MAFEKING'S TRAGEDY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6901, 15 September 1900, Page 4

MAFEKING'S TRAGEDY.

PARKHURST PRISON NOW HOLDS PARSLOW'S SLAYER. . Ex-Ma-jor Kenneth Murchi'son has been brought to England from tMafeking and. 1 lodged in Park^urst Prison (says an English paper). He is condemned to ipenal servitude for life, and the crime for -which ha is suffering was the murder of Ernest Parslpw, a Cape Town journalist', whom he shot in Mafetong on Nov. 1 last. Murcbfeon was a major on the reserve of the Royal Artillery," and before -tie outbreak of the wax he Te®at to the Cape hoping to see service. Jp Colonel Hore's fine regiment of irregulars— the Protectorates — he found a barth as a trooper, «pd afterwards, his identity (having "become known, he was given a commission as lieutenant ol artillery. Murchison was one of -the best gunners in South Africa. In the hottest actions he stood by his piece as erect as ,» iance. Parelow, a young man of about tthirtytihree, represented the South African " News," a notorious Bond paper, and the "Daily Chronicle." On .Nov. 1, a few hours after the^ibattle of Cannon Kopje, in which Murchison played a .prominent part with his gun, ParsloW invited the artilleryman to dine with him. at R'iesie's iHotel. The invitation was accepted, and the pair seemed /to spend ia pleasant hour. But they remained, too long at table, and it was observed that Parslow became very quarrelsome. A man wiho had never been .with soldiers before, h© accused the officer of knowing nothing about guns or trenches, upon, which subject the conversation had turned. FIIPD UNDER PROVOCATION. JMurdhison did not lose his teanper. He merely bade Parslow good night and walked out of tlje hotel. The journalist followed him out, across the market square, a/nd into his own hotel, "Wagging" «t Ijim all tihe time. IXlurchison, who kept his temper all the while, advised him repeatedly to go away. The foolish young fellow refused, and clia.llenge4 the officer to fig^ht, a.nd a few minutes afterwards those aJbcuJ; the hall <4 piron f § Hotel h&ard a shot. Parelpw- lay at the door, dead, with a .4^o Dum Dum bullet in his head. 'Mur ? ch'ison stood fibout eight paces off with his We-btley revolver in his hand. The evidence at the court-martial demonsbrated that both men had been excited hy wine, and that htid fired after much provocation. The sentence of the court-martial was " death," but when the papers were sjnt down to the High Commissioner a commutation was made to penal servitude ifor life. Murchison was kept prisoner, and' occa,sionally he was allowed to ; walk about qutside the gaol in the afternoons. To those w"ho spoke to hion he ,expre>std extrtone regret for having taken Parslow's life, and averred that he remembered nothing (about it. .When Eloff captured Colonel Hore's ifort a few days ID€ * &re . t;ne relief. 'MuTchisoii was one of the first dn the gaol to take up a rifle, and he occupied a position wEich would almost inevitably have brought Iran" deatiE if jthe Boers had advanced further from the west. At nightfall, when the enemy surrendered, he returned to his cell.' It is possible that her Majesty will issue a proclamation pardoning offenders wiho took up arms for 'her in South Africa, in which event Murchison should foe made a free man. In tihe absence of the proclamation, those who are conversant with all the details of the case fe«l that ■Murehison should receive further mitigation of his sentence, if not a pardon. • ' i