THE MURDER AT KAIWARRA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1915, 11 July 1889, Page 4

THE MURDER AT KAIWARRA.

Wellington, July 8.

The trial of Louis Chemis for the murder of Thomas Hawkins near Kaiwarra on May 31st, began before the Chief Justice to-day," Messrs Bell and Richmond appeared for the Crown, and Mr Bunny and Mr Devine for the prisoner. The Chamber was crowded. Large maps of the country surrounding the scene of! the crime were played on an easel for .the benefit of the jury, and on the table were photographs of the place and of pieces of paper taken from the wound in the body, also ’photo-lithographs Of the Evening Post, showing the line of fissure, for the purpose of enabling comparison. Mr Bell opened for the Crown. W. A. Sandelands gave formal evidence.

Charles Bowles, a laborer, cousin of Mrs Hawkins, and who was living with Hawkins, was next examined, and in his examination-in-chief recapitulated the evidence given at the preliminary inquiry. He! was subjected to a lengthy cross-examination at the hands of Mr Bunny. Bowles admitted that he was the first to dippoyer Hawkins’s body. Althdh^hlivihg'in Hawkins’s house with his wife (to whom he had been married ..only six weeks) he did not return -td .the ; house that night, hut slept in a lean-to attached,; in which another male servant slept: He laid he had nothing to fear, but did not care to meet Mrs Hawkins that night. That was the only excuse he could give for not returning to the house. On the night of the murder he never slept a wink all night. Next morning he went into Mrs Hawkins’s house andTif the fire. Witness knew a carpenter named; William Leeden, a German, who was present at witness’ wedding at the invitation of Hawkins. He believed Hawkins wrote a letter inviting Leedin, The latter left the house rather abruptly, so to speak, but shot aware that he had ’been ordered to do so by Hawkins,; nor was he aware that any words bad taken place between Hawkins and ; Leedin. After Hawkins was buried Leediu renewed his visits to the honse. 1 Although the wind was blowing inthe direction of Hawkins’, where witness worked, he did not hear any shot* bn thie night of the murder. Witness admitted that George Bowles, a brother of Mrs Hawkins, was on bad ternw with Hawkins. George Bowles lived at Carterton, and some time ago went bankrupt. Before his bankruptcy George Bowles brought down 200 sheep, and gave them into Hawkins’ custody, -and witness admitted that the sheep were never included in the assets. .Witpess was asked whether George Bowies* after receiving his discharge, « hal^'dei^^d|&^tfaq v return of the ihbdpi n biit: thatrflawms. refused, and said “ I intend to stick to half.” Witness said he knew nothing of the matters in dispute between Hawkins and George Bowles, and could not£; saywhat became of. the ■beep. Mr Bunny .pressed witness as ts the feeling; between Hawkins and George Bowles’ family, but the witness said he was not aware of any quarrels, and denied that he had heard Hawkins say he would “ shoot Geo. Bowles like, a .dog.” Witness found a dead hare near the body of Hawkins, but it had been d f ead three or four days. He could not say what became of it. > < i ,:,i ~ •• On re-examination witness said Mr Leedin lad left Hawkins’ /house | a fortnight after the wedding, which took place on April Bth. -it. ; July 9. In consequence' of what came out in the cross-examination of Charles Bowles yesterday, ; subpoenas were., served by the Crown on G. Bowles and Leedin. Dr Cahill was the next witness. He minutely described the wounds, in the way already published. He said he did not tell Mrs Hawkins on the evening of the murder ; that her husband was dead, ’but, merely that he . was taken tq tbaiospital... He knew himself that foul play had occurred. Mr Bunny drew witness’ attention,to tears in deceased’s trousef& below the pocket, which counsel suggested looked like the result of a struggle; Witness considered that they, ,the result of the Mflleti. first fire# sending the, contents of the waistcoat pocket flying. He reitejafod bjs opinion that no blood was likely; to, have, spur ted from the wounds on to the assassin. No'large arteries ~ and the dagger itself would aet f more or less as a plug. Erom the fact that there were more cuts in the coat than wounds in the body, he drew the inference: that the. murderer had pursued his victim, stabbing'at him, aiid that some of the blows only reached his coat and did not enter the flesh.

The dagger found at Cbemis’ house, was here measured, and found to be incherin length, T vvhich Mr. Bunny said did n® correspond with the account given by witness of the wound in the heart.

Dr Cahill said that owing to the compressibility of the flesh the wound might be actually longer'than the ingtrument. He could not say whether the Bhofr.ja\tlteTl)i6dy was'of the same size as that found in the accused’s house. The latter was of two sizes, and the former of only one, A discussion? then, took place botween counsel and witness as to the papdl found in the shot wound. Dr Caa;ii said that he had,wrapped the mass up in some folds of paper, in which it remained for some days. He then r9moved.it, and was under the

impression that he had taken the whole away until he saw Mr Tasker’s evidence in the Resident Magistrate’s Court, to the effect that pieces of paper of May 31st had been found in the mass taken from the wound, as well as.pieces of May 23rd. It then struck him that, Respite all his care, he might have left some of the wrapper adhering. Mr Bunny examined jwitness closely on this matteK finally Dr Cahill said that he : was not prepared to swear that the fragments of May 31st did not form part of the original contents of the shot wound.

William and Victor Dimock f bacon curers, two youths named Malcolm, P. G. Bolton, solicitor, Donald McCallum, J. A. Gooch, ledgerkeeper in the Bank of New Zealand, William Green, laborer, Charles Calpin, laborer, Robert McKay, storekeeper, and George Lee, carter,’ gave evidence, which was merely a repetition of that given in the lower court. None of the evidence adduced threw light on the murder. At 6 o’clock the court adjourned till next morning.