CONFESSING TO A MURDER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10360, 15 May 1895, Page 2

CONFESSING TO A MURDER.

(Pee United Peess Association.) Auckland, May 14. The man Evison, who has made a confession to a coustable that he had caused the death of a young woman at Nottingham, left England in 1882 in'the steamer Op__ir, for Sydney. He next went to Brisbane, and then to Auckland. He has resided for some years in the neighbourhood c Hamilton. Prisoner was charged afc the Police Court, Hamilton, on his own confession, with having caused the death of a youog woman at Nottingham, England, in 1882, by pushing her down, she striking her head on tie copestone of the embinkmenfc of the River Trent and rolling into the river. Prisoner was remanded for eight days. He will be brought up at Auckland on Tuesday nest.! Inspector 1 Hickson h _s communicated with the Commisl sioner of Police, Wellington, it is presumed with a view of cabling to the Scotland Yard authorities, Londou, and making further investigations. In his confession Evison says -—" In Marph, 1881, I was in Nottingham, England, and was walking with a girl Darned Jenny, whom I had picked up in the street about three weeks previously. I had a few words about seeing her with another young man. She hit me in the • acs. I gave her a push, and she full on her hesd on the stone coping on the edge of the footpath, and fell into the Kiver Trent. The coping was builfc right up from the river, and formed a promenade close fco the Nottingham Trent bridge. It was dark. I saw her strike the water and float down the. river about six yards. She was struggling in tbe water. I theu came from tha end of the ,bridge*on to the road, and scarcely knew what to do. I went over the bridge, came back, and went home. I have never heard any more about; ifc. T jvas in a passion afc the time.. I did not know the girl by any other name than Jehuy.J She'was in the lace trade. I did not know where she lived." .'. .-../. The man Samuel Evison, who has: cobfeßsed to a murder in Nottingham, arrived by train this afternoon from Hamilton, being under the charge of Constable Forbes, ef that township. On arrival at Newmarket station the man was taken up to Mount Eden Gaol, where he is lodged pending examination before the magistrates next week. Evison is 36 years of age, and is a very quiet and reserved >-, man, of medium height, with a strong figure and of dark complexion, with dark hair and moustache, and with several days' growth of beard on his cheeks and chin. He is a carpenter, and oh coming t<* Hamilton he first worked for Mr James Friar, with whom he resided for some time, afterwards living with Mrs Moore at her boarding house in Victoria street. .Oh leaving Friar he was employed bj the late D. Elliofcfcnnfcil the latter's death, since which time he has been employed on various works in the neighbourhood: ; He was spoken of as a very good workman. Although residing in Hamilton for over two years, Evison did nofc make many friends ; in fact his appearance J-..-as always thafc of the greatest reserve, almost to moroseness..- When questioned as to the motive which induced him to confess his crime, Evison said that for the last 13 years he had suffered the pangs of. a guilt-striken conscience. :"I have riot," he said, when questioned by the coh.tabl., " been able fco get rid of the feeling that I- was tho girl's murderer. I have: been driven nearly mad by it, and have several times felt inclined to go and commit - suicide. I hive never been happy since I did it, and IJ thought that the only rest I could get, or the only way of making my. mind easier would be tffi confess ib all." ; Evison, ifc appears, went up to Constable Forbes in the street at Hamilton on' Sunday morning, and said to hith quite calmly, "I want yon to look me up." Force*, asked fche man to* come into the middle of the street, as there were a number of persons close by, and then asked' Evison why he wanted to be locked! UP-. " I caused the "death of a girl in England, in 1882," he replied. The, constable teok the man to the police station, and subsequently took down his statement. It seems Evii-bn had, been suffering remorse for his selfconfessed crime for many years. He * was on several, occasions seen, crying "as if in some trouble by Hamilton residents, aad according *to his own statement he conld get no rest. ~ It is not thought that he is of unsound mind. 'Afc any rate the constable who arrested him considers him quite sane.. : a coincidence. , In connection with the confession by Evison, the following singular coincidence has taken place. About the same time that the story from Hamilton reached Auckland there came a number of Australian papers, in one-bf which— the. Australian Star—appears a cablegram stating that a man in London has been arrested under almost precisely the same circumstances. The cablegram is ■as follows:—" London, May 3.—A guardsman named Wright has bean arrested on his own confession on a,charge of Kavingcansed the death cf a woman :iihder extraordinary circumstances. The story told by Wright is to: fche effect that he was having s_ drink when a' womsn accosted him, and he pushed her into the Thames., No forther.pai> ticulars are yet available." .-..-■