OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7693, 19 July 1886, Page 11

OFFENCES.

MURDER AT THE GRFAT CARRIER. Last summary contained an account of a settler at the Great Barrier having been shot by John Caffrey, the master of the cutter Sovereign of the Seas. On the evening of the Ist June the police authorities despatched the s.s. Rowena to the scene of the outrage. On board were Dr. Walker, who was instructed to make a post mortem examination of Mr. Taylor's body ; Mr. H. Palmer, J.P., who had been in Auckland, but returned to his home by the steamer to hold tho inquest ; Sergeant Clarke and Constable Mackay, of the Water Police; Detective Tuohy, and Constables Carroll and O'Brien, who were well armed. A reporter Irom the Hekald Office accompanied the party. Nothing was ascertained respecting the movements of the Sovereign of the Seas. The coroner's inquest opened at twenty minutes to one o'clock on June 22, before Mr. Henry Palmer, J. P., acting coroner, and the following jury : John Blair, George Blackwell, Thomas Blaekwell, James Williams, W. B. Norbury (foreman), John Ryan, John Mayall. Detective Tuohy conducted the inquest on behalf of the police. The viewing of the body by the heart broken relatives was a sad scene. Mrs. Taylor tried to sustain the courage of her children, but Mrs. Seymour and the younger daughter Jane were utterly broken down, as were also the two sons, Samuel and Lincoln. The lirst witness called was Esther Ann Taylor, the afflicted widow of the murdered mail. She deposed : lam the wife of the deceased, Robert Taylor, aud reside at Tryphena Bay, Great Birrier Island. I have seen the body, and identify it as that of my late husband. I last saw my husband alive at about half-past seven a.m. on Saturday morning, the 19th June, here, in my btoroom. tie was out of bed and dressed. My daughter lias been sleeping with me ever since she was confined, and there was no one else in the house at the time. At that time a man, whom I since beard was li irry Penn, but whom I had never seen before, came to the house. I was at the door when he came in, and he asked me if 1 could let him have a pound of butter. 1 said " Yes." My husband asked him to come into the house and sit down. He had not been sitting down five minutes when John Caffrey rushed in. My husband ran into the room. Penn had his hands in his pockets at the time, and 1 did not notice any weapon with him when he came into the house. My husband was wiping bin hands in the kitchen, and on seeing Caffrey he rushed into my bedroom to save himself. Penn left his seat, and followed my husband. I saw L'atirey following my husband. He had a revolver in each hand, and told my husband to hold up his hands. All I heard my husband say was, "Oh, Johuny, Johnny 1 saw that they were two bright revolvers, somewhat similar to that you now show me (a small Englisa revolver). When I heard my husband call, I went to see what was doing, and Penn had hold of my husband with one arm, and in the other hand he held a revolver, which ho pointed at me. He had his left arm round my husoand's neck, and pointed the revolver straight at me. They were then in my bedroom, facing me. I ran outside along the beach, about four chains, to the stocks ard, calling out for help, and crying. I heard lour shots tired while I was in my bedroom. I recogniso the piece of wood (produced), cut from the lintel of the bedroom door, in which there is a bullet mark. W hen (.'athey first came into the kitchen, and told my husband to hold up his hands, he fired two shots at him, whether from one or the two revolvers which he held in his hands 1 cannot tell, but two shots went off, and I could not then tell whether any of the allots had taken effect; and it wa3 while 1 was going into the bedroom two more shots went oil almost simultaneously, anil I then ran to save my life. I did not know who fired those two shots, but I distinctly saw Caffrey lire two shots in the kitchen, and it.was after these two shots that my husband called out, " Oh, Johnny, Johnny Penn ran after me to the stockyard. I was crying for help, and he said that if I stirred he would blow my brains out, and he was then putting bullets in the revolver, He asked mo where the girls were, meaning my two daughters, Mrs. Seymour and Sarah Jane. I told him I did not know, but he said I was telling stories, that I knew all about it, and that I had them hid under the bed. He kept me at the stockyard about half aD hour, and then Caffrey came out running, and saw me in the stockyard, and I noticed that his hands were daubed with fresh blood. L said to him, " Tnis man is going to take iry life," and ho said to Penn, " Don't meddle with the old woman, she has never done me any harm." Nothing else happened then, and they left, and I returned to the house. I did not see any revolver with Cafirey when he was leaving, and they went in the direction of Sandy Bay, at the opposite side of the harbour. When Caffrey