CALLOUS REVENGE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8800, 30 April 1907, Page 4

CALLOUS REVENGE.

LONDON, March 15. A more youth of 17, ruddy-faced and boyish-looking, was charged at Crewe last Monday on his own confession with a peculiarly callous murder. The prisoner is Alfred Parrott, and his victim was Alfred Birtlos, a fellow-farm-hand some five years Parrott’s senior, employed at Mr As ties’ farm at Bradley Hall, near Orcwe. Parrott, in the dock, gave the impression of being a dull-witted clodhopper, but whatever the quality of his brain, ho possesses cunning of no moan order, »a was shown by his effort to throw the police off his track. Mr As ties describes Birtlos as a trustworthy, steady and hard-work-ing young follow. His alleged murderer, on the other hand, was of a somewhat sulky disposition. Ho had only been on the farm for a few months, and ho and Birtlos did not get on well together. Birtles, being tho senior, sot himself over the lad whilst their "employer was away, and Parrott so resented any such dictation that ho would not speak to the older hand, except when compelled to do so. Tho last Mr Astles saw of tho pair before tho tragedy was when, last Friday afternoon, he was about to leave the farm, and told tho hoy to get Birtles’s assistance in tho task of watering tho cows. How the tragedy subsequently developed in tho master’s absence is stated to be related in Parrott’s confession to the following effect: — Birtles was employed in tho fields, and Parrott later saw him return to the tool-house with his tools. Thereupon tho lad approached tho young man, and an altercation took place between tho two in tho farmyard on the old sore subject of the obedience claimed by the older from tho younger. Parrott soon completely “lost his wool,” and whilst Birtles was putting his tools away tho lad ran into the house, seized his master’s double-barrelled gun and some cartridges, and then took up a position commanding tho tool-house door. Steadying tho gun on a wall about a dozen yards from the tool-house", Parrott took careful aim at tho doorway, and the moment Birtles appeared fired both barrels at him. The unfortunate fellow received the entire contents of both cartridges, and dropped dead. Bnt Parrott’s bloodhunger was not entirely appeased, and, running up to tho body, ho reloaded the gun and discharged another ounce of shot into his victim’s heart. Assured that tho man was

ead, tho lad possessed himself of a spado, and began to dig a grave in the garden to dispose of the body. Fearing that bo could not thus effectively conceal the crime, he wrapped the body in a tarpaulin, placed it on a wheel-barrow, wheeled it to a bridge over a stream that ran not far away, and tipped the body into the water, remaking “ Good-bye 1 You had only yourself to blame. ’ ’ - According to the statements made , in tho confession, Parrott after this returned to tho hall, wont upstairs, and deliberately broke a bedroom window. He next found his master’s cash box, which he smashed with a hammer, and, having done this, he went outside and reared a ladder against tho broken window. Ho loft a roughly-writen note on a table, stating that this was the work of three men from Staffordshire—and ran off to Crowe, three miles away, and met his master. He told his master, and subsequently the police, that the house had been broken into. Ho gave a minute description of throe men whom, he 'said, he loft at the house, and whom ho hoard firing shots as he-’' ran away. Tho tableau which he