RANGITIKEI.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 267, 7 November 1861, Page 3

RANGITIKEI.

‘ 4 Court.-— "// 1 ratliier : 'iniportairti case has," occured here- in with the Ngatiruukawa Runangd on the south fttde" of "the '■ Karigitikei; A native named, //amitera* residing at Parawenui, a pa on the south side, owed a woman belonging to tlfeifvihg"fabtion 18s , for which; s as lie had not .pSid it, she summoned him to the Run-awya.-'v . A:s lie did not recognise the King’s authority, lie took no notice of his bailiff; again and again summoned* the expences -increasing in an alarming manner each time, till they reached the amount of £l2. Afraid that some evil might arise, out of the case, Hamuera .went to-the woman and'offered her £'2 4s in fill, but she declined.to interfere. The King nati,yes than took forcible’ possession of a cow and of a calf belonging, not to the debtor, but fo his they solA publicly by warrant -of tilts' Couift for £5 lOsb 7'he .brotlieir. ’now ajiplied* to resident rhagistrate at Wanganui' for redress, and has been told to make Oitt a statement of thevy}iipl^;ll: bh; sent to theiauthorities at i ' ; -The EiiYg natives btf tWsouth* side sent in rather an amusing letter some days ago;’ to the Resilient Magistrate at Wanganui, inviting him to re-open Iris C6ui:t at Liliangitikei, and administer justice .to the government Natives' arid Europeans ; in which case they promise to facilitate the discharge of- his duties, 1 by not'harbouring on their side of tlie river, any fugitives from justice ; understanding that lie would act in the same brotherly way in respect to the de-< cisions of tlieir : ‘ Runangd. -If is one of the best instances of nutori assurance we have heard of.

TUR A KINA. •■' ' "Resident Magistrate's Court —Au application has been made by the Ngatiapas, government natives, resident here, for tlie holding'' 1 of- a court to try their cases, and to meet their wishes, as well as for th'bf coiivenieiijce pf. Europeans in the disfviet, Who have now to go to /Tanga mi i for justice. -Major I? f).urie,w6 believe, intends holding a court here on first Friday of Deer. The. //'eather.— All the creeks are ‘flooded by the heavy rains for the last three days. We have had nothing equal to it since May last. Tlie raaqri ferryman at the Wangaehu is at his extortionate tricks again, making the flood an excuse. He

charged a happy bridgroom qn Tuesday no less than AT for crossing a spring cart. Of course the ggntleraan referred to was too much elevated above all sublunary matters to grumble; if a ten 7 pound note had beeir denranded'-mstead of a"paltry'2os.

MURDER of Ensign and Adjutant "Wm. Alexander, h/m. Goth regt, .. ; It . is opr painful duty to record an occurrence, "fortunately the first;of its kind here, which has naturally produced a deep impression on our -community, and has called .forth the ..liveliest sympathy with the unfortunate sufferers. The particulars of the case will: be found in a.more detailed form ip -tbie Before the Bench;oJ|. Magistrates:' '* Rut it. maay’' be mentioned here 'that colour-sergeant/ Collins, .the, unfortunate man who has murdered liis superior officer, was out with his company on the forenoon of Friday last, and ..when coming down the Victoria avenue in command of the ad/ vanced,guards was directed by the bugle to take tlxe'nearest road to the barracks by Maria place. Having, however, passed that road, he considered himself acting according. - to the bugle call, in marching rouiad ffiy tlie/ Jutland Hotel, and was greatly .irritated on being reprimanded in ■ the before the men by' Efisign' Alexander’ for having done so; His indignation vented itself in the assassination of his' superior officer by a /shot fired from a rifle behind his back. ;It is said-that the perpetrator of this very cowardly and disgraceful deed, acting as .pay sergeant, had been somewhat behind in pecuniary matters. To make uji his last month’s balance he borrowed money from various persons. ' This deficiency had pressed on his mind, and caused him to drink hard ; and no doubt he was greatly under thq influence of strong drink when the foul deed was committed. As will be seen from his own statement, .the desire of avenging a number of insults, which he ' conceived superior officer to have ■ offered- him, was also an ; incitement to the murder. _ When. the ,'occu.rrenee -/became known : in ■. the. town : on Friday, the consternation and sorrow were universal and deep. The deceased officer was very much.., esteemed by all classes. of the community. He had by : good conduct and great energy of body and .mind,/risen from the ranks—having enlisted when .vpiy young as a drummer boy—to the position which he held, and as he loved and had a pride in his profession, which he made his constant study, and -was only in his 39th year, he might, if an opportunity of displaying his ability in active seivjce had been afforded him, have attained a much higher rank. He was a strict disciplinarian ; and as the 65th men hkVe'lately}had- a larger amount of drill than before, which Ensign and Adjutant Alexander superintended, and as from his own intimate.knowledge of what a soldier should be he was very rigid in -'his Acquirements; it -seems that .he was latterly a little unpopular with the men. It has even been-, said that they do not . much regret this sad occurrence.' • This * report we believe to be utterly .unfounded, and are confirmed in- our belief by a letter f fromv one ,of themselves, intimating their disapproval of the deed, and their deep regret that . any of their number should have been so far misled by vindictive

