ATTEMPTED MURDER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 49, Issue 14874, 9 March 1923, Page 5

ATTEMPTED MURDER.

BLACKROCK INCIDENT.

STORY OF THE SHOOTING.

PaMra Haeata, a good-looking and intelligent young Maori, who speaks English fluently, was changed at the Malterton Police Court this morning, before Mr S. It. P. Free, S.M., with the -attempted murder of James Kennck, at Biaekrock Station, on February 4th last. Mr W. Noble appeared for the accused, and Sergeant Sweeney conduct«ed the case for the police.

STORY OF THE SHOOTING-. James Kenrick, a half-caste, said he was a shepherd and drover, residing at Biaekrock Station, near Masterton. He had known Haeata for a couple of years. He saw Haeata, on 3rd Febru,ary, on the road at,Te Ore Ore. Witness was riding along the road, and •..Haeata was driving. Haeata pulled vuj. and sang out, “Well, Jim!” and replied, ‘‘Well, Butler!” (the name by which Haeata was known). ■Witness said, “Aren't you going to shake hands!” and Haeata said, “No. I told you to get off the place, ’ ’ mean--121 cr Cameron ? s. Witness said, 1( I not interfering with you,” and Haeata replied: “You are; you passed my place c-two or three times.” Witness said, 1 vpassed by your place to go to town for . stores.” Witness asked Haeata if he had said he was going to shoot him . and Haeata said “Yes.” Witness had heard a month before that Haeata had -said he was going to shoot him. Haeata said. “I want you to get off the place; I've got no time for my wife now Haeata's wife was living at witness s place. The last thing Haeata said to witness on the road was, It s bettci "for you to stop; I’ll go away trem here.” He refused to shake hands. Haeata was not objecting to his wife living at witness's place. She hart been there just on three months. They parted on the road and witness arrived home about. 7 o'clock. He went to bed later. The inmates of his house that anight were his daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and Mrs Haeata. He intended to get up at 1.30 to take stock -to the freezing works. He left the .abuse at 2.30, driving away from the “ ble. When about a chain and a-hall . away from the stable he heard a voice singing out, “PULL UP, KENRICK!” He looked over and saw accused running by the side of the fence. Witness -would‘be about six yards from the -front gate, and Haeata was about four vards on the other side. Haeata got up and sat -on the gate. He had the gun -with him. Witness sang out, “Is that won, Butler?” and Haeata replied, “‘That’s me.” Witness said, “Are you -going to do it this time?” 1 and Haeata .replied, ‘ ‘ Yes.' ’ Witness sang ont, •<< \n right, give me time, and got .oxit of the trap. He walked away from the trap and took his coat and hat off -and hung them up. He then walked up to Haeata, who was about slix yards .away. Haeata was pointing the gun at him. Witness said, “You may as well make a good job of it while you arc at ;ifc.” Haeata took a long aim and let .lire. Witness moved a little and

GOT ONE SHOT OVER THE EYE. Ms felt the shot go past and hit the vpraibboard of the cart. Haeata ran at witness with his gun presented. Witness ran farther back. Tht horse was 4 '•..4-earing up, and when witness grasped the horses’ reins he got a second shot • in the left hip. Witness than ran backwards and Haeata ran after him. Witness than ran straight to the house. About six yards away from the back -of the trap he got a

'.SHOT IN THE RIGHT SHOULDER. After this witness made for the house. Three shots had so far been fired at him. Before he got inside an--otber shot was fired. Witness could not «-et in the front door and he went round to the kitchen. The fourth shot hit the front door. Witness was yelling lout all the time with pain. He rushed into the house and went to the : front room. Haeata was then outside ■tm the verandah. Haeata sang out to witness’s daughter in the Maori language, telling her to get out of the .house. The women all got out into the passage. Witness was standing near - the door; next to him was Lizzie, then Mary, and Mrs Haeata. Accused fired . a shot through the window. Witness - tho'rfit Mary was shot, and pushed her . ctway. He then rushed for his own gun, a double-barrelled Remington. He returned to the passage to a door leading to a bedroom. Accused was walking up and down the verandah. He had broken all the glass from the window - with his gun. While witness was stall- ■ ding in the doorway of the bedroom ' lie saw accused pass and prepare to turn. While he was turning, witness •op with his gun AND FIRED AT HIM. Accused had a gun at the time. He . did not see accused till about ten minutes later. He* then heard accused sing out, “Come on, Jim, lets shake bands and be good friends.” Witness ' thought accufeed was only coaxing linn to show himself till he had another go .-at him. Accused went round one side ,„f the house and then came back on to ■ *he verandah. He came to the window where witness had fired througr. He put his aim through the window and ■ crawled through. Witness kept aepus- < ad

