THE GREAT BARRIER MURDER. THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY REVISITED. (BY "STAR" SPECIAL REPORTER.)

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 178, 13 November 1886, Page 4

THE GREAT BARRIER MURDER. THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY REVISITED. (BY "STAR " SPECIAL REPORTER.)

Th« Voyage Down, Auckland, November 6. Yesterday morning the lona, which started at eleven o'clock instead of the advertised time of eight, took down to the Great Barrier bland the following gentlemen :—: — j Mr Hudson Williamson, Crown Prose* | cutor, who had with him Detective Tuohy and Mr Sidney Weetman, who went down at the instance of the Purvey Department to make plans of the house and eurrout-dings connected with the late tragedy. This gentleman was accompanied by Messrs Malcombeand Chapman as assistants. Splendid weather made the trip down the harbour delightful, and the islands of Motutapu and Rangitoto looked very beautiful as they rose in their covering of fresh spring growth, above the sparkling ultramaimo of the ocean Instead of going by the Rangitoto Channel as usual, a course was steered just taking the vessel south of the David Group of Rocky Islets, or Waiheke. The rocks called "The Watchman and His Dog," mentioned by the girl Graham, with its smooth cliffs, a varicoloured rock, crowned with a marshy scrub, was passed at 2.30, and here we passengers were shown, by one of the initiated, the place where Caffrey, eight years ago, let the Heather Bell on the Elizabeth reef, off Cape Colville. He and his mate, Joe Siler, are said to have had to swim ashore, and had a narrow escape. At last Trypheua Bay began to open to our view, and our Bteamer's whistle re - echoed from the rocky promontories on either side of us. I

At Trypnena. A boat soon came off from the shore, and there came on board Mr Seymour, son inlaw of the deceased^ Master i incoln Taylor, aMr Williams, and Constable Macky. We learned from them that Mrs Taylor, Mrs Seymour, and Miss Taylor had been unable to get over from Haratonga, and the s.s. lona accordingly landed her inward cargo as speedily as possible, aud steamed off again to pick up those witnesses, leaving behind Mr Hudson Williamson, the surveyors, and your representative. We landed at Sandy Beach,the place where the accused murderers are said to have landed on the e\'entfui morning of June 19th last Under the guidance of Lincoln Taylor, •we climbed the path by which CaSrey reached the house. This path leads by a rocky »nd tree-covered steep which divide* Sandy Bay from the bay in which the farm occupied by the deceased is situated. Resting for a moment at the top of the hill to take breath, after our arduous climbing, we saw below us and in front of us a pretty little toi-toi, flax, and ti-tree-covercd valley, endiner in a rocky bay. Nestling under the hills on the other side of this valley we saw the house lately occupied by the Taylor family.

The Scene of the Tragedy. We were soon down into the valley, and entered the house, which we found eurrounded partly by a boulder wall and partly by a broken - down fence. We found the house occupied by the family of Mr Moore, this gentleman having leased it for twelve months in order that ho might have conveniences for the cutting of firewood. The house consists of a largo room ueed as a kitchen, and opens into three rooms at the back. We had to pass through the kitchen to reach theee through a door over which it- a coloured card, bearing the words a " A Happy New Year. 51 This is supposed to be the •c picture " at which Perm says he fired.

Hunting for Bullets. Detective Tuohy here made a lengthy hunt for the supposed missing bullets It will be remembered that two were accounted for at the inquest, whilst the witnesses alleged that four shots were tired at the deceased. Detective Tuohys search in this respect proved unsuccessful. Subsequently, however, he came to the conclusion that two bullets had struck just above the door, and that two bullets had entered the head of the deceased, although but one was extracted. From the position of the blood stains, which are still visible in the house (although they are in some places covered with newspaper), eepeci illy upon the door which deceased is paiJ to have mode an effort to clo?o to screen himself from Caffrey, it appears that the deceased was trying to keep the bedroom door chut against one of the assailants, and that he was bleeding Copiously at the time, and further, that afterwards he must have been either carried Or succeeded by his own efforts in reaching the bedroom, where he was ultimately found dead when your special visited the scene of the tragedy, almost immediately after it occurred. It was surmised from these stains that the wound in the temple was not the only wound, nor the first wound, received by the deceased, as Mr Taylor would have undoubtedly fallen immediately after receiving the wound on the temple. This opinion, cf course, is contrary to the statement made at the inquest that only one bullet struck the deceased. Inquiries were made for the meat axe which the deceased is reported to have had in his hand when Perm entered the house. This wts obtained, and Detective Tuohy took of it.