.Such an. expression of condeihi nation is only ; wlmt. was ‘ to r bdT expected from British soldiers..; The t general jresjpect. v in. whiqjy the dq, ceased officer was held, was evidenced By the very large attendance, ,at; |xis. funeral on Monday, notwithstanding the great inclemency weather, and, the,cessations of allihiisiness in the town during a “gteat 'part' ‘ of the dfy-i, the strangers present at the funeral were liis IToiior the . 6f the latter of w whom wagassisted by the Rev.- Mr. Mcholls in reading the burial Service; The deceased officer has ‘ hnd two young children, Vith much sympathy is felt.; and Colonel Murray of the;6sth intßhds making a representation to the Horfo Guards, iri order that if possible the pension, which a few years’ longer service <ff her late husband would have secured dor/Mrs. Alexander,, may be obtained for-bcr.^;:.,. ~ ,; 4^. Colour-sergeant Collins is-a smart good looking man of about the age of 35. He was handecboyer forthe- civil authorities on Friday ! l^#ei , on Saturday! was brought U-p .Refpre .Petrie, Esq.R.M., arid John - <T* •' Esq., J.P.’s, of .having fe- . lonxously, of his malice aforethoughii«kille|?7and murdered one William Alexander..--The!,-prisoner appeared qdit fe“ ‘chol-kMiunconcerned. The following led j ohn Drummond saidl am .a Sergeant in'.Hfer-Majesty’s 65th. Regiment stationed at Wang&mui ; -am .orderly-room sergeant; kiib\V ! the prisoner -at the bar, Colour "Sergeant. James ' Coll;ns iii said ..liegiirient; at ■ Si* anganui;' Between the hours of 12'andT yesterday, sawthe pris-. bner "in the ordtirly-room of the Rutland, Stockade at’ -Wanganui. At said time prisoner came into said orderly-room with a loaded rikeyanU’shot therewith Ensign William Al|xahder. - I was in the room tiuidyalsbthe said Ensign Alexander f no one'eldS was in the room. , Prisoner, before fee shot Ensign. Alexander, said to him ? never jaw me again”, oi'fovords td that-'-effect; . No words took place between-the ; deceased and prisoner in' the orderly-room. The deceased did not see prisonef {enter the room. , I don’t think he heard,or saw him come in.;, .he just got up fror sitting downat the, time. Prisoner had hot been sent for; th‘- de-ceased-when shot* ran over to me, and I caught him inthc act. of falling,. and ho said, “ Oh : God;! Drummond, I’m shot! Deceased had not power to speak after, but sank down and.i.died immediately after. I did not hear any words that took place between deceased and -prisoner that day;. -The foullgt tfont fight through deceased’s lungs*! iflandr. entered the wall. Prisoner had . no qccasiou to come into the room at the time ; it is the custom always tb knock before.entering the orderly-room. It is contrary to regulations to have the pieces loadedh;o' ... • Samuel Neill;; sworn, .said: T am a sergeant in Her Majesty’s 65th. Regiment stationed ,£fo Wangaufo ---I know the prisoner at tke Jamcs Collins. Betwixt tlid. ijqhxs ef 12 and 1 yesterday, was sent fordeceased, Wm. Alexander'; ih sdi’d'Regt. ; when within •12 paces of the prderly-room, door, heard the report of ' immediately' after, heard tlie ofdff^rcom ' orderly exclaim; that deceased had been .shot ; on going., •round the ' hnjgle 6f the towards the. door, I met the "prisoner' coming " from, i&e ' orderly room door ■towards me with, a rifle in his left hand and he made use .of the words, “Don’t be 'frightened it Whs me that done it’’. j passed, on by, lum into the orderly-room, and found the- deceased officer, Ensign 'Wm. Alexander, in the, dims of'Sergeant John Di%mmo,bd ofderiy-room clerk, who was assisting" him doAvh on, liis back. I remained tlieW'diirthe doctor came, and sawyhim die. Gibson. first doctor that The prisoner’s previous conduct in the Regt. was good. It •is contrary -fo orders- to have the pieces loaded-in thp.stpclrade., ; .i. Isftac. Jackson said’: I am a private in Her Majesty’s 65th. Regt. at Wanganui; iwas on duty. at.the Rutland Stockade yesterday ; was orderly-room orderly. I saw the prisoner yesterday between the hours of 12 and jvwjtli a rifle in liis hand ; saw him copfong from the orderly-ropm with a rifle in fosfoamL;! he said, “I have done it, don’t .be-gfz’ai^’.; by I understood he had shot iEpslgn, Alexander. I heapd the report of the rifle; when prisoner ' made,use, efothesc., words, .. I ran towards him ; was afterwards sent for the doctor. Prisoner,jwas taken info custody immediately, _ • ' ■ . • Tlios. Pressnell said : I am a Lance Corporal in ff -M..’s 65th. Regt. stationed at Wangaxiißl Yesterday,' b’etAveen the 'andll'o’clock, I proceeded to my "baJrMiikk afterdismissing my school, ’ Tie was then in his buiikii;! fwqirt towards the bunk door where Kq jv-im'fotanding ; asked him -if he was going, to o out any pay ; lie said he was byaSaa bye ; told him I’d like to liaAm a ife-vi/ slliiliiigs, and he; said, “Stop till presently”. He then. closed the door of the I walked up towards the fire-place,' diid about two minutes after, I saw 'huff coiffe'out of his btmk Avith his rifle, and he proceeded towards the Square of the RqtWL Stockade ; prisoner’s rifle was not i-folns'ffi'arid when I spoke to him about his .pgy, J it. tvas standing at the left side of the door .• did not see prisoner load his rifle. ■,. About two minutes intervened from the tmfp' L saw prisoner in his buiik and wbeil L'saw hitn crossing the Square. °’banieT-Hu c gbes, Sworn', am a Sergeant in H. M.’s 65th. llegt.'stationed at-W'a’ngatiiii’.- I -Avas standing in the Barrack yard of the Rutland Stockade betweexi the hours' df 12 and 1 o clock yesterday afternoon ; heard the report of a gun in. the'direction of tlie orderly-room, and. on looking round, saw the prisoner