was leaving, I said, " Oh, Jonnny, what have you done? " and he replied, " 1 have done it now.' I have known Caffrey for about four years. During that time he never used any threats to me, or to any of my family, in my presence, but I have heard that ho had done so. He had no cause for malice against my husband. On one occasion he asked my daughter to marry him, and she replied that she did not want to be married, that her temper and his would not agree, and he said she would not enjoy anyone else, that the next time he went to town he would bring a ring or a revolver. This was about three years ago, and that was all the grievance he had. I was present at the conversation, and I said she could please herself, and her father said the same, but she replied that she did not want to bo married yet. We left it altogether to my daughter, and she refused him. He was then sailing the Mary (schooner), owned by Mr. Murray, of Auckland, but I did not see the revolver or the ring, but I saw him, He came here on his return trip, and asked where Lizzie was. I replied that she was not at home, and he asked what he had done to send her away from her own home. He said I knew where she was, that I had put her on board the Sunderland cutter and sent iter away, but he would not leave the island until he had fouud her. He found her on that occasion in the scrub, where she hid from him, and after some conversation, during which he said that if she did not marry him she would marry nobody else, he left the house. He had been several times to my house since that affair, but I did not remember him having made use of threats, but she had heard from the neighbours that he was going to finish us all off before he was done, 1 was informed that he said this several times. When he was leaving on Saturday morning, and I was at the stockyard, be told me he was goingoatside to do for the lot, meaning, I suppose, my daughter and her husband, Seymour. After they left I returned to the house. I saw my husband sitting against a box in my bedroom, with his head drooping on his chest. I asked him to speak, but he could not, and I found he was dead, so I drew him to one side to straighten him out. I noticed that he was bleeding from the head, but I did not notice the wound, as I was in a hurry to get away, for fear they should return to kill me and my daughters. I left in a boat, and crossed the bay to warn the neighbours, and inform them of what had occurred, as well as for refuge, and did not return until now. When Penn first came to the house and asked for the butter, my husband asked him what boat he belonged to, and he replied the Teviot, but he wanted it for the Tairua.

Lincoln Taylor, a youth 15 years of age, son of the deceased, deposed that Penn, who had been previously pointed out to him as Henry Penn, came to the house on Saturday morning, at about half-pastsoveno'clock, and asked for some butter, that he wanted it for the Teviot, but witness did not hear him say what boat he belonged to. He did not see any firearms with him, and did not notice anything suspicious about him. In a few minutes afterwards Callrey ran in at the door, which was half open. He had a revolver in each hand, and was very excited, Witness' father was inside the kitchen door, cutting down a sheep, and Caffrey sung out in an angry tone, "Hold up your hands, Taylor," and his father said, "Oh, don't shoot me, Johnny." His father was standing a few feet from the door, with his back to the dresser, and Caffrey stood in front of him, and close up to him; and it was while they were in that position the first shot was fired, but witness could not see what part it was aimed at. He ran to his father's bedroom, off the kitchen, and heard another shot fired. Caffrey waved his hand to witness, and sung out. Witness was just in the doorway when ho heard tho second shot fired, but he could not tell whether it was tired at him or at his father, but he believed it was at him. Caffrey sung out to him to come back, but witness ran into his mother's room, where his sister, Mrs. Seymour, was just jumping out of the window, and he jumped after her and his other sister. His sisters ran in one direction and hid themselves, and witness went in another direction towards the stockyard, and while he was running towards the scrub he heard two other shots fired in the house. He saw Caffrey and Penn leave, and witness then came down the hill, and when returning to the house, Caffrey turned round from the opposite hill, about 200 yards off, and looked at him. Ho saw his mother, who told him that Johnny had shot father. Witness then went to where his sisters were concealed, and got the boat ready, and took his mother and sisters away to Blair's, and did not return until that day. He then got Mr. Bailey's horse and rode to Seymour's house, about sixteen miles away, and informed him of what had occurred. lie saw the cutter, Sovereign of the Sea, when he was about half-way to his