THE RECENT TRAGEDY AT KYEBURN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1500, 14 August 1880, Page 22

THE RECENT TRAGEDY AT KYEBURN.

It would appear as if, in the -way of murders, the Provincial District of Ofcago was getting a most unenviable notoriety. The agitation of the public niind has hardly subsided after the excitement of the Butler episode, when there comes from a country district the news of an appalling crime which almost, if not quite, equals it in atrocity, though it involves the sacrifice of only one life. The scene of this new outrage is a little two-roomed cottage standing by itself on the main road between the Kyeburn Hotel and the Kyeburn diggings, in the 'county of Maniototo, and about four miles from the station of Messrs Stewart and Mackenzie. In this cottage there has resided for some years a widow woman, 58 years of age, a Mrs Young, who is described as being in good circumstances, and who appears to have been very greatly and deservedly respected throughout the whole district. The nearest house containing European inhabitants is distant about 500 yards, bat the huts of several Chinese miners are close at hand, one of them being hardly more than a dozen yards away. Since the death of her husband, some three years ago, Mrs Young has resided alone in the cottage above mentioned, and being of a cheerful, active temperament, given to acts of great benevolence and liberality to all her neighbours — including the Chinamen, by whom she appeared to be much respected — she had not apparently at any time felt alarm at the lonelines of her situation. On Tuesday evening she attended a meeting at the Kyeburn diggings which was called in connection with the opening of a new Presbyterian church in the settlement,andat 9 or 10 o'clock thesamenight she was left at her own residence, in good health and spirits, by the clergyman of the parish and several of her neighbours. On Wednesday morning about 8 o'clock, a Chinaman, the occupant of the nearest hut, who was iv. the liabifc of calling regularly at the same hour for milk, found the front door broken open and blood-stains about the panels, the room in a state of great disorder, with the appearance of having been thoroughly ransacked, and the unfortunate woman lying on the floor in a deplorable condition and covered with wounds. From the Chinaman's account it would seem that she had sufficient consciousness to utter the names, accompanied with a gesture requiring him to go for them, of two of her most intimate neighbours, and although these arrived with all speed they found the poor woman quite unconscious. Later on she rallied for a few moments, and iv answer to the question asked, " Was it a European V said " No," but replied in the affirmative when the same question, was ,

put with reference to a Chinaman. In the room were found three large stones, each weighing 501b or more, and two of which were covered with blood. There was also found near her head a pocket-handker-chief and some cord, both of which were likewise smeared with blood ; and a hayfork, which had been taken from a neighbouring farm, was found outside the door. Mrs Young continued unconscious till her death, which occurred the same forenoon. The postmortem examination, which was held on Thursday by Dr Whitton, of Naseby, disclosed the fact tbat nine of the unfortunate woman's ribs .were broken, besides various other bruises— these having evidently been inflicted with one of the stones already mentioned. There was also an incised wound over the eye ; the sides of her ! mouth and tongue were cut, apparently with a gag which had been introduced ; her wrists were bruised where her hands had either been tied or forcibly held together; and her knees were abraded where she appeared to have been kept kneeling on the floor ; while the handkerchief already mentioned appeared to have been tightly bound over her eyes. Robbery seems to have been the sole cause of this fearful deed of blood : but the murderers were disappointed, for although they searched the front room minutely, all loose money — some <£33— watch, chain, and trinkets, were afterwards found in the kitchen, in the place where the murdered woman was known to have usually kept them. Here is the history of another appalling crime which lies as a fresh stain upon the fair fame and law-abiding character of this Colony. The triple murder in Cumberland street is still unavenged, though the public eye knows only too well where to look for the perpetrator. If the human fiend or fiends who have thus faithfully, and on a somewhat smaller scale, re-enacted the Cumberland street tragedy at Kyeburn are destined to escape the just vengeance of the law, the moral effect upon the criminals of our society will be of such a nature as we do not care to dwell upon. Every honest citizen may well feel at its deepest the depressing influence which invariably arises out of the knowledge of unpunished crime ; there will be a tendency to constant and wellfounded apprehension among all those who are resident in unprotected situations; while we may well deprecate that condition of social affairs in which individuals are forced to conclude that they must at all times be ready to actively defend themselves. So far, there is no clue to the perpetrators of this latest murder. Suspicion falls upon three Chinamen who, on the morning after the deed, left Kyeburn for Naseby, and one of them has been secured with some evidence that seems to connect him with the mnrder. We are glad to see tbat Mr Weldon and the police under his control are fully on the alert, and we hope that everything will be done which can be or ought to be done, and that it will not be said of New Zealand that, as deadly crimes become rampant, the law ceases to afford protection or exact its proper penalties.