OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8473, 26 January 1891, Page 10

OFFENCES.

CHILD MURDER. About three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, the 6th January, two girls, aged 16 and 14, daughters of James Coombs, of Linwood, Canterbury, were picking fruit in the garden of an unoccupied house at No. 11, Gloucester-street East, when they noticed the head of an infant lying on the ground near some gooseberry bushes. Close by was a piece of a clothes' line made into a noose stained with blood, and a white woollen shawl also blood stained. The girls went home, but did not tell their parents till seven p.m. Mrs. Coombs, with a Mrs. McCracken, went to the garden and found the head still lying there. They covered it with the shawl, and informed the police. Inspector Pender and Detective O'Connor accompanied them to the spot, but found the head gone from under the shawl. They searched the garden, bub did not find it. O'Connor resumed the search on January 7, and about five p.m. discovered the head under a thick growth of gooseberry bushes three or four yards from where the children had seen it. It was considerably decomposed, and there was a deep cut on the right temple. Christchukch, January 10. Yesterday the detectives were engaged all day following up a clue, and the result of the work created intense astonishment.

In the afternoon Constable Daniel Flanagan, stationed at Addington, was arrested on the charge of the murder of the child whose head was found in Gloucester-street. The police, subsequently, arrested Flanagan's wife on the same charge. Flanagan is about 58 years of age, and has been 25 years in the police force. His wife is also of an advanced age. A peculiar story is told in regard to the child murder case, which has disclosed a terrible state of affairs. The third party proves to be a woman said to be the daughter of Flanagan. Three weeks ago she was confined of a male child, which was given out to nurse. On the sth January she visited the nurse in company with her mother, paid board, and took the child away. On seeing the report of the discovery in the Press, they went to the nurse, and asked whether she had received a visit from the police. She answered, ".No," and they told her to keep quiet, and say nothing of what they had to inform her. She told her that after leaving the house at dusk she was met by three men, who rushed after them in Gloucester-street. They had a rope, with which the woman was tied, and the child taken away. The nurse has identified the baby's clothing which was found as that supplied to her by the woman who took the child away. Chkistchukc-h, January 16. An inquest on the head of a child found in Gloucester-street was commenced this morning at the Resident Magistrate's Court, which was crowded. Inspector Fender conducted the case. Mr. Stringer appeared on behalf of Daniel, Annie, and Sarah Jane Flanigan. Dr. Moorhouse deposed that he attended Sarah Flanigan, who was confined on the 13th December of a male child. The father and mother were present, and the former remarked, "it was a bit of bad luck." The girl admitted that the father of the child was away on the West Coast. On the following Monday he did not see the child, as it was taken away to nurse on the previous day. Dr. Symes deposed to the detective handing him the child's head on the 7th January. It was that of a matured child, and had been severed from the neck at the junction of the head with the spine by two clear cuts. The face presented two gaping wounds. Witness described the wounds in detail, which he said were caused by a blow on the face, probably during life. The wounds must have been made by a sharp instrument other than a tomahawk. He had examined Sarah Flanigan and found no marks on her. The child had been dead a few days.

Inspector Pender deposed to arresting the male prisoner, who said, " I know nothing of the matter. It is a serious affair." He further said his daughter had been giving him some trouble, but he knew nothing about their affair as the child was taken away two hours after it was born, in a drawer. At Flanigan's house he found a receipt from the nurse for £1 4a for nursing the baby. When arrested, Miss Flanigan declared she " knew nothing about it," and said she never put a hand to the child.

Jane Freeman deposed to having received the baby to nurse. It was a male child and healthy. She described the clothing given her at the time, and detailed the circumstances that led up to the child being taken away by Miss Flanigan, who represented herself as " Mrs. Steven," and her mother, on the ground the husband had sent for her from Wellington. She stated that she did not want to leave till quite dark. Julia Higgs, keeper of a registry office, stated that she recollected Mrs. Flanigan coming about a nurse for a child on Sunday, December 14. She said she wanted to put her daughter's child out, and said it had been born during the night. She appeared very vexed about the child. She said ii she had to do with it, she would kill it. She was extremely excited. The Bench committed the three accused for trial.

SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A SHEPHERD. News reached Napier on Jan. 14 of the death of Mr..Roderick Mathieson, head shepherd oil the Rakumoatia station. The appearance of the body, and the circumstances, pointed to the cause as being thrown from his horse and kicked on the head. Information received on Jan. 14 gave rise to suspicions of foul play. The injuries on the head had been inflicted by some instrument. A station hand lias disappeared ; search for him has been fruitless, and it is supposed he has hidden in the bush. Rakamoana is 40 miles from Napier, on the Taupo road. Captain Preece, R.M., Inspector Kiely, and a posse of police left on January 15 for Rakamoana station. It appears that on January 14 Mathieson was seen leading a horse. Some time after he was found at the back of the homestead with a large wound on his head. It was supposed that the horse had kicked him. He died without recovering consciousness. Subsequently suspicion was aroused, mainly through the sudden disappearance of Charles Chadwick, one of the station hands. Further investigation showed two wounds on separate parts of .the head, apparently inflicted by a sharp instrument. There is dense bush at the back of the house. It is supposed Chad wick is there, as the neighbourhood has been scoured without finding any traces of him.