COVERED WITH HIS GUN. WWess said to accused, “Are you rs.ife?” and accused replied, n Yes, I’m •quite safe.’ Witness passed his gun over to one of the girls. Accused ask--ed witness to shoot him. Accused had •no gun at this time. Witness grabbed . accused by the arm, pushed him into ‘ the passage and on tn the verandah. The : girls brought chairs and they sat down. lAeeused wanted to go away, but. they would not let him. They told him they V&ad

TELEPHONED FOR THE DOCTOR. Accused did not say why ho had tri»ig& to shoot witness and did not make ..any reference to his wife. . The coat, •shirt., singlet and cardigan jacket pro- ■ dueed was the one witness was wearing when he was shot. The blood on his . shirt and singlet was the result of the • shot wounds. The cardigan jacket was sound in the body part when he put it He could not swear how the holes new in it were caused. The damage to the matchbox produced was caused 'by striking it while it was in his sTOket,. The holes through the hank notes produced were also caused py the shot going through them in his bpoeket. ■ THE CROSS-EXAMINATION. Mr Noble: Didn’t yon know why ac■eused wanted to shoot you?—l had heard months before that ho intended *.feo shoot me, but not from him. I sup;;pose he had his reason.

What was the reason? —Because his wife was at Biaekrock. That's the whole trouble, I suppose. Isn’t it a fact that you had taken ibis man’s wife away from him? —No. Were you carrying on immoral relations with accused’s wife?—No reply. His Worship (to witness): Were you and this woman living together as man and wife prior to the shooting? —Yes. Mr Noble: D.'dn't you take his wife away?—No, he forced his wife into my hands.

*And vet you asked him to shake hands?-—Yes, we had been good friends all the time and had always shaken hands. He forced his- wife into my hands.

Did his wife force herself into your hands? —At first she did.

So a woman tempted you?—Yes. “Something like Adam!'-'' remarked counsel.

How old are you?—About forty. How obi is Mrs Haeata? —Perhaps about I don't know. Have you ever had any trouble with any other man and his wife? —Yes. Did that wife also force herself on to you?—l r es. •• You seem to be having a rough time with wives forcing themselves on to you,” drily remarked counsel. Mr Noble: When Haeata broke the window was there anyone in the room/ —Yes, we were all in the room. The lamp was burning. He did not fire. He was singing out to the girls to get out of ,the way. Accused could not see them when he fired the last shot. And before he had -time to fire any more shots you fired at him? Yes. Don’t you think he- had done enough. He was walking up and down the verandah. Whose gun wa.s it that you used.—• Cameron’s: it had been there all the three or four years I was there. THE MEDICAL EVIDENCE. Dr. J. A. Cowie said that on February 4fh he was called .at 4 a.m., and went to Biaekrock Station. There he saw accused and Kenrick. They were b'oth sitting on the verandah in iront of the house. Witness asked Kenrick if he was hurt, and he said he was shot. Haeata. was bleeding from the. arm. Witness put a temporary dressing on Haeata’s arm and had both men conveyed to the hospital. He made a further examination of Kenrick, and found he was wounded in the right shoulder and the left buttock. About 50 pellets had entered in the region of the right shoulder and about 25 pellets had entered the Iqft buttock, many of the pellets not being very deep in. The pellets were removed. Haeata s left forearm was shattered below the elbow joint. Witness removed wads and numerous pellets of shots from the wound. Haeata would have a permanent defect in the. arm as a result of the wounds. Mr Noble: From the way the shot, had entered Haeata’s arm, would you say that the shot fired by Kenrick was at his heart?—lt would ah depend upon the way the man had his arm. at the time he was wounded —in front of him or toward-: the side. But the shot fired at Haeata by Kenrick would be consistent with, a shot fired at a man’s heart? —I c-ouldn’t say -what his intentions were.