brother-in-law's place. She was just beating about the point. This was about two or three hours after Caffrey had ;ieft tho house, but he had not seen her since. The Maoris had been looking out for her, but had not seen her since. Tho storeman, who had £75 of stores on board, was also looking out for her, but she had not been seen by any of them. Elizabeth Ann Seymour, wife of Frederick Seymour, settler, at Orotonga, and daughter of the deceased, gave corroborative evidence. James Blair, a settler, Tryphena, deposed that in consequence of a report he heard he visited Mr. Taylor's on Saturday morning, and saw the deceased lying dead on the bedroom floor ; and on examining him he found wounds on the left side of the head. The wounds appeared to bo quite recent, and bleeding. After a search, he found the revolver (produced). It had one chamber which appeared to have been recently discharged, and four chambers loaded. Witness believed there was a bad feeling by Caffrey against Mr Taylor. L)r. Henry Walker, medical practitioner, Auckland, deposed : At the request of Mr. Thomson, Superintendent of Police, I proceeded on Monday evening, the 21 at June, to Tryphena Bay, Great Barrier Island, for the purpose of making a post mortem examination on the body of Robert Taylor, settler. On Tuesday morning, the 22nd June, I went to the house of the deceased, and found him lying on the floor of the bedroom, quite dead. There was a large amount of blood on the face, head, and neck, and on the floor. Deceased was dressed in his ordinary clothes, with his boots and socks on. He appeared to be about 54 years of age, five feet six inches in height, greyish hair and beard, and about 9st 61bs in weight. He was muscular, the body well nourished. I found a bullet wound on the left side of the head, midway between the eye and the ear. I passed a probe, and found the wound went into the brain. There was a large amount of ecchymosis and blood about the wound, as if the revolver had been held quite close to the head when fired. I then removed the scalp, and found the skull fractured in the occipital and parietal bones on the right side. 1 removed the pieces of fractured bone, and discovered a bullet lodged in the aperture, which I extracted, The bullet caused the fracture, and was very much out of shape. I then removed the cranium or skull cap, and found a large amount of bloody serum inside the cranium. The direction the bullet traversed was from left to right, and clearly through the substance of the brain, when it was checked by the occipital bone, which, as I have said, was fractured, with a portion of the parietal hone. The brain was very healthy, and I have no doubt that the bullet was the cause of death, which would be almost instantaneous. I found no other marks of injury on the body, except an abrasion of the skin on the left side of the nose. The jury, after a few moments' deliberation, returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against John Caffrey and Henry Penn," and a warrant for the immediate arrest of the murderers was issued. The remains of the murdered man were then taken to their last resting-place, the site for the grave being selected within about 200 yards of the house at the base of a hill, but out of sight of the house. The relatives and settlers were taken over to their iesidences at the opposite side of the harbour, and were safely lauded about seven o'clock in the evening. The Northern S.S. Co.'s steamer Rowena, re-chartered by the Government to proceed in search of Caffrey and l'enn, proceeded on her cruise, leaving Queen-street Wharf at one o'clock on the 21th June. She had on board the following police party, fully armed and equipped Sergeant Clarke, Detective Tuohy. Constables Mackay, O'Brien, and Carroll. But after searching every bay and likely place for several days, the steamer returned to town without having seen any trace of the Sovereign of the Seas or her crew. The Government have offered a reward of £200 for the apprehension of Caffrey and Penn, the murderers. They have also communicated with Suva and Levuka, and have warned all stations on the East Coast of New Zealand to keep a look-out for the men. Admiral Tryon has been communicated with, asking if he can give any assistance. A rumour became current on Juno 28 that Captain Roulton, of the steam launch employed at Cabbage Bay, had seen the cutter Sovereign of the Seas lying at anchor in Cabbage Bay on the 24th June, being windbound while the gale was blowing. Superintendent Thompson obtained the s.s. Awhina, and a party of constabularyand several Press reporters being got on board, a fresh start was made that night. The Great Barrier, the Kawau, Cabbage Bay, Rabbit Island. Kennedy's Bay, and Whangapoua were all carefully examined, but no trace of the Sovereign of the Seas was found. In fact, she had not been in Cabbage Bay, as reported by f'aptain Roulton. The Awhina returned to Auckland from her fruitless trip on June SO.

The body of a man named Mullens, who formerly kept the Clyde Quay Hotel at Oriental Bay, Wellington, was taken out of the harbour, close to the breastwork at the l.ion Foundry, at noon on June 27. There was a cut across the head; and, as foul play was suspected, a labourer named John Roberts was arrested on suspicion of having caused Mullens' death. Mullens has been missiug since the 25th of June. At the inquest on the body of Edward Mullens the deceased's wife stated that when Roberts, the man suspected of causing Mullens' death, returned to his lodgings on June 25 he said he had had a row with deceased, and had left him fighting with another man on the reclaimed laud. Roberts was beastly drunk. Dr. Hutchinson deposed that he had made a post mortem examination of the body, which was that of a well-made and healthy man. Witness looked very carefully for marks of violence, especially about the head. Hoth eyelids were particularly marked, but might have been partly eaten away by fish or marine insects. There was blood oozing from the eyes, as well as from the right ear and nose, and there was also a bruise above the right ear. The organs of the chest were healthy, and the lungs were full of blood, and collapsed, so that they contained very little air. Wishing to trace out the apparent bruise on the head, the witness stripped off the scalp, and found that the structures about the right ear were bruised right down to the bone over the surface about two inches in diameter. The scull itself was uninjured, and the brain was quite healthy, but there was more fluid blood in it than usual. It

was impossible for him to say with certainty what was the actual cause of death. There were two possibilities—one that deceased had been stunned by a blow and in that state drowned, and the other that he had been drowned without having been stunned. In witness' opinion the cause of death was drowning. The blow was probably not sufficient of itself to cause death. The Coroner said that on the evidence adduced the jury could only return an open verdict. The jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned." At the Magistrate's Court in the afternoon John Roberts, arrested on suspicion of the murder of Edward Mullens, was brought up. The only witness examined was O. R. Brown, an employ 6 of the WellingtonManawatu Railway, who swore that he saw Mullens on Saturday morning, which was a day after he was in the company of Roberts, thus proving the innocence of the accused. The magistrate said the evidence entirely relieved him from any suspicion of having caused tho death of his friend. William Rowland, charged with the murder of Edward Neave, Gisborne, was tried a second time ou July 1. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, with a recommendation to mercy. He was sentenced to death. The prisoner declared he was innocent. A point as to receiving the depositions of a dying mail was reserved for argument in tho Appeal Court. A bushman, in drunken frenzy, stabbed Mr. George Loram, landlord of the Opotiki Hotel, on June 27, inflicting three wounds. The wounds are not dangerous. The prisoner was committed for trial next morning by the Resident Magistrate, and sent to Auckland per s.s. Chelmsford immediately after tho trial. A painful sensation was caused in Wellington on June 29 on it being reported that James Tresidder Barnicoat, one of the masters of the Wellington College, had shot himself with a long Snider rifle about 8 o'clock that morning. The report was only too true, for on proceeding to his study on the second floor of the College building, ho was found lying on his back on the floor, suffering from a severe gunshot wound on the left side of the face, which had blown away the soft parts of the face, as well as the jawbone and other parts of the skull, tho brain, being exposed, and there was free hemorrhage. Deceased was pulseless, but continued breathing until ten o'clock, when he expired. He must have been unconscious from the time the bullet took effect. The wound was evidently self-inflicted, as the right side of the mouth was scorched and blackened, showing that tho muzzle must have been placed in the mouth, while he pulled the trigger of the rifle with his right thumb. The ceiling of his study was bespattered with brains, and the bullet had also entered the ceiling. Mr. Joseph Mackay, principal of the College, states that deceased had been one of tho masters of the College for five years, and had been in the best of health and spirits until Saturday last, when ho complained of being in low spirits, and said the boys under him were not getting on so well as he would wish. Mr. Mackay told him that no one thought so but himself, and that he (deceased) was working too hard. Mr. Mackay is unable to attribute any reason for the act, unless it be that deceased's mind had become unhinged by overwork. Deceased had of late been reading very much, but not as though be was studying for any examination. The following note written in pencil was found in Mr. Baruicoat's bedroom: "I am going to commit suicide. Short anguish better than prolonged suffering. For my friends. There are no other alternatives.