AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 48, 17 April 1852, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

Wilful Murder. — It is seldom our duty to prefix such a painful heading as this to a report of an inquest in Auckland, where crime of an aggravated character is happily of rare occurrence ; and when it does occur is (as in this instance) generally to he traced to convicts from

the adjoining penal colonies, who, when they ,can, naturally desire to be numbered amongst the population which, like New Zealand, is free from the taint of transportation. We have, however, to report that a man was killed in, perhaps, the most public thoroughfare of our town on Monday night, under circumstances which will be sufficiently understood from the facts sworn at the inquest yesterday. We need give only a summary, as several witnesses repeated, almost without variation, the evidence already before the inquest.

The facts, as stated by a number of witnesses, were substantially these. Some months since there had been a quarrel, issuing in a fight, between William Dickson, a blacksmith, the man who was killed on Monday night, and the accused person, who was known here by the name, of Isaac French, or by the nickname of " Ikey the carpenter," but who (as was sworn toby more than one witness who appeared to have had full knowledge of him in the previous stages of his history) was well known in former years as a prisoner of the Crown in Van Diemen's Land, under the name of William Bowden. Bowden (as we shall call him, dropping his assumed name here) had repeatedly declared that he " would take his revenge out of Dixon" for the result of this combat, in which Dixon had " proved the best man." On Monday evening, after some conversation in Graham's eating house in Shortland crescent, which grew to be of a hostile character, Bowden and Dixon went out into the street to fight. It appeared clearly that, although both had taken some drink, neither of the parties were intoxicated to any extent that would interfere with his enteire command of his conduct and accountability for it. After some scuffling, Dixon cried out that Bowden had a knife, but Bowden stoutly denied this — (so far as anything could be denied in the struggle then going forward) ; shortly afterwards Dixon was heard to cry, " I am stabbed ! lam an undone man !" He ran back into Graham's house, where he soon sunk under the effects of the wounds he had received. Medical aid was procured, but proved ineffectual, as may be inferred from the testimony of Drs. Matthews and Lee, who, on a ' post mortem' examination yesterday found not only that the deceased's lungs had been penetrated by one of the wounds, but that the pulmonary artery had been pierced, and his heart literally punctured by one of the blows. A knife was produced in court which was identified as having been in the possession of Bowden, and was found yesterday morning, with a blood mark on it, in the immediate vicinity of the tragical occurrence. The following was the verdict arrived at after a very patient hearing of evidence by the Coroner and an intelligent Jury : — " That the deceased died of wounds inflicted in the heart and chest, and which wounds were given by William Bowden, alias Isaac French, and that the said William Bowden alias Isaac French did kill and murder the said William Dixon."' — New Zealander, Feb. 25.