THE CASE OF WALTER TRICKER.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 72, 18 May 1868, Page 122

T H E CASE OF WALTER TRICKER.

Refusal - ; -or \'K «a o tvQßAHaa .RAStft* Indejgndemt, May (l 9;) disf.i satisfaction : aii.ci t^al ; learn 1 theeksffd£ 3Mckexr;wMch ia>e6htalned in:the> following perliitehdent;—'; * ,-vf yUi.T " * ,',; . . *■;.. -;•• .< V'.'Colonial-Secretary’s Office,, Wellington, ,sfch May, 1868.„ Sir;—The carefully! ’ memorial! presented.by ypuClffonpr 1 the Gibyernbr; from the settlers at Rahgi-i tikei, pWying-iihat further-inquiry rimy*'Be! instituted intct the case; of the convict Trioker, and of your Honor’s letter of 23rd-Marchlast relatiVeVthereto.'andi have! to state that J;he Governor cannot be .ad* ■vised to mferfere with the commuted sentence of -'pifnishmentr under which tha 4 - convict is, now,, confined in gaol—l have, -&c. ' v * ’ / • : T. M. Haultain, ' For the Colonial Secretary, •; :His Honor the : Superintendent, ' ■•!

: A morejust and reasonable request could not have been .'made than that of the Rangidkei'memorialists, They: pointed out 'that' Tricker was convicted almost exclusively •on the evidence of a,half-caste, boy named Hamilton, who ; swore that he saw the murder committed m open day, at ten o’clock ini the 1 morning, ‘within a few yards of ai public main road.' This boy a few! weeks before, when examined-before! the Coroner, had positively denied all! knowledge of the murder, and only! caipe forward as Tricker’s accuser! wben ; a large reward \vSs‘ offered for* th> discovery of the perpetrator* : They I further urged.tbat.the;boy?s s'tory was J of the most improbable character;! that in their: -opinion,. as-persons tho-. roughly -acquainted! with the jßangiti-Tricker-had proved an aZi6i, ~and that' ijf ; was ; fimpbSsible he c ?uJ<i hstve cqmmitted-the murder atj the time and in the manner alleged by thepeijured half-caste. Finally; they! Pointed out' that' : though' -'Tricker was ! convicted and; sentenced: to: .death, yet he :^ a *i .not. because the advisers of Sir George Grey, no fewer than four of whoni were members” of tlie legal- thought the case sor.doubtful that they* refused to advise his Excellency to have-the capital penalty inflicted. It was,-said* they, a course entirely without precedent that a ’British subject should be deprived of his liberty for life under such circumstances.;. that-is to . say, amdera sen:;: tence ..commuted for. no ‘other- reason! than because the Executive disbelieved the evidence on which .the prisoner was convicted. “ Tricker,”; they contended with irresistible logic, should either have been hangeclor.pardoned.” W.e t ,certainly entertained a .hope that the - prayer .of the memorialists j would bave been granted by -the 1 issue; of a cpminission of inquiry. /Fob years the; Kangitikei people have called for an inquiry, and ; they did hope that this appeal to his Excellency Sir Geo. Bo wen-would not; have - bden -made in This anticipation ? has ;hpt] bepn realised, in curt,.) an<i?scarceiy! courteous terms, they are informed ** that the Governor cannot be advised to .interfere with the commuted.sentence trader which the convict is now confined; in gaol;” The memorialists did not ask. the Governor to interfere with .the commuted -sentence. They expressed a convicfcion“ that if a commission with; power .to take evidence npon oath were appointed to investigate the subject uppn the,, spot where the occurred,itwould bemade apparent that » case existed for the exercise, of the prerogative of mercy, by granting,a; free .Tricker.” The man’s liberatipn was. not asked for,; but an inquiry was demandecb with the-object; ; of his* innocence. The meihoriansts idid nbti wish the sentehcedo so ;inti^fe,red; \^h-bedause they i ;though to theimanuinnocenfei but they- urged - thatiT - facts pointedito; that &~dct of jgreat done; ?that this-wqnid;- be, investigation,! 4^t^t^'4t^^; ; longer i beiaUowcd do -snffer - We:-xh.ia)s the Government have. done, a‘grievous m .done 4n^th§ ; caae.ofi Triekerjsodong >; ,-y ;

as'the fi.ce;; ' arid" thosewho think lie fias been : illegally iand ! s wrongfullyi ‘convicted •\ .must; awrijt;;the<;jfcime ;wh.en the.. Trear smry benches\wijl ';^)ej.ocipupie^ t by (new men, [ will » rihjappealjfor jiisiticej such l 7as f ti>at "iriadq bjy*tfoe £ me morialists whose prayer Has l been;fefused^ ,v - . ; v ■l> ‘i- > **•" V..",