HORRIBLE MURDER.

Wellington Independent, Volume III, Issue 219, 17 November 1847, Page 3

HORRIBLE MURDER.

[From the Southern Cross, October 30.]

On Saturday morning last, the inhabi tants of Auckland were greatly excited by the report ot a murder having being committed on the North Shore, attended with oircumstances of the most shocking and revolting character. Lieutenant Snow, his wife, and daughter, residing for some considerable period in a ranpo house, near the powder magazine. They were very generally known and respected, and wh&'i it was rumoured that their premises were destroyed by fire, a general feeling of sympathy pervaded the community. It not, however, until after the discovery of the bodies, that the suspicions of the public were aroused. H rror and dismay fiiUd every heart, when intelligence was authentically promulgated, that Lieutenant Snow and his family had been barbarously murdered. It appears that sh )rt ! y after midnight, on Friday, 22nd instant, the watch on deck of H..\l. S. Dido, were attracted by a fire in the direction of Lieut. Snov's house. On the circumstance being reported to the Captain, he directed a boat's crew to proceed on shore to render assistance,and so intent were those who proceeded to execute those orders upon the sub* ject in view, and so utterly unsuspiciou of any thing like foul play, that the depar tore of two canoes from a bay in the immediate vicinity was unn>ticel. It it evident that the officers and boat's crew displayed a praiseworthy vigilance,, artethat no blame can possibly be attached t) them for allowing the canoes to depart, because ihe idea ot any thing beyond an accidental fire would not have occurred t) their minds, and the bay, being much fre quented by tlie natives as a fishing ground, canoes arriving and departing at all hour, of the day and nighi, the departure o v ' those seen on this occa-ion was not Hkel; to attract special attention. The details o c this dreadful affair will be found in tht report of the proceedings at the Coroner's Inquest, we are therefore spared the necessity of narrating the particulars. On Monday the 25th instant, the bodies having been brought Irom ihe North Shore to the" town, an Inquest was held at the Caledonian Ho.el, Fort-street. The room was filled with military and naval officers, several rnemb.-rs of Government, and rej speotable civilians, and unusual interest as to the result of the investigation was

evinced

At 11 o'clock the Coroner, Dr. Johnson took his seat, and the following gentlemen were sworn as Jurors :—Dr. Campbe I, Messrs. Mitchell, Hadlow, Forsaith. Hughes, Hart, Hayes, Mears, A<dier, Dutt Keesino-, John Williamson, and Jas. Williamson. Dr. Campbell was chosen F.reman. The Jury having viewed the body of Lieut. Snow, witnesses were called, wJio cave evidence as follows .— ° Thomas Duder being sworn, stales, I.am the siirnal man at the signal station on Mount Victoria. live nea? the housS of Lieut. Snow, lately burnt. identify the body before tbe Court as that o Lieu -Snow. I last saw him walking m his garde, on .1 afternoon of Friday the 22nd instant I d,. not ace him alive again, but \ saw his, and two

other bodies taken out of the fire. I saw neither Natives nor Europeans nerr tlie houae that evening. He told me about eighteen months since, that he had had a quarrel with some ot the Oraki nativei, who said they would burn his house.