LIZZIE KENRICK’S TESTIMONY. Elizabeth Kenrick, daughter of Janies Kenrick, said that she and her sister Mary were spending a holiday at her father’s residence on Cameron’s place in February last. Her father, sister, Mrs Haeata and herself all slept in the dining room. Witness did not hear her father get up. She was awakened by her father rushing into the house. He went to one of the bedrooms to get his ban- of cartridges. Witness did not remember whether he brought his gun lout from there. He was loading his gun, when she heard Haeata calling out, “Lizzie, keep out of the way. Go outside with your sister.” Her father was standing at the door. Haeata had a gun. They all went into the passage. Haeata fired a shot through the front door. They then went into the dining room. Her father went back to the bedroom and fired his gun through the window that Haeata had bioken. All was qui§t for about a quarter of an hour, when Haeata called out, “Como on, Jim, let's shake hands.’ Her father did not reply. Haeata then opened the window and came through. Her father met him at the ,bedroom door. Haeata put his arms round her father and asked her father to shoot him. Her father said, “Are you safe?” and then forced him out on to the verandah. They brought out chairs and the men sat there until the police arrived. Haeata’s loaded gun was found in front of the verandah. _ She opened the gun and gave the cartridges to Mrs Haeata. She saw the cartridges handed to Oonstable Phillips. Witness knew no reason why Haeata should attempt to shoot her father. Mr Noble: When you came from Levin to your father’s -house, -who was there? —My father and Mrs Haeata. They did not change their room -when vou arrived? —No. Now, do you see any reason why Haeata should "want to shoot your father ? —I donjt know; it is their business; not mine. A SISTER CORROBORATES. Mary Kenrick corroborated the evidence of her sister Lizzie. After the shooting witness found three empty cartridges on the road, which she gave to the police next day. WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVED. Constable Devine said that, on Februarv 4th, in company with Constables Cullotty and Phillips and Sergeant Sweeney, lie went to Kenrick’s house on Cameron’s Biaekrock Station about 4 a.m. They found Kenrick and the accused seated on chairs ion the verandah. The accused had his right arm around Kenrick’® neck, and Kenrick w r as holding on to his hand. Accused was covered in blood, and had a wound between the wrist ahd the elbow. Accused said, “I done the deed.” Witness assisted Dr. Cowie to attend to the wound. While at the house he picked up an empty cartridge shell just off the verandah, near the front door. Witness also found another empty cartridge inside the house —a different brand to the one from outside. He was handed Kenrick’s gun by one of the women. Later ho assisted accused to a motor car, about 50 yards from the house. On the way accused said, “I walked out here from Lansdowne last night. I came out here with the intention of killing Kenrick.j He has got any wife living with him and she won’t come back to me. I met Kenrick jon the road the other day and I told him that if he would not go away from this district, away from me, I would shoot, him. Kenrick told me that he would mot go.” He said he had arrived there about 3 a.m., and waited down from the house and met Kenrick coming out with the gig. He said lie called out to Kenrick to stop, and Kenrick got out of the gig. He then fired a shot at Kenrick, who ran back towards the house, and lie fired several shots at him. At. the house Kenrick got a gun, shot at the accused, and wounded him in the arm, Witness accompanied accused to the hospital, where he assisted to undress the men. The clothing produced was taken from Kenrick.

Witness found three live cartridges in Kenrick’is trouser pocket. In the hip pocket of accused’s trousers he found nine live cartridges—a different brand from Kenrick’s. He also found a£s note and three £1 notes in Kenrick’s pocket. The shot produced was found among the note 3. Witness was left in charge iof the accused and Kenrick at the hospital, where accused frankly discussed the affair with him. Wit ness asked accused if he could take it down in writing, and he agreed to this. In the statement Haeata said that in October last his wife left him to go and live with Kenrick. He appealed to hia wife several times to come back to him, but she would not do so. She said she had nlo- time for him, and loved Jim Kenrick better. Accused detailed what happened up till the night of tho shooting, when he said that he went to Biaekrock with tho intention of killing his wife and Kenrick. Tho case is proceeding this afternoon.