THE STRATFORD MURDER. THE INQUEST.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 295, 1 September 1882, Page 2

THE STRATFORD MURDER. THE INQUEST.

Jhe asylumAave'-yiayed tjfo fooHfith me.. Ppld th6||p hav||o kufis man. ?Th&ii is wjSy they sentaf^e ~ fjffip the clojmng Ueifi&d jS&rn, and witnjHpointed ojflp> th^out^ha^be^Wed to be blopd on it> Brought IjllwHrer to Stratford ou Tuesday morning, and asked him if he would"Kihow him what he said he would, and prisoner took witness and Constable Tapp, and showed where he had done the deed 'and where he had washed his hands and knife, and where he - had -hiddexuJthe^ Jjuife., searched, and found knife produced, on the handle of he believed he btill saw blood. Prisoner 'saio* that'was his knife. _^ .#. # _, Much more evideuce,wasgiyen, jnostly of a corroborative and formal nature! and the jury, after a short deliberation, round prisoner guilty of wilful innrder, and the coroner committed him for ( trial to. r the Supreme Court at New Plymouth^' '• - The prisoner did,not seem to take much interest in the proceedings, "nor to feel any emotion, except when the' murdered man's clothing was brought into court, soaked with blood*.'' He then hid his face in his hat. If, aa is. reported, the prisoner has been in an asylum and has been turned out as cured, to* roam' at large with a declared homicidal mania upon him, the officials responsible for such conduct should surely be called 1 to account. A theory has been broached that the miss- \ ing man, Hall; may possibly have been also a victim, but, so far, there is not the least evidence to warrant such an assumption. •

(from our own reporter.) „ At the inquest held at Stratford Railway Station on Tuesday last, before G. A. Marchant, Esq., Acting Coroner, to inquire into the cause of death, of Mjathias Knoll, a laborer, who was found dea,d by the side of the Opunake Road, the following jury were sworu : — Messrs. J.- Smith, H. Mehaffy, J. Cacutt, R. Nelson, M. Collins, P. Hunter, R, Stanley, W. Bairds, C Curtis, G. Curtis; S. James, J,. Jones, T. Blair. Mr. G. Curtis was chosen as foreman. After being charged by ' the Coroner, the jury' proceeded to the stable of the Stratford Hotel to view the body, and on returning proceeded to hear the evidence. Antoni ■ Gscbnell was present in custodj', charged with murder, but, declined to ask questions of any of the witnesses. 'C. S. Curtis deposed that he is a storekeeper at Stratford, Knew deceased well ; he passed as an Italian. On Monday, from something he heard, he went on to the Opunake Road, and there saw the body of the deceased in a sitting posture, and leaning against a bank of earth. His coat was much torn, aud a, piece of the coat collar was lying seven paces from the body, iv the middle of the road (collar produced and identified). He was shown a pipa (produced), which resembled one that deceased used to smoke. He saw blood on the shirt, and. a, clean cut in the shirt. Helped to remove the body to Stratford. It was not stiff when he first saw it. Saw deceased and prisoner together in the morning, and showed them specification of some bush felling on the Opunake Road., . It is about ah, mile from Stratford Bridge to where he saw the body. W. E. Urry, in the employ of Messrs. Curtis, deposed that he passed deceased and, prisoner on the Opunake Road on Monuay, about 10 o'clock. ' Saw them afterwards at 11 o'clock sitting on a log on the property where the bush was to be felled. Saw them again at half-past .11 o'clock walking towards Stratford. Did not see them again. They seemed on friendly terms when he saw them. They both spoke to him. John Twigg deposed, that at about a quarter to two, ou Monday afternoon, he was walking up the Opunake road, and saw the body of deceased quite dead. Noticed a good deal of blood about the stomach. Telegraphed to the police at Hawera, and helped to remove the body to Stratford. Did not notice auy signs of a struggle, except footmarks, nor any signs of the body having been dragged ; it appeared to have suuk down where it was lying. Thomas Andrews, a bushman, deposed to meeting deceased and prisoner on the road ou Monday morning. They appeared to be friendly. The prisoner was not dressed the same as he is now. ~ Recognised coat produced as being like the one prisoner was wearing. John Bucknell, a laborer, deposed to seeiug deceased and prisoner up the road together iv the morning, and to seeiug prisoner come back by himself about noou. Heard deceased and prisoner speaking in a friendly tone together, although in a foreign language. Thought that there had been a struggle from the appearance of the ground near where the body was lying. Dr. Leatham deposed to making a post mortem examination of the body of deceased, and to finding eight wounds on the body. There were two slits iv the heart itself, two cuts in the liver, and one iv the lungs. The organs were healthy. The knife produced (a horrible daggerlike weapon with a hilt aud a sharp point) would make such wounds. Alexander Michali deposed to knowing deceased aud prisoner. They were Tyrolese, aud were born close to where witness was born. Deceased had money in the Po&t-office Savings Bank. Did not see him in company of prisoner] on Monday morning, bat they were always friendly as far as witness knew. Knew the clothes and pipe produced to be those of deceased, as they bad been mates, the last eighteen months. ' '' ' ' ' Sergeant Cahill deposed to arresting prisoner at Midhirst on Monday evening, and, after telling him the charge 'and cautioning him, prisoner said, I killed the man. Witness took up a pocket knife i when searching the hut, and prisoner said, I had another knife to kill the man, but, being bloody, I put it away. I will show you where I killed, the man and where I put the knife. The police and