SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT AUCKLAND.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 967, 4 December 1882, Page 2

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT AUCKLAND.

MURDER OF A WIFE. (PER press association.) AUCKLAND, Dec. 4. A terrible tragedy occurred yesterday morning at Howick, 15 miles from here. A farm laborer on Mr David Nathan’s estate, named James Crowley, murdered his wife, Ellen Crowley, with a box iron. Crowley and his wife lived in a four or five-roomed house, about 100 yards from the residence of Mr Nathan’s manager, Mr Prater; and the latter-' was alarmed about 9 o’clock a.m. by v seeing Crowley’s daughter, a girl of 14, running out of her father’s house screaming that her father was killing Mrs Crowley, her stepmother. On going up to the house Frater saw Mrs Crowley lying on the floor dead, with her face battered in. Frater did not arrest Crowley, but directing two of the men on the estate to keep him in sight, he rode off to apprise the special constable McGill in the village. On the road, at about half way, the constable and Mr Frater met Crowley apparently going on to Howick with the two men from the estate dogging his footsteps at some little distance. Gill, who bad been well acquainted with Crowley for some years past, at once accosted him and said : “I am sorry to hear of this bad business Crowley. I must now arrest you on a charge of murdering your wife,” cautioning him at the same time in the usual manner as to any statements he might make. Crowly replied “ I could not help it; she kept nagging at me all night.” The whole party returned to Frater’s residence. The prisoner was subsequently conveyed to Auckland and lodged in the police cells.