RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Monday Sopt 38, 1854.

Taranaki Herald, Volume III, Issue 112, 20 September 1854, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Monday Sopt 38, 1854.

Before the Resident Magistrate and Messrs, Wilson, Halse, and Cooper, Justices of the Pcuce. Joseph Cassidy was charged with the wilful murder of Mary Kngors. The first witness brought for» nurd, was a child of from 10 to 11 years of age, the daughter of the murdered woman, and her statement was to the following effect.

On the morning of Thursday tho 14th Instant her mother went out to milk the cow& and then returned to iho house. While her mother was absent she saw the prisoner Cassiday secrete a knife in hii pocket. Her mother on her return bad some tea, and asked Cassiday to have some, which he refused, and she then sat down to sow. Caasidy stood behind or at the aide of her mother, and taking the knife from his pocket stabbed her. Her mother ran from the house, and ihe also ran away crying for help- She knew of no reason why Cassidy should kill her mother, but ihc thought that he was jealous of Joseph Hart, and did not liko the idea ol her mother's going down to Tataraimaka to him. There had been no previous quarreling between them. She believed that the knife produced was the one with which the prisoner killed her mother. The knife had been borrowed from Mr, Bundy to till a pig with. As she ran away

'he met Wright, Uundy, Jackson, »nd Robertson. J. Jnckson called, is a sawyer, lives close to the deccniod's house, recollected the morning of Thursday Inst, nnd was at about 11 o'clock with Bundy, Wright, and Robertson, The child — Init witness —came running towards them, she was crying, nnd he asked her what she wai crying about, but immediately saw the deceased running, followed by the prisoner ; he stooped down to pick up a piece of fencing and as he rose from that position he imr the priioner strike deceased with a knife, he mads a second blow and the blood spurted over his hand nnd wrist. Wo approached the prisoner, «nd Ro« bertion called to him to drop the knife, ; he did not seem to heed his call. 1 told him to throw tha knife away and he let it fall immediately. Robertson picked the knife up. As we came up to him I called out to those near to take him in charge, and went to Mrs Rogers, she had raised hersolt from lha ground, und had staggered bnck to the house and was leaning on the bed. Did not clearly recollect what he taid to her, it was something as to whereshe felt pain ; her reply was he has killed, or mur* dercd me; is not sure which word she used, it Ratone or other, He afterwards saw tho prisoner in the care of several pcrsoni, he uas quite cool and collected. B'licvei tho prisoner boarded with Mrs Uogorn, nnd that ho had bcon living in the family for some years. Does not know anything more aa he came on immediately to town to give information to the Magistrate. John Wright called,— m with the last witness and heard the child screaming, and looking in ths direction of Mrs Rogers's house saw Caisidy slab, bing Mrs Rogers. Called out, Ob;i my God he is stabbing the woman. Robertson and Jackson ran past and ho called upon some natives to assist ia keeping the prisonor. He na»de no resistance, is sure that he was then quito sober— he was a quiet man whether drinking or sober. Does not believe that they cohabited. Nothing that bo knew of the prisonor induced him to consider him as of unsound mind. Dr. Kingdon hart examined the wounds— thcro were teveral wounds, some merely skin. wound*, but there were two in tho chest in the region of the heart which he hnd no doubt had occasioned death. The woman was alive when he saw her, but com« plained of great pain in the stomach; he believed it was occasioned by internal hemornge and that the heart had been injured, had no doubt that tha wounds were the cause of her death. Tho following was the deposition of tho dying [Yomaii.— This morning I was taking tea and asked Joe to take a cup— he said he did not like to take tea From me— ho made out I was a witch. I told him be had better get it some where else, I wa» siti ng at the chimney with the children talking to ;hem— bn came up and said he would murder me. I thought he was joking. I turned round and saw ie had a knife in his hand. I said lord, Joe, you von't kill me— he said he would by the eternal God —he stabbed me in tho sti much. 1 ran out of lha louse and called murder, but H wa» too late, lie" vounded me several times. To a question put she replied, — " He has been n the habit of abusing me when he had tbb horors on him — laucrly ho has been better," Aaain. — " Ho wanted me to marry him, but I wouldn't have him. He was afraid of Joe Hart oarrying me." The prisoner said nothing in his defence and wbS ommittcd to Auckland for dial in the b'uprcma