coining from the direction of the orderly robin followed by other 1 soldiers, among whom was the Acting Sergeant Major' of the detachment, who ordered me to take prisoner in charge. I did so anci gave prisoner over to the Sergeant of the Guard. James Saville said,; !■• Sgi a private in' H. M.’s 65th. Regt. at'Wiingaiiiii. terday : between be hours of 12 and 1 I mounted guard in Gib 'Rutland "Stockade and saw the prisoner, Colour’ Sergeant Collins, coming’.butfof liis, room.;(.’lie Avent. I -i»~±l iAif ]i r ection toAvards tlie orderly room and I a c. p-u y, of a rifle, when I alarmed the guard; was on sentry at the time opposite prisoner’s door ;! prisoner passed me from his quarters with a rifle in liis -hand’; it ' did not: attract my attention ; saiv prisoner coming back with the firelock in his. hand after I heard it go off; saAv nothing particular in his appearance. Wm. Davis said.: I am a private in H. M. £ s 65th. Regt. at Wanganui. I was. leaving the.-.Tailors’ shop between.-the hours of 12 and 1 yesterday, at the Rutland Stockade, andprisQiier, Sergeant Collins, came to me and asked me if tlie Adjutant Wm. Alexander was in the orderly room ;: told;bim I did -notkiiow. .Prisoner ,Avas not excited and had not liis rifle with him. : ■ - v f;

" Rrisoncr was at this stage of tlie proceedings remanded till Monday, on Avhich day. the cxaminatioii ’ was 'fesunied 2 before D. S. Durie Esq- R. M. and R. W. Smith, T f !.Harper; T:! Waters, ; aiid. W{ : H. Watt, Esqs. J.R.s ; the Court was' as : on tlie previous occasion crowded; The prisoner retained his coolness, but seemed somewhat more! depressed tb!ah On Saturday. Wmi Adamson deponed : 1 am a Sergeant in fll M. 57th> l.'egt. at Wanganui. I know the prisoner at the bar, James Collins. On Friday last, tlie Ist. Inst., Avas at the Garrison Cells at "the Rutland’ Stockade ; then went to No. 3 Cell where witness AA r as confined, for the purpose of handing him 0A r er to the Corporal of Police. and the Corporal of Police cautioned him against using any Avords that might be brought against him, and tlie. prisoner said that if he had the same to go over again, lie ; Avould not. stop at it. He said he was not sorry he had done tlie deed, and that he Avas ready to do it again if he had the opportunity, meaning that lie; had shot deceased and Avonld do it agaen. Prisoner also then stated, .that he enquired of the orderly-room orderly; V'hetlier deceased was in the orderly room or not, viz. before he shot deceased. - ■ Edward Denham Tomlinson' said : I am Staff Assistant Surgeon at Wanganui. 1 saAv the deceased, Wm. Alexander, previous to his being removed from the orderly, room of the Rutland Stockade ; _he was Suffering -from *a gun-shot : wound., in the chest, passing from the right to the left side. On examining him I found he was dead. He mpst haye. died in -a few se-, conds. He was dead before I arrived: I have no doubt deceased died from the effects of said Avound. I held a post mortem examination over the body of deceased on • Saturday last. There Avas a Avound in the body of deceased, which, parsed through both lungs,; and Avounded the large artery, and came' out at. the . left,-side, breaking the ninth rib on that side ; the sixth rib Avas also broken on the right side. The Resident' Magistrate then asked tlie prisoner if he liacl any thing to say in answer to’ tlie; charge, informing him that, he Avas not obliged to say any thing, and that what he did say might be given in evidence against him on his trial; Avliereupon ' fo '. ..:•... :

