Murder By a Lunatic.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 11356, 18 January 1889, Page 2

Murder By a Lunatic.

The mystery surrounding the murder of Warder Archibald Hunter at tho Yarra" .* Bead asylum has assumed another phase, Joseph Howard, one of the patients who : \ has all along been suspaoted of the murder, and who has been kept in tho refractory ward ever since, has made tha following confession: — "Well,- what I did in here. I waß accused of a moit . abominable orime, of whioh I was entirely innocent. Every night when I would get into my bed five or six of them used to sit , [ down in the cottage and talk of the orime ' whioh I was oharged with, saying that the' - b — ~— wretch ought to have been haDged and burnt, and they carried on in this way every night and never missed a night. It preyed on my mind so that I was almost in a state of madness, and I heard that there was a oouneil of dootors assembled in the asylum, and that there were two or three witnesses amongst the attendants who swore or stated that I was guilty of X the offence. I myself heard Mr Cassidy ■ tell another warder tbat there waa'evideoee whioh would bang me, lam guilty of this capital orime — the murder; I, however, solemnly swear before God Almighty that. I am innocent of the diabolical orime, first „ mentioned. I killed the warder, and I solemnly declare that no one had anything to do with it but myaelf. 1 do not -wish ■ to say any more just' now, but might, at Borne future time." What the abominable offence is to which Howard refers in his ' confession none of the polios authorities " ■ oan tell, and all the warders deny having . mentioned anything abouthim. He is, how- . ever, known to have been an old Taamaniaa convict, and it is supposed that while in that colony he was aconsed, whether, rightly or wrongly, of tha offence he alluded to, which must have been of oon- . siderable gravity, as tha accusation hsa weighed upon bis mindjaver since.