SHOOTING AT CANNIBAL BAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18447, 7 January 1922, Page 12

SHOOTING AT CANNIBAL BAY

A MADMAN’S ACT. Edmond Treherne was charged at the Police Court jesterday morning with having at Cannibal Bay, near Chvaka, discharged a revolver at Goo. Wilson, with intent to murder Mm. Mr White appeared for accused. George Wilson, farmer,' residing at Cannibal Bay, near Owaka, stated that on December 27 he went to the house of accused which was about 300yds from witness’s- farm. _ He took some meat to accused for dinner, accused having left two rabbits with witness to cook. These had gone bad. Accused had a barrel of beer in his house. He was a single man and lived alone. In conversation accused said that Jim Easte had said that he witness was a bastard and had been picked up. Witness said he would go and see Easte. Accused said, “If you are going to see Easte you have got to deal with me first.” Witness had gone a little distance from the house when he turned back. Ho asked accused to repeat what he had said to him about his birth, or withdraw it. Accused said get to h—- out of it you b—— bastard.” Witness said if he said that again he would hit. him. Accused repeated it again and witness then struck Mm with his fist. He struck him in the face, more than one blow. The first time witness struck accused was inside the door. Then ho pulled Mm out "and struck him outside. After accused had been knocked down he asked witness to into his bedroom. Neither of them 'wore drunk. Witness helped accused into the house and put him the bed. He _ said he would go to Constable Hayward in the morning and lay an information against witness. Witness said he would drive _ Mm in the next morning as he was going in. Accused put ms hand under the mattress and pulled out the revolver produced. He jumped off his bed, pointed the revolver at witness, and fired. Witness was standing just inside the. door of the room. The shot missed witness. Witness ran out of the bedroom door and hung on to the handle Accused was coming towards him all the time- He called out to witness, “If you don’t open the door I’ll shoot through the door.” Witness let go the handle, ran down the passage, and went into the front room, ‘ dosing the door. Accused went out the back door and came round to the front. He stood there and aimed at the front door. Accused turned and saw witness looking through the front window, and fired another shot at witness through the window. That shot also missed witness. Accused then turned away from the window to go towards the end of the house, and witness jumped through the window, closed with accused, knocked him down, and took the revolver from him. There were four live remaining in the revolver, and these witness removed. He reported tno matter to the constable, and handed Mm the revolver and bullete. He was out about the face and hands in breaking bis way through the window. He had had several drinking bouts with accused, but they were nM drunk on this occasion. There had not been any ill-' feeling between accused and himself. Accused had only been there five or six months. To Mr White: Witness had gdt friendly with accused about 10_ weeks ago. He carried a keg of beer in his trap for accused on one occasion, and they broached the beer afterwards. Accused told him they were going to get in an 18-gallon keg of beet for the holidays and that he (witness) would be welcome so long as it lasted. They went to get the keg a week before Christmas, and accused said ho would moke another 18 gallons. The materials for this were obtained, and witness assisted in making the beer. was the heavier drinker. 1 So for as witness knew some of the keg brought in from Owaka was still a* accused’s. Witness drank some of the beer made by accused. Not a great deal of the new beer was drunk. Witness struck Treherne three or four times with Ms fist; not with the revolver. There was a good deal of blood about; coming from accused’s face. Witness went for the police two days afterwords. ,

Constable Hayward, stationed at Owaka, stated that on December 29 last witness had 'handed to' him the revolver at Owaka. Thewo were four unfired cartridges and, three empty shells. Wilson had called when witness was in bed on December 28 and wanted to hand over a revolver. Witness had told him to go away and bring it in in the morning. Witness went with Detective Lean to Cannibal Bay on December 30. The. doors were looked. They heard Treheme in his' bedroom, and be let them in. He looked as if ho had been very badly knocked about, both eyes being blackened and the bridge of his nose cut. xxe teid he had not a revolver and never had one. Witness told him what Wilson hod said, and he replied “That’s Wilson’s side of the story.” Near the centre pi the front room Detective Lean picked up a ballet, produced. Witness ’ found whore the bullet had struck the back wall in line with the window. They then examined accused's bedroom, and found a second bullet. Witness told accused this corroborated Wifeon’s story, and showed him the revolver, and caked him if it was not his. Ho admitted that he had had one like it, but that it was missing. He showed whore he kept it under his mattress at the -bead of his bed. He said he had missed it on December 28, that he had had it for •a number of year a, and • had always kept it loaded, bat had no other cartridges' with him. When asked if he had registered the revolver, he replied that he had thought of doing so, but was afraid if he did the revolver would be taken from him on account of his drinking habits, _ Trehcrne -said ho did not remember anything, about shooting, that he was, too drunk to remember, but that if he had been shooting ■it was only to frighten. They made a search for the third.bullet, but could not find it, nor where is ' had' gone through the door. There were openings in the door, and it might have gone through one of them. . Witness went on' to give detailed evidence as to .-the .finding of the bullets. The place hod been used te a rabbiter’s camp. Witness gave evidence os to finding cuts on Wilson’s hands and face. To Mr White: Accused .opened the door readily when he know It was the police. The boards on. the door, witness thought, were six or eight inches wide, and the openings about half an inch. Speaking of accused’s appearance when he first saw him, witness said, “He had the best pair of black eyes I have ever seen.” Accused reserved his defence; and was committed to the Supreme Court; there to stand his trial. , Accused was. further charged with having in his possession an unregistered firearm. This was adjourned to •February 10, on the application of the police. ,