Shooting With Intent.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5785, 25 November 1886, Page 4

Shooting With Intent.

• THE HA.WERA CASE. [Peb Pbbss Association.} HAWERA, Nov. 24. At the Resident Magistrate's Court today, John David M'Lean was charged with shooting with intent to murder Frederick Iredale. Prosecutor's statement was to the follow- ! ing effect : — I know prisoner. He lives on • part of my property, situated near Hawera. j There are two dwelling houses on the ■ property ; one is occupied by myself, one ; has been occupied by the prisoner. He 1 was in our employ when he first went ! into occupation of the house. He has j been out of regular employment for J a month or more, but has assisted in ■ shearing. The house he occupied is about ; half a mile away from M'Lean's. On ; Thursday, Nov. 18, 1 saw prisoner about 8 j o'clock in the morning. Prisoner came up g in an excited manner, took me by the , arm and said I had seduced his wife. I j replied that he must be mad. He then : said he would shoot me or I would shoot j him, that he would give me two days to j live. He said his wife had told him I had j done so. I then offered to go with him to • his wife, and said she must be mad. He . Baid if I went ever I would not leave the j place. lia fer red from that that he meant !he would shoot' me. He told mo that jhe had my gun loaded. He then went j away. He was very much excited. He ; had borrowed my gun five or six months | pre /iously. I saw him coming across the paddock in the evening, about 5 or 6, with 1 a gun. He was on foot and I was on horseback. He came into the paddock where I waa. I kept out in the paddock. He proceeded along tho paddock a little way, and then fired at me. I was just about turning when he fired. He wa3 about 60 yards off. I rode away, and he laid down. Then I slackened pace, and rode in the direction of hia house, with the intention of going to town. I thought I would go to the police. I did not see any more of him, and changed my mind about going to town. It was getting rather dark, and I hurtied round and went out of the paddock by the gate I had come in at, and then observed him going towards my house, still having the gun with him. As I had seen him near my house, I thought it better to keep away. I did not come back to my house at night. Witness positively denied that he had acted as prisoner alleged. ; Evidence waa also given that later j the sam.* <.*vening, he challenged the pro--1 secutor'H brother in mistake for prosecutor, ! and he told the brother he would shoot Iredale. When arrested he admitted to the police that he intended to shoot Iredale, and said that if he had seen Fred Iredale on the evening of Nov. 18, ho would have shot him and then committed suicide. He waited about Iredale's homestead till late on Nov. 18, and next day his . gnn was found loaded in one barrel with -all. The • ca*:o bad not concluded when the Telegraph Office closed. _-_- *