Benjamin Baker being; sworn, states, I am a quartermaster on board H.M. Frigate Dnri. I was on the middle watch on the morning of the 23rd instant. About I o'clock I observed a light like that of a candle or lantern in the direction of Lieut. Snow's house. About three minutes afterwards the centinel at the gangway said thure was a fire on shore. I mentioned the circumstance to the officer of the watch, who directed a boat to be lowered immediately, which weat ashore. Before the boat reached the shore, however, I saw two canoes push out of the bay to the eastward of the burning house, they sep=irated at the mouth of tha bay, one kept his way down the river, close to the north head, which I think it rounded, and the other pulled straight across. I could not distinguish the num. ber of people in them. It was bright moonlight at the time. I saw with my glass distinctly that they were canoes, they were not more than a quarter of a mile distant. I saw a schooner at the time working up towards the towu, the canoes did not approach her, n»r did any boat leave her, and I saw her nearly reach the town. I heard neither voices, nor the barking of dogs previous to my seeing the light on shore. Frederick William Gough being sworn, states :— lam a Lieutenant on board H. M. Frigate Dido, lying in the harbour of Auckland. I was in the middle watch on the morning of the 23rd instant. The midshipman of the watch reported to me between 1 and 2 o'clock, that a house was on fire. I immediately got on the gangway ladder, and observing the direction, knew it to be Mr. Snow's. I then went down to the Captain and reported the circumstance, he ordered me to take the cutter, and to do everything in my power to extinguish the flrmes. I left the ship with all possible speed, and on landing, went up to the housa with the men. I found the house burnt down and no person there. On which I s;ave directions for the water to be brought up from the beach, and for the men to assist in extinguishing the fLmes. I then with Mr. Peacock and two men went to the farm house inhabited by Mr. Oliver. I rapped at the door and asked if Mr. Snow was there, the answer was this is not Mr, Snow's house. 1 replied, lam aware of it, but don't you know that his house is burnt down ? He expressed his astonishment, and immediately came out dressed. I then ordered Mr. Peacock to proceed to the signal post, and ascertain if Mr. Snow was there, and return immediately. I then proceed-d to the fire, and about five minutes after being there, the signal man and Mr. Oiiver came there with Mr. Peacock, who reported that Mr. Snow was not to found any where; I then asked Mr. Oliver in what part of the building they slept, and on being pointed out, we commenced extinguishing the flames at that part by water from the beach, and with the assistance of a shovel found on the premises, first discovered the body of a male, then that of a child, and afterwards that of a female ; they w:re about a yard and a half distant from each other, with the remains of blankets over them, and part of a pillow beneath the head of the female, of which the feathers were untouched. The different layers of ashes and other substances above the bodies were taken ofi carefully. I urn. qniia—<uuU» \Aia\ -vUo ibovel was never driven down with force near the bodies. I observed in addition to the bodies being much burnt, that the thigh of the male was broken; and one of the legs of the female wanting ; and I had them laid out near the fire, in charge of a midshipman and two men. I did not see any canoes leave the shore, but saw two canoes at anchor in the bay, both on landing and returning to the ship. These canoej were subsequently brought on board, with their crews, consisting of men, women, and children. Not more than 20 minutes elapsed from the alarm being given, to my landing.

Henry Peasock being sworn, states:—l am a Naval Cadet on board H. M. Frigate Dioo. I was in tha middle watch in the night of the 23rd inst., and accompanied Mr. Gough on shore to the fire. Mr. Snow, he had a fowling-piece in his house. He told me that the Natives had threatened to burn his house down, because he would not permit them to light a fire near the Magazine. He elso toid me that they came to burn his house, but that he turned them out with a bayonet fixed on a stick, end showed them his gun. I drew a charge of swan 6hot from the gun soma days since, and got it cleaned on board tbe Dido, where I retained it until yesterday.

William Oliver being sworn, states :—I reside on tbe North shore, about a quarter of a mile from the late Mr. Saow's home. I s*w the deceased on the beach on the 23rd instant. I did not see him since until I saw his body taken from the ruins of the houfe, to which I went whea awakened by Mr. Gough. I saw no natives about the place that day. He told me once that he had a quurel with the Natives some months back. On the night in question, retired to bed at nine o'clock, and awoke a short time before Mr. Gough came, but did not hear any noise, nor barking of a dog. I could hear a dog barking at the house on a still night, and could hear loud voices. William Warburton: —I am Clerk on board H.M. Frigate Dmo. I knew the deceased Mr. Snow, he °told me that he had a quarrel with the Natives, who insulted him, and he kicked them out of his garden. On the night of the fire, I accompanied Mr. Gough on shore, and from near the burning home saw a canoe, with two or three people iv it, moving about in front of the bay to the east of the house, and I remarked that it was strange that they had not curiosity enough to land and see the cause of the fire. George Bronbeck being sworn, states:—l am captain of the niiV.n-top of M. M. Frigate Dido. I was coxswain of ihe cutter when they went on shore the night of the fire, and a short time before we landed I saw a canoe with two people in it pull off from the shore two hundred yards to the eastward of where wa landed, and it made right across the river. I saw no other canoe leave the shore at the same time. ~ . James Harp being sworn, states:—l reside in Auckland. I knew Lieut. Snow. This day fortnight I met Mr. Snow, and in conversation with him he told me that a native had entered his house and took a loaf of bread, that he scuffl ;d with bini and kicked him out, aud that the Native, in going do*u the path fiom bis house, shook his clenched fist at him, and threatened him with retaliation or destruction.

