OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9369, 20 May 1889, Page 10

OFFENCES.

News line reached Gisborno of ft mttrdor committed on the Mahia Peninsula. A shepherd named Robert Gollan," on the run of Mr. G. Ormond, has been murdered by a half-caste named McQuarrie. Oollan's remains wore found amongst the ruins of his wharo, which had been destroyed, at Table Cape, on the night of the murder. McQuarrie left his home, and his young brother-in-law, being frightened of being loft, at home in the dark, followed a short distance behind McQuarrie. He was heard to fire three shots, and the appearance of the ground round Oollan's wharo showed that his bleeding body had been dragged into the whare which had been burned. The motive assigned is jealousy. McQuarrie had often expressed himself in jealous terms of Gollan on account of a Maori woman with whom ho was living, and of whom McQuarrie Mas deeply enamoured. The other day ho offered a Maori £10 if he would bring the woman to him. The police are at Mahia, and McQuarrie has been arrested and committed for trial on the double charge of murder ami arson. llaire to Pore was executed for the murder of the Pook family at Napier on -May 13. He met his fate without emotion. At bis trial at Gisborne Fere confessed to the murder, but on May 10 made a statement to Captain Preece, R.M., to the effect that ho and his brother entered Peek's store for the purpose of robbery, but being detected his brother struck Pook. and in fact committed all the murders, while Te Haira looked on in bewildered astonishment, lie stated to others that it was arranged amongst his family that he being guiltless should be arrested and would be got off, his brother paying for the lawyer with the proceeds of the robbery. There is no communication with the steamers owing to the storm, and the hangman was carried on. A prisoner serving a short sentence for wife desertion was executioner, for which the rest of his sentence was remitted. The man Louis Payet was charged at the Police Court on the 2Gth April before Messrs. Collins and King, .LP's, with the wilful murder of Mary Ann Wilson, at Archhill, on the sth April. Inspector Broham conducted the case for the prosecution, and Mr. H. Shortland appeared on behalf of the accused. M,r. J. Cunningham acted as interpreter, and road tho evidence in French to the prisoner. After lengthy evidence, the accused was committed for trial.

Burglars entered the post-oflice, Feilding, on the oObh April, and carried away the safe in a handcart, which was stolen from Mr. Light's Denboigh Hotel. The safe was burst open with a sledge hammer, crow-bar, and cold chisel. After securing the cash the papers, stomps, etc., were burnt. The total estimate of the loss is £210, of which £26 is in motley. The railway station was also entered by picking the lock of the porter's room. The police being away at the Supreme Court at Wanganui, the perpetrators of the robbery have a good start.

A dastardly outrage was committed at Cape Foulwind, near Westport, between twelve and one a.m. on April 20. A large stone building occupied by B:\llantyiie Brothers, who are connected with the contractors, was blown up by dynamite. A hole in the ground where the explosive struck down can be seen under the front part of the building, and fully half the building was reduced to a jx.'rlcct wreck, the timber shattered, and sheets of iron thrown some distance away with holes in them where tins of goods had been blown through. The two Ballantynes were sleeping at the rear of tho premises. One of their bunks was moved, but they escaped uninjured. A boy was sleeping on the floor of the store next to the partition of the room in which the Ballantynes were, but he was unhurt. A timekeeper named Brown usually slept in the front part of the store, but fortunately he had not gone to bod. Had ho done so he certainly Mould have been killed. The police are making enquiries, but have as yet obtained no clue to the author of the outrage. Great indignation exists among Unionists and others, especially as the relations between the contractor and men are of a most pacific and friendly character. Two constables, Robinson and Swain, left Wellington on April 20 lor Cape Foulwind to assist in preserving order.

What appears to have been a deliberate attempt to burn down the workshops of the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Co. was frustrated on the 2Sth April. The night watchman noticed a glare in the building and broke open the door. He found that a well-saturated kerosene case packed with shavings and chips of wood had been placed against the wall of the building and then tired. When discovered the wall of the shop was just beginning to ignite, as it was much charred and the handles of a number of tools which were standing: against it were burnt. Had the lite obtained a greater hold nothing short of a miracle could have saved the building. A Dunedin telegram states that Arthur Lefcham, alias Edwards, alias Johnston, was brought over from Hobart by the Rotomahana on April 30, in charge of Superintendent Kowbothatn, of the Berks police, to be sent on from Lyttelton per the lonic to England. The "accused was arrested at Hobart on a chrge of larceny of jewellery valued at £SOO. Most of the property was recovered in Sydney. A daring burglary was committed at Palmerston North on Sunday night, May 5, James Miller's store in the Square was broken into and the safe abstracted. The safe was taken away in a wheelbarrow, and broken open with an axe on an open plot of ground about a, hundred yards from the Square. About £40 in money was taken, but the books and papers were left uninjured. The circumstances are very .similar to the Feilding Post Office burglary a few days before. A man named Nicholas Loye, an old settler at Ashley Clinton, Waipawa, shot himself on April 25. He has since died. .lames M. Carnergiley, 61 years of age, committed suicide at South Dunedin on April '2.», by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver. At the inquest the jury returned a verdict of temporary insanity. The evidence showed that the man had suffered greatly from rheumatism and sciatica, but beyond that there was nothing to show any cause for his action. lie was a farmer, but was unable to work, and was living on money he had saved. He leaves a wife and five children.

The body of Mrs. Walch, 18 years old, who was married only four months, was found on Sunday, April '21, in Lake Wanaka, near Pembroke jetty, Otaj'O. Deceased was at a dance the previous Friday, after which it is supposed she had gone to the jetty and thrown herself into the water.

John Murphy, once member of the Blenheim police force, and latterly barman at Scrimgeorg's Hotel, Waipawa, was killed on the railway on April 30. It is believed to be a case of suicide, and that deceased laid his head on the rail in front of the approaching train. He had been drinking.

At the R.M. Court, Nelson, on Friday, the 10th of May, sixteen charges of breaches of the Beer Duty Act against VVallia and Page's brewery, a small one, at Motupipi, were heard. The charges were all of false entry. The charges against Page were withdrawn, as it was shown that he ceased to be a partner to the defence offered by Wallis. In five charges conviction took place, and tines of £50 in each case wero indicted, with costs, or a total of £254 18s. The plant and stock were forfeited. Other charges were withdrawn.

At an early hour on the 12th May the premises of Albert Berger, watchmaker, Whitakcr-street, Te Aroha, were broken into, and fifteen watches left for repairs stolen, besides a number of articles of jewellery.