Two young Norwegian sailors on the German barque Rialto, at Timaru, were drinking ashore on Tuesday night, the 13th January, and after returning to the vessel quarrelled. One named Olsen stabbed the other named Hooper five or six times with a sheath knife in the neck and body. One of the two wounds in the chest is serious, but is not expected to be fatal. Olsen was arrested. On Friday, the 23rd January, a little after five a.m., a tailor, resident at Newmarket, Mr. John McCarthy, attempted to commit suicide in his workshop by stabbing hirasejf three times in the breast over the region of the heart. The following are the circumstances :—Mr. McCarthy has been in low spirits for months past. Some time ago he took a razor ana went upstairs. Mrs. McCarthy followed him, and found him sitting on the side of the bed with the razor open, which she took from him. He asked her to leave it with him as they were after him." A month ago he had another bad attack of melancholia, and wanted his razor, but she put it out of the way. For two or three nignts past he had suffered from sleeplessness, and on Thursday nighc he was again asking for his razor, but she had removed it. He had no sleep during the night, and kept getting out of bed every few minutes, calling for his razor, and saying " they would tear him to pieces."

About five o'clock on Friday was awakened by a noise in the work! 9 and, finding . her husband, out of bed £' went downstairs and found him with' l 1 large shears open. One of the point. the in his breast, and he was trvinw t.r, tl Wa " in by knocking it against the man!',' piece. She took the shears from He laid hold of a small pair W k- B !* she also took from him. McCa/i lay down on the floor, and seemed to into a faint, and Mrs. McCarthy sent f g ° man named Cowan, who informed Constat Rist of the occurrence, and tele"rarjh«f 8 Dr. Mackeliar. In a short space of t Dr. Mackeliar was on the spot, and J? 6 Girdler arrived a little afterwards. On t\' two medical men examining McCarth they found three serious wounds over 11' region of tho heart, and feeling eati«« that they were mortal, they did nofc'reco mend McCarthy's removal to the Ho.«niM both as causing unnecessary suffering a !Jj also that he might probably die on tha road. On Dr. Mackeliar ascertaining th t Dr. Haines was Mrs. McCarthy's medial man, he advised her to send for that gentleman, who accordingly took the cas in hand. McCarthy died at his resident on Friday evening, January 23. ~ e R. M. Morrison, dispenser and secretariat the Invercargill Hospital, committal suicide late on Wednesday evening, th 21st January, taking prussic acid. He Wh , under notice to leave. The chairman of th i Trust and the House Surgeon had been going into matters connected with the i n . stitution and had asked Morrison for , document, which he went to hi? room ostensibly to procure. As he did not return he was sent for, and as the door \ Va _, found locked it was forced, and Morrison was found on the point of death. He was formerly a soldier, and was an excellent dispenser, but his habits were irregular It is believed that his accounts were ins*', curate. A man named) Francis A. Watson has been recently arrested at Sydney, by the Sydney police, on information furnished by the Auckland police authorities, the charge being of obtaining a gold watch and a chain, value £2(5 10s, and a diamond and sapphire bangle, value £35, by measu of a valueless cheque, from Mr. Carl Kohn jeweller, Queen-street, Auckland. Accused left Auckland in the s.s. Manapouri, and was arrested on landing at Sydney. Constable Redell, of Gisborne, left by the W'aj. hora to bring accused back to Auckland. Peter Lagoni, of Totara Flat, was on Jan. lj remanded at Ohaura, on the information of Constable Watt, charging him with stabbing Owen Higgins at Big Grey with a pocketknife Bail allowed, himself in £50 and two sureties of £25 each. On the 20th January a man named James Cunningham was arrested by Chief I)t----tective Kirby, and charged with havin» forged a cheque for £34 10s, with intent to defraud the National Bank. At the Police Court on January 5, before Messrs. S. Y. Collins and W. Lodder J. P.'s, Henry James Purbrook was charged with stealing, between Ist May and loih December, a quantity of drapery goods valued at £69 7s, the property of the firm of drapers trading as Smith and Cau"hev. Mr. Kees appeared for the defendant" and Inspector Broham conducted the prosecution. Mr. Kees reserved his defence. Accused was committed to take his trial at the next session of the Supreme Court, and was allowed on bail in two sureties of £30 each. Mark Rawlings was charged at the Police Court on the Bth January, before Dr. Giles with having stolen, on the 13th December' 1890, the sum of £113, the property of the Orphan Home Trust Board ; and also with having stolen, on the 19th March of the same year, another sum of £113, the property of the same Board. Mr. Hudson "Williamson appeared for the prosecution, and said that he did not intend to proceed with the case at present, as some considerable time would be required to make the .necessary investigation?, and moreover, there was every likelihood of other charges of a similar nature being brought forward. From what he had heard, he believed that no less a sum than £1200 had been misappropriated. Dr. Giles granted a remand as applied for, and allowed accused himself in £200 and two sureties in £100 each. Bail was not obtained, and the prisoner was conveyed to Mount Eden Gaol. The accused was again brought up on Jan. 21, when it was shown that the total defalcations amounted to £1472. After evidence had been taken the prisoner was committed for trial. James Greenwood was brought up" at the Police Court on January 9, before Messrs. S. Y. Collins and H. M. Jerv is, J.P's., on several charges of embezzlement and forgery in connection with the Omaha Road Board. Mr. Button appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Lusk, on behalf of Mr. W. L. Rees, for the defence. After hearing the evidence, the Bench committed accused for trial at the next sessions of the Supreme Court on March 10. Bail was admitted for the accused, himself in £200 and two sureties in £100 each. A young man named John O'Sullivan, aged 19, was at Blenheim on Wednesday, the 7th January, committed for trial on a charge of impersonating a man of the same name at the general election on December 5.