BRUTAL CASE OF WIFE MURDER.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4867, 12 June 1890, Page 3

BRUTAL CASE OF WIFE MURDER.

At a recent mooting of tho Queensland Exeoutivoeit was decided ihat tho sontonco of doath passed by Mr Justice Moiu on Michael Barry for wife umrder at Rockhampton shall be carried out, the execution boing fixed for tho morning of Monday, 21st June. The crime for which Michael Barry is to" die wob corr.mittod on the morning of 28th February last, and was of a peculiarly brutal character. The doctor's examination showing thnt tho wholo surfuee of Ihe woman's body iiad been beaten to Biich an extent that the nervoua system hud broken down and bo death had reßulted. On tho night previous to tho murdor boing committed Barry was drunk and had to bo taken by his wifo and little child m a cub to their homo on tho Bange. After getting into the house ho sent his wifo for beer an 1 gave hor a shilling to pay for it. On bur coming back Barry asked for the purso. The woman replied thnt Bhe did not know whoro it was, nnd ho struck her with hia fist aud kicked tho child. Tho mother and child then went outsido and stood near tho house till five o'clock next morning, when they entered the back room and undreFsed and wont to bed. 'iho child, who waa tho principal witness at tho trial, wns awakened by hor father again asking his wife for tho purse. Sho replied that she had not got it. Barry then seemß to havo slowly killed the woman, striking hor with different pieces of wood, and then with an axe handlo, until aho expired. The murderer then went into tho kitchen, smoked a pipe, and subsequently | sent ono of tho children for a policoman, to whom ho gavo himself up. At tho trial, which to^k placo before Mr Justice Mein, on April 13, tho Crown Prosecutor, Mr P. Real, said tho only wuestion which the jury had to consider was whether thero wa3 anything which would reduce the crimo from murder to manslaughter. The jury at first could not ugreo, one man holding out ngiunst a verdict of murder, and they wero locked up for the ni»ht. Tho next morning the juror would not concur m tho verdict arrived at by the other eleven jurymen, and the foreman stated that the juror m question wiahud to make a law for himself. His Honour ngnin explained the law, end informed tho jury that it was their plum and manifest duty to find tho prisoner guilty of tho offence with which bo was charged. Tho jury ngiin retired, and ten minutes afterwards returned into court with a vvrdictof " Guilty," but with a strong recommendation to mercy, on account of the previoiiß good charnctor which he had borne and tho strong provocation which ho hud from his wife. Iho Judge then passed sentence of death.