THE PETONE MURDER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 10708, 3 September 1896, Page 2

THE PETONE MURDER.

» ■ .. SHORE ALLOWED ON BAIL. CONCLUSION OF INQUEST. [per press association.] WnLMNGTON, September 2.— Shore was remanded till to-morrow. No evidence was offered. Bail was granted in two sureties of £500 each. The inquest on the bodies of Jones's was resumed on Tuesday at Petone. The evidence in the forenoon was confined to those who were the first to discover the bodies. The other witnesses were :—: — Henry Johh Fleet, next door neighbour of the victims, deposed seeing, the door open and a light burning in Joees'ii house at 9 o'clock and again at 4.30 in the morning. Had the door been open iit 8 o'clock; at night, whan he lef the was sure to have noticed it. -. ..„ , ■ Joseph Clare said Shore was in company with him and a lad named McWhirter under Jones' verandah about 6.15 p.m. on Thursday. Shore lived in Beach-street, and this just at the comer. He asked if a newspaper boy had .passed and further, " Have any of you a knife?" and received a reply in the negative. After stopping at the news shop, Shore went down Beach-street. Shore then was apparently sober. James Rallst, a young man employed in a blacksmith's workshop (Routley's), said he passed Jones's store about 11 on Thursday night, and about fifty yards from the store saw Shore lookipg mt* the yard which separated Johns's store from Johnson's. He appeared to be trying to close the gate. Witness said, " are you doing here, Jimmy?" Ho replied that 1 he was closing the gate as he did npt .desire to see a poor old -—-' robbed. Witnets said the accused was very drunk, and he said, "You had bettor come home." Accused gave the gate a pull and came on. He was staggering very 1 mirch, And witness asktd him where he bad been' all night. After going a khorfc distance Shore 4&l&j "That — , I jihould like to rob him, George." Witness and Shore wenfc!<dn' toward accused's house and witness* taw' him into his gate J. H» Coleman, working at the stopback contract with the' accused, said he met the latter at 8.10 on Friday morning, when <he remarked thers -must ' be Something wrong in Petone as he bad mes a policeman, and- Fred -Priest,' and added. " Perhaps somobody.baa,obt their tbrodb/'' iMpector^endorsaidhe arreste^BhbVe, who in reply to a question said, '» l know nothing about it.", Shor.e admitted he bad been drunk on the previous night. ■ <• ' : ■' The licensee, of the Empire Hotel said Shore Vis in the, hotel at a quarter to:»foc on Thursday night,' when he was sober. but ; between three or four hourslttterV when !>• again came in, he had evidently been drinking. Witness saw him resting up against the stable later in the evening, and accused was thep ii* a r wuqh woree state of drink. ' " In summing up, the Coroner said one thing against Shore was that ho had been seen outside the house of the murdered people both before *nd after the time at ' which the deed was supposed' to"4ufcve been committed. The knife also had some bearing in the case, and thefict that the accused had expressed. a desire to-. rob Jones. After deliberation for a few minutes, the jury brought itfa verdict of " Wilful, murder against some person' or persons unknown." Wellington, September 3. — Shore was before the B.M. Court tp-day, when vidence was taken at le igth. The witness Bosher was subjected to oonsider&bUr cross-examination as lo bis movements before and after the murdae. At the luncheoh' adjournment, Mr Wilford asked W ■ aooused would be allpwedrpat op baih,*aying lie oonld produeeJb^i £1000 security in five mimutes, but the application was refuted. s - . .; It is said 4herear* thirty witn4t*oi; fcr the defence. > t f , <