] THE WELLINGTON MURDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 24

] THE WELLINGTON MURDER.

THE BODY IDENTIFIED. WELLINGTON, December 29. ' ' A great many people have viewed the body of the man who is supposed to have been murdered in Courtenay place on Saturday night to see if they could identify him. j A visitor to Wellington, after viewing I the body, gave it as his opinion that it was that of William Thomas who had been engaged as a porter at a hotel in Rotorua. ; January 3. The body of the man found dead in the city last Sunday morning was to-day , identified as that of a man named I M'Cormack, lately employed as a seaman on the Union Company's training ship Dartford. He arrived" j n Wellington about a month ago, and was paid off with the rest of the crew. The police are satisfied that there is no mistake about the- identification, which was made by four men who were shipmates of deceased on the Dartford. January 4. The inquest on the body of the man found murdered at Courtenay place early on the morning of December 27, was conI eluded to-day. The evidence was mainly , in regard to the identity of the deceased. I Sydney Millott, seaman on the Waikare, said lie was formerly on the ship Dartford. He knew a membe" of the crew named M'Cormack, but witness did not know his i Clrristian name. He was usually called " Mac." The clothing in the morgue he Tecognised as being the property of the man M'Cormack, and at the police station I he saw a bag which belonged to M'CorI mack. In it were two ties which witness had given to the man when he sailed with him in the Dartford. About three months ago witness saw M'Cormack in Lyttelton. He recognised the photograph (produced) as that of M'Cormack (the picture was a photograph of the dead man). Edward Morrison, A.B. on the Maori, stated that he was formerly on the I schooner Annie Hill. The body which ho , saw at the morgue on Saturday was that of a man named M'Cormack, who was ; paid off the Annie Hill on Christmas Eve at Lyttelton. M'Cormack was 43 days on the Annie Hill, and would have received £7 10s when paid off. Witness I stated that deceased left the Dartford about* October 15. He saw M'Cormack several times in Lyttelton. After staying there for about two weeks he joined the 6teamer Ripple for a trip, and later worked on the Annie Hill, trading between Kaipara and Lyttelton. On Christmas Eve deceased left Lyttelton and came to Wei- , lington as a passenger in the Maori. Wit- j ije&s 6aw him aboard in company with a : shipmate named Braidford. Witness knew ' they, leit their bags on the wharf, but he never heard further of them. Braidford . had, however, mentioned to witness that <W^ intended going to Auckland.. Deceased

J took liquor freely when he had money, and when he was " under the influence --' he was very "soft," and could be led any- . where. M'Cormack once mentioned that he belonged to Liverpool. Two other seamen gave corroborative evidence. William Mullin, A.B. on the- Aotea, and formerly on the Dartford, gave evidence of identification similar to that of the last witnesses. Witness knew a seaman named Braidford on the Dartford. He saw Braidford on the morning of Boxing Day in Manners street before 7 o'clock. He hailed witness, and said he was going io Auckland that morning if he could get " his bag from the left luggage office at the wharf. In the meantime, Braidford said, ho was first going to see "Mac" (meaning M'Cormack), to say good-bye, and indicated that he was going in the direction of Courtenay place, saying " we are living down this way." Detective Cassels gave evidence concerning the bags which were left at ihe " wharf. He ascertained from a shipping office that a sailor named M'Cormack was discharged from the Dartford on October 15. He gave his age as 32 years. The jury returned a verdict that deceased came by liis death by violence at the hands of some person or persons unknown.