William Binkea Fegan being sworn, stater :—I am Acting Surgeon in H.M. Frigate Dido. 1 wag requested by the Coroner on Saturday the 23rd instant to inspect three bodies lying near the late residence of Mr. Snow and family. On Saturday I went to where the bodies lay ; the male supposed to be that of Mr. Snow. On examining the head and neck, I perceived two or three incised wounds by some sharp instrument used with considerable force, the edges of the wounds in question were charred, proving that they had been given before the action of fire took effect on the body. The muscles at the back of the neck were also cut through to the bone. Under the right ear there was a punctural wound by a sharp instrument, penetrating to some depth. The head was enveloped in a rag which was not cut through, and had been adherent from coagulated blood before tho action of the fire took place. I am of opinion that the wounds described were sufficient to have caused death. There are also marks of blows and incisions or deep cut 3in the forepart of the face and chin sufficiently deep to have caused death. The abdominal muscles were also cut away by means of a sharp instrument, and apparently removed. In the left hypocondrial region there was the mark of a punctured wound, probably a spear wound. There were also two punctured wounds below the left shoulder blade.—-I came on deck when the alarm of fire was given, and being a short time on decif, a canoe or boat shot out from the bay, and weut across the harbour in a southerly direction.

John Clifford being sworn, states:—l sm Staff Assistant Surgeon to the troops stationed at Auckland. I was directed by the Coroner to examine the body of Mr. Snow ; which I did this morning. I observed an incised wound on the back pait of the head, around which there was coagulated blood, and below which the scull wis fractured to the ex. tent of a crown piece, the aperture communicating with the brain. lam of opinion that tbe wound just described, with several other, punctured and incised wouads about the head, neck, and body, were sufficient to have caused immediate death.

R. H. Wynyard, Lieut.-Colonel, being gworn, states:—l am in command of the 58th Regiment stationed in Auckland. I went yesterday to the scene of the late fire, and on proceeding into the garden, I found some clothes, which on examination proved to be the under clothes of c female, and a pair of stockings marked H. S., one completely saturated with blood, and untouched by the fire, and in an out-house, part of a child's dres3, like part of a pair of trowsers, spotted with blood, and unburnt. I rolled up the clothes and broHght them here. They are now produced before the Court. Tamati Weoro being sworn, states :—I and my companions arrived at night in the bay near the North Head, on the 22nd instant. My companions went on shore to sleep ; I and another tetnained in the canoes. I saw no canoes come into the bay that night, nor any canoes leave the bay, but I heard the voice of Europeans when the boats arrived.

John Rogers being sworn, states :—I am gunner on board H. M. Frigate Dido. I was roused by the alarm of fire on shore, and I went in the boat that left the ship to the shore. The canoes that were taken to the ship, lay to the westward of the magazine. Ido aot think that these canoes could have seen any canoes lying in the bay to the eastward. The Coroner and Jury then proceeded toViCn Ac too\Yic= -o(— U_»-£»<— j_t— _—J -tU.» child, and having returned to the Inquest room, Thomas Duder was recalled, and being sworn, gave evidence as follows: —

I have seen the body of a female now before the Court. I recognise it to be the body of Hannah Snow, wife of Lieut. Soow. lean identify the body by the hair and general appearance.

John Clifford being recalled and sworn, deposed ; —I was directed by the Coroner to examine the body of a female found dead amid the burnt remains of a house on the North Shore, I found the body much burnt, and a large wound, extending from behind the ear to the angle of the mouth, which had fractured a portion of the shuli, and the jaw, and severed the arteries. There was also a punctured wound under the chin, and the abdomen was perforated so as to expose.the viscera. lam of opinion that these wounds must have been given prior to the action of the fire, and they are ef a depth and extent sufficient to have caused instantaneous death.

Thomas Duder re-examined, stateß: —I believe the body of the child now before the Court, to be that of the daughter of Lieutenant Snow. I judge so from the spot where it was found, and from its size. The name of deceased was Mary Suow.

John Clifford re-examined, states: —I was directed by the Coroner to examine the body of s child this motniog. I found the body much charred, and several wounds inflicted about the legs and extremities; On examining the skull, I found a fractute of the back paat of the head, and small quan» tities of Ihe brain protruding at the angles. lam of opinion that the wound just described, was sufficient to have caused death.

This closed the proceedings, and the Jury with? out retiring, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder " against some person, or persons unknown.

The Funeral. —On Tuesday afternoon, the remains of the unfortunate victims were committed to the tomb. These last sad rites were, we believe, performed under the auspices and authori'y of the officers of the Dido. The mournful pr-cession left the Caledonