OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7905, 25 March 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

OFFENCES.

A native named Te Pehi Hero, rcaiding at Otakeho, near Hawere. ha« been arrested under circumstances which point to homicide. Recently he wan at Panhaka, and it is alleged that, having taken hia wife in adultery, he thrashed her very severely—so severely that a species of paralysis set in. She was removed to the Native Hospital, and thence to Pikano, where sho subftequently died one day last week. Subsequently to her death a native reported that the woman's back had been broken by Te Pehi as a punishment for her unfaithfuluess, and it was aleo stated that he bad put her neck across his knee and bent it until it broke. When the police commenced inquiry, the natives became very reticent, but; sufficient information was obtained to enable the police to arrest the maD. The natives did not oppose the arrest, but said it waa a matter for Te Whiti to deal with, and talked of obstructing the police; but ufter Rama, the chief of the Otakeho Kaluga, had been wt.rnod by Servant Anderson of tho conucquanoes of interfering with the police, the arrest vraa made, and the prisoner lodged

n Manaia lock-up. The body of Kailiai, ia native woman supposed to have been inuidered by her husband, Tβ Rehi, was exhumed oa Tuesday morning, March 22, and nn inquest opened. The medical evidence showed that -the womnn had boen brutally murdered. The skull was free tured, the breast smashed in, and extenaive injury dono to tke'abdomen, arms, legs, and face. All parts of the body were more or lean injured ; but the neck was not dislocated, as expected. The inquest was adjourned till April 4, On the ISth March, about eleven o'clock, a young man named William Ayres took a dose of "Rough on Rats "in a brothel in Grey-atreet, kept by a woman named Ellen MoGarry. Instead of at onoe promptly calling in medical aid and informing the police, the parties in the houoe used suoh remedies as they could think of, salt and water, coffee, &0., whioh caused the un- ( fortunate man to vomit a little. From inquiries inade, it appears that Ayree had purchased the poison at Henderson's, the chemist, stating that ho wanted it for poisoning rats. He was then quite sober, lie died at the Hoepital at midnight. An inquest was held at the Hospital, on Maroh 19, before Dr. Philson and a jury of whom Mr. A. Tyer was chosen foreman. The jury found that deceased had committed suicide while temporarily insane. The charge against Agnes Sargeson for the murder of her infant child, was concluded at Oamaru on March 17. The circumstances aro that the remains of a child were found buried in tho yard behind the house that prisoner had lived in. The prisoner had removed from the house, tolling tho neighbours that Mrs. Scott, of Taieii, had called to take the child away. Tho oviilouce disoloeed the fact that no suoh person lived at the place mentionod. The remains found were much mutilated, but owing to their advanced state of d»composifcion little ovidenco could ho gleaued from the post mortem. The doctors could not atjreo as to tho causo of death, but the doctor who attended tho child four or five days before its disappearance, in evidence, said it could not live, aa it was dying when he saw it. Tho plea set up was that the child died a natural death, and that tho woman had buried it in tho yard, the mutilation being caused by the spaiie iu burial. A verdict of " Not guilty ' was returned. Tho four native prisoners have boen committed for trial at Ginborno for th* tnurdor of a native and his wife. The case occupied sevon days, and twenty-five witnesses were examined. The cost of the proßooutiou will be very heavy, as all the witnesses liva a locg way inland