberation from responsibility for the concerns of the Northern Island. But, while Auckland is entitled to,, demand for herself separation from the Southern Island, there are not similar grounds for her prescribing what shall be the disposal of the provinces of Wellington, Taranaki, and Hawke's Bay. If those provinces prefer a maintenance of their union with the Southern Island, and if the Southern Island concurs, it would be hard to allege that Auckland is competent to imperatively demand their disjunction. If those three provinces, on the othev hand, are to be separated from the Southern Island, it is for them to ctednre whether they wish for union with Auckland, or whether they will seek some other arrangement. Auckland protests against being coerced into continued union with the province^ o|the Southern Island ; and she consistently oijpis to advocate, nor does she desire, the compulsory union^of any other province with herself."

; HORRIBLE MURDERS AT OTAHUHTJ, NEAR AUCKLAND. (From (he 'Southern Cros.*,' Dec. 23.) The peaceful settlement of Otahulm was yesterday afternoon thrown into intense excitement and commotion, consequent on the discovery of the buried bodies oPthree murdereS persons, named Mary Finnigan, widow, aged about 55, and two of her sons, James and Bi^gamin, nged respectively about 17 and 14 years, on the acre allotment iv which their house stood, about 100 yards from the Wesleyan Chapel. In may be in the recollection of some of our readers that in the Auckland Police Gazette of the lstinst., a notificatioffpras given to the effect that Mrs. Finnigan $»d her son, John Finnigan, were missing^but weref|supposed to have gone to Hokitika. The notice was to the folloAving effect: — " Missing, since the latter end of the month of October last, from her home at Qtahuhu, Mary Finnigan, widow, about 50 years i old, fair complexion, fair hair* tall-, a* native of Tyrone, Ireland. Also, John Finnigan^ her son, abou^ 10 years old, fanlfeornplexion, ffir hair. Any information will be thankfully received by her son, Alexander Finnigan, or by the police in Auckland or Otahuhu. She is supposed to have gone to Hokitika, where twq^ of heMonsresWe." The notification appears" to haWbeeu inserted in the Gazette mainly up|g on the representations of a diseharglH soldier from the 65th Regiment, living in the same house, and name% James Stack, who had married a daughter of the deceased Mary Finnigau. The wife of Stack died some ago in Auckland previous to his taking up his residence with bis mother-in-law, at Otahuhu. On the first day of the Auckland races in Sept. last, the neighbours first noticed the disappearance fromWe house, of the mother-in-law and her three sons ; but upon. Stack being questioned as to their whereabouts he made a very plausible storf 61 of their having suddenly taken their departure, under assumed names, from Onehuugafor Hokitika — the cost of passages having been defrayed by himself. The suspicions of the neighbours were naturally aroused that all was not as represented, feeling satisfied that such a sudden determination to remove from Otahuhu would not have taken place without some intimation being given to themselves by Mrs. Fiogigan. Anxious^p[iiiries were consequentiyrmade from time to time as to whether news had been received of their arrival at Hokitika ; and to appease all further alarm on the matter, letters were stated to have been received — after a sufficient lapse of time, ta permit of their landing. Due notice of the^lleged departure of the deceased for Hokitika was^also forwarded by Stack to Alexj^derFinnigan^he eldest son, who is connected with th^| Commissariat Corps, and sl^tioncd atTauranga; but so improbable did the story appear to fe him'*hiit he at once obtained leave of absence, and visited the house of his mother^ satisfy himself that they had really left for tiie goldfield. A frigid scrutiny was made in every portion of tne house, as also of^the furniture and clothes, but no clue was obtained to the horrid crime which had been committed, and various pretences were. ( also made by the neigl|®irs to gain. admittance] to. the house from time to time, tor the purpose of discovering proof* of the departure, but wifßr out avail. Subsequently it transpired to the knowledge of Stack that inqiniries had been made by Alex. Finnigan of the shipping agents and others at Onehuuga, as to the probability of the deceased leaving for Hokitikp, but without success ; and intelligence was also stated to have been received from Hokitika that no such persons had arrived there. The police-officers at Otahuhu likewise became per^iacious and exceedingly troublesome in asking questions, the result being that Stack suddenly disappeared from the neighbourhood on Monday last, and has not since been heard^ On the fact of his absence from the house becoming known, active measures were at once taken by the police and neighbours to institute a thorough search of the premises and adjacent grounds. Not a vestige of proof of murder was found in or about the house, and the ground was then tested by means of spears thrust in several feet to discover if resistance were offered. After a diligent search, their labours were rewarded by the discovery of the body of James Finnigan, which had been interred outside the boundary furze fence of the allotment and which had been thrust back upon the spot where the corpse lay. The body was greatly decomposed. It was at once removed in a blanket to the house. This discovery, of course, led the searchers to make renewed efforts, and after a short time the body of the mother, Mary Finnigan, was discovered beneath a bed of carrots, which were grown to a considerable height. It was placed in the house, beside the body of James. On further search the body of Benjamin was found at a spot a few yards from where Janies had been buried. The search was continued in expectation of finding the body of John, aged 12, Lut without success, up to a late hour last night; the searchers, however, discovered a quantity of partially burnt clothing, which had been buried near the front part of the house. Immediately on the discovery of the first body, Mi*. Commissioner Naugh ton received intimation of the event by telegraph, and at once rode out to the spot. By the time of his arrival there the two other bodies had been found, and as an incentive to diligence in the search, the Commissioner offered a reward of £5 for the recovery of the body of John. Most «ctim measures were at once taken by the Coinmif^ sioJier with the view to apprehend Stack. The telegraph was set to work, and a number of mounted messengers were despatched to Howick, Panmure, Drury, &c, a reward of £20 having been offered by the Commissioner for his apprehension. At the request of the Commissioner the disinterred bodies were examined by Dr. Elmsley, who found that in each case the skull had been completely slashed in, near the temple, as if by a heavy blow from a hammer. The injury of itself he considered to be sufficient to cause instantaneous death. In addition to the blow on the head, the throat of Benjamin had been cut. Chloride of lime was then put on the bodies, the house locked up nnd left in charge of two policemen. We may here mention that the house is a two-storied one, divided into two dwellings, having three rooms and the entrances at each end, — the two dwellings being divided by a simple wooden pnrtition. At the time of the murders the adjoining house was occupied,

but the attention of the occupants was not at> tracted by any unusual noise. A few clays before the murder Stack borrowed a hammer from his neighbours, and Avlien requested to return j ifitlfter the disappearance of the Finnigans, he ■ said that he coukt no|Jjnd it, but readily gave Is. 6d. in payment. It was also observed by the neighbours, on the day after the Finnigam were said to have left for Hokkikn, that Stack was busissnployecl washing all day, and up tc a late hour at night, after taking up his residence atlDtahuhu, Stack made considerable repairs to the wmse, and alsg had it reshingled, at a cost of £16. He is well known in several parts of the province, from having been in the 65th for so many*years, ami is known to have made money by sly grog-selling at the Front during |he war. He has Undergone a period of imprisonment in the Stockade for stealing a pair of boots from the shop of Mft Ke^esing, Queen-street— having been captujpd by the police after a long chase. Those who know him describe him as beingfllather a short, thick-set active njan, approaching 40 ytars of age, with black hair%nd face shaved. Jn.a brawl at the Front haj, received^, cut oh the upper lip, which was stitched up, but the mark still remains. riPe is said to be^of a rather unsociable nature and^ffly^temper. •? Dr. Philson, corqjer-,of the district, waacomj ! Imiuifeated with last evehin&felatip # to holding an inquest on the Bodies, nira we believe itjyill take jf&ce to ? %ay.