—J. S. Barnicoat. " The note was not addressed. Dr. Collins, who saw deceased last night, says he complained of being unable to properly perform his duties, and that for three months ho felt ho bad not being doing justice to his boys. He thinks that the deed could not have been premeditated, but that by a momentary impulse and in a moment of madness, he committed the deed. The rifle used was deceased own property, and was usually kept in the study. Deceased was 28 years of age, and the youngest son of the Hon. J. W. Barnicoat of Nelson, who is now in Wellington attending Parliament. He was unmarried. He was a native of Nelson. Deceased was a prominent athlete. He was a member of the Wellington aed College Football Clubs, the Star Boating Club, and secretary of the Wellington Cricketers' Association. Mr. Barnicoat took great interest in the welfare of tho pupils attending the College, with whom he was very popular. Deceased was highly esteemed in town. At the inquest in the afternoon no fresh facts were elicited, and the jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst suffering from temporary insanity, induced by overwork. The remains are to be taken to Nelson for burial. A shooting affray occurred at Jones' Hotel, Oreytown, to a man named W. Summers, of Featherston, being seriously wounded by a revolver tired by ft well-known criminal named James Morton, alias N. J. Simmonds. The latter was just out of gaol, after doing twelve months. Morton has been arrested. W. Morwood English has been committed for trial for setting fire to the Farmers' Club, Opotiki. Bail was granted, himself in £500 and two sureties of £250 each. He was secretarv to that institution. On Friday, the 16th of July, a young woman, whose maiden name is Mary Duke, daughter of Mr. Duke, Ponsonby, and who was employed as a barmaid at the Occidental Hotel, Vulcan-lane, attempted suicide under the following circumstances : —lt appears that she had lunch with Miss Maher, another barmaid in the hotel, and after partaking of it she was observed to be crying as if in trouble, and then to go up to her room. Shortly afterwards Miss Maher went up to her room to see what was tho matter with her; when she said, "Stay with me, it will soon be over; my life is a burden to me." Miss Maher asked her what would be soon over. She then said she had taken something ; and on Miss Maher looking behind the glass on the toilet table, she noticed a bottle, of which she took possession. As the young woman seemed to be becoming unconscious Miss Maher ran downstairs, and failing to see Mrs. Harding (the landlady) about, told the billiard-marker (Joseph Holmes), who took the bottle to Mr. Aicbin, the chemist, so that its contents might be ascertained, and an antidote procured. Meanwhile endeavours were made to procure medical aid, and shortly afterwards Dr. Hewes, of Otahuhu, Dr. Walker, and Dr. Hooper arrived, and prescribed the usual remedies. Before their arrival an emetic of mustard and hot water had been administered to the unhappy girl, which caused her to vomit freely, and this greatly promoted her recovery. Later in the evening the medical men pronounced her out of danger. Her mother and sister were attending to her, and there was every prospect of her speedily recovering. Sergeant Gamble took possession of the bottle of chloroform, which was a 2oz bottle, and about half full, and also secured a bottle of tho vomit for analysis. It appears that the chloroform had been procured some time back at Mr. Aickin's shop. Nothing is known as to the motive for the rash act, further than that the young woman is married to a Mr, Chambers, and that they have been living apart for months past. It is possible, however, that domestic unhappiness is at the bottom of the rash act. Mrs. Harding, the proprietress of the Occidental, speaks highly of. Mrs. Chambers during the time sho has been in her employ. A young woman named Mary Brougham, housekeeper atGreytown Hotel, Wellington, committed suicide by hanging on July 8,