THE FATAL STABBING CASE IN CHRISCHURCH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 389, 26 July 1877, Page 2

THE FATAL STABBING CASE IN CHRISCHURCH.

A'EItDIUT OF WILFUL MURDER. CiiKisTcin'KcH, July 12;).

The. inquest on the body of Thomas Powell was resumed to-day. Mr. T. J. Joynt appeared for Kehde and the woman Lynch. Detective inspector Feast was examined iirst. He said lie had several interviews with deceased, and he repeated what the latter said to him as to Ins meeting with the woman Lynch and going home with her ; also, that deceased said," after he got to the house, which he thought was towards the Smith Belt, a man either was in the house or came in, and asked him "What the he was doing there." He said that afterwards he was standing outside, in the front garden, and that there was some row with the woman, who was crying, and the man rushed out of the house at him and stabbed him. He wrested the instrument away from the man. He spoke to him, but he wouldn't stop, but either went through or over the fence, and a policeman took him away. The man who stabbed him had a long hoard. (Kehde wears one.) Inspector Feast then proceeded to describe the arrest of the prisoner. He said: "The woman opened the door. .1 told them there had been a row there the night before, and I had come. t<t arrest them upon a charge of the murder of a man who had been there. Kehde said : 'Oh, is he hurt/' .1 said: ' Why, he's dead.' lie then said : 'Oh, [ was afraid 1 had hurt him.' The woman then went oil', or pretended to swoon, and they sat for a minute or so in each olher's arms, on the side of the bed. Altera few minutes 1 told them to dress, as they would have to come with me : and the man said : 'Oh, mv Ood. i was afraid of this ; I was afraid 1 had hurt him. 1 They tho,-\ to dress, and Ke.hde commenced telling me all about it. I eanlioned him, and asked him if he thoroughly understood what he was talking about ; if he knew who he was talking to, and that what he said might be used against him. The woman was swooning, and he (old her to get up, for the law w add have lo go on ils course. He then said deceased had eoine to his house the night bi fore, and that be had put him out and locked the woman inside the house: that, lie went up (o the Lorough Hotel and had a drink ; that he went back afterwards and found deceased in the house. He put him out again, and after that deceased came and knocked at the door again, and was trying to get in. ; He (Kehde) then picked up a tool—one he had made himself—which was lying on the table in the.front room, and went to the door. lie was so worried I hat he did not know what he did, but he knew that he had run it into the man. lie did not think it was so bad, but lie was afraid he had hurt him.

Several other witnesses were called, but their evidence merely went t<> corroborate the previous evidence, respecting deceased and Lynch drinking together, the row at tin; house, and deceased being seen on the footpath in front of tin* house complaining that he had been stabbed, The. Coroner having explained the difference between what constituted murder and manslaughter, the j'uiy retired, and ,'ifler an absence of forty minutes, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against Karl Kehde.

The female prisoner Lynch was discharged.

Kelide lias laboured under alternate fits of depression and great excitement since his arrest.