charge Mr Blairs Statement. Mr Blair informed me that he was over at the Taylors house about an hour after the occurrence, and found two wounds in the deceased, evidently caused by bulleta. The first was on the back of the head, and hia theory of the struggle is that after receiving a shot in the back of the neck whilst flying into the back room, he put-hed to the door and tried to hold it against his asf-ailant, spitting blood the while, which cohered the door and floor of the room in little Iflecke or drops, whenhe (Mr Blair) arrived. He is certain from the blood-marks on the wall that he moved by himself, and was not dragged (the marks being elbow high) into the little back room, where it would appear that he received the coup de grace. "•How" (asked Mr Blair, very sensibly If> appeared to me) "could the deceased have moved or bled much after the wound in the temple ? The four shots would be accounted for by the two in the frame of the door, and the two in the deceased man's head. Mr Blair felt certain that thore was a bullet wound in the back of the skull as well as one in the temple, And that he had bled much from that one.

Waiting for tbe lona. The Crown Prosecutor, having finished bis inquiries at the house, and Mr Weetman having finished his survey of the building and its surroundings, oar party proceeded to Sandy Bay, and night rapidly set in, We had been hoping

that the steamer Would return for us somewhere about 8 or 9 o'clock, and, we lit fires on the beach, and settled down to wait as patiently as 'the dullness' of the situation would permit to await her arrival.' Hour after hour passed, and there was no, fign of the lona. Detective Tuohy was most energetic in his endeavours to keep our party aroused as well as warm, atid he kept up a brilliant illumination by the burning of flax, buehes, etc. it was a sight well worth going a long distance to see. The Crown Prosecutor, too, kept bimeelf busily engaged in a similar interesting occupation, and in this way the night gradually passed away At last, at 230 this morning, the welcome sound of the lona's whistle was heard, and shortly afterwards we were all on board, taking with us Lincoln Taylor, one of the witnesses.

Cause of the Delay. We found on board the steamer the other three witnesses viz, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Seymour and Miss Janie Taylor. Captain Amodeo informed us that the reason of the delay was that he had been right round the island, so that he was now ready to go straight back to Auckland. He reached Harytonga at 6.30 last night, and the wit nesses, having been waiting for the steamer there, were soon taken on board. The lona started on the return trip shortly after 3 o'clock, and she was not well underweigh before we, who had been almost famished during our ten hours' " perieh " on the beach, adjourned to seek " the seclusion that a cabin grants," and to discuss an impromptu meal provided by the obliging steward, Mr Neighbour.

Mrs Seymour Interviewed. During the voyage Ihe following conversation took place between Mrs Seymour and myself. I ventured upon the rather delicate enquiry as to what was the course of her courtship with Caffrey, and Mrs Seymour answered that she would rather not speak of it. 1 aekeU : How and when did you become acquainted with Caffiey ? Mrs Seymour : Aboat three years ago, through his visiting the island for firewood. Mr Taylor used to sell tirowood. What sort of a man was Caffrey ? Very kind to everybody, but passionate. How did you get on with him ? Very well. Did you ever come up to Auckland to got married to him ? N© ; the statement to that effect made in the papers is not true. I never came up to Auckland to be married to him. I was engaged to Caffrey for eighteen months, that was long before he was imprisoned for assaulting a constable. Tha statements made by Caffrey and Perm as published in the papers are not true so far as 1 know. Further conversations ot a general character brought the interview to a close. The lona arrived alongside of the Queen-etreet wharf at 9 o'clock this morning, and all the passengers were landed, thns concluding a very pleasant voyage and gratifying the curiosity of a large crowd which had assembled on the wharf to get a glimpse of the witnesses in this famous case