James Collins said : If: Mr. . Alexander , liad not done me an injury, I should have never thought of shooting him* This last 18 months he lias been trying to make me. commit myself by abusing, me ori likewise ofTparade, ’by saying I was a d—d stujiid ass, and that he’d have me reduced, or he’d knovv forAyhat p likeAvise on the first of the month in the, Barrack Square of the .Rutland Stockade, after marching out, lie said he had a d—-u good mind, to put me on the §helf, mqanirig> to_ place me under arrest; that I looked such a smart felloAv ; and, “If l ean catch you at any time, I’ll place you in that guard room, ye’ll be in- it before long, if .I.can do any thing in it; you d—d smart chap, I’ll let you off by making you inarch out the same, distance again”; “be off,’ ’says he, —“I’ll give you a chance —fo your barrack room,” meaning, a chance of not marching out ; and, “Before you are much older, you’ll not wear that jacket., That is all happened at that time. Previous to this about 20 . months, I had applied for my discharge ; that was tlie sixth time from the 3d. June 1859, which day I landed in Wauganui. I Avas acting Sergeant Major to the -detachment at the time. The application I brought myself to the orderly-room. Mr. Alexander Avas sitting at the oi’derly rooiu table at the time ; he was the only person that was in the orderly room at the time ; I laid the application on the table in front of him; he said, “You send in an application every week for your discharge ; I suppose you are going to beg the same as tlie reiriainder fo get it,” meaning my discharge. I told him at the same time, I did not know Avhat I Avas going t j do.- - He tore the application iqrand thfeAv .it at me ; he said I Avas more trouble than, I Avas .worth I made him no ariswer, saluted him, 'and'left the ordei'ly room. I got about ten paces from the • orderly-room door,-%lien he came outside, and ordered me back like a dog, saying, “Fll'learn you a ; trick before I’m done with you yet.”t T toldjfoiy 1 did not consider I’'d. committed. any brime. He said,7,‘flf . I do and I’m dffd.if tlforp Aviltxfot be one against you ; be off out of the orderly r oom, you ufoiess member of the service.” 1 I left the drdbrly room" at the time when ordered by Mr. Alexander. About 5 days after, the acting: ?.Sergqaiifi Major went to liis duty.. I was passing through the barrack square l ; Mr. Alexan-

der Avas coming into the Stockade by tlie back gate. „He called me over tp him and : ,saM> “You think yourself# W—d smert felfoAV, don’t you ? you are every thing >uf that in my,eye :”,apd from that to last Friday' he" bbiiftitrudd just the very ; sa,me. yj j cotild not-go to- parade Avithoiit being checked,; and whenever:he met me he had something to say to me. He was 'abusing me some time aftenvards in the •barrack Square: of- tlie Rutland Stockade. He said ..he saw one of the mep of .No. 2 out of the barracks that day': this ** twjeeffil i and 'tell me tlie name, : but 'said that if he wa,s:nqt-, being,drunk, lie would confine me ; and ; he said, “You may think youi’selfvery safe, that I don’t confine you now, so off you go.” That is all happened there. On the day the accident happened, we Avere after inarching out; after the abuse he gave me in the barrack square, and several times before, it enraged me to such a degree that I lost all re'collection of what I was going to do. • I went to - the orderly room,, and shot him. When I c ame to my senses after doing it, Which Avas not for some hours, I "knew I had' * committed murder, and itAvas too late to* regret, at . that time ; only for his own ty--ranny toAvards me he’d; be alive arid me at liberty ; but then lie could not expect'.. any thing else by: the he "carried oil;'-', Avhich all the men in the barracks is quite aware of. • . ’ ' ■

The prisoner was committed for trial at the next criminal Sittings of the Supreme Court to be liolden at Wellington.

A coroner’s inquest was held on- the body of the deceased on Saturday 1 afternoon. The evidence was similar to the above, and the verdict returned Avas “ wilful murder.”

■ We understand that the prisoner has been visited by the several clergymen of the place, as Avell as the Bishop of Wellington:- He has expressed regret ; but tha value pf'su6li an expression- of feeling, is not great, wheip .it is understood that he has been found guilty of several falsehoods Avithin ‘ the ‘ last " two days; • - The most charitable, construction to put on such conduct isj, that he has not yet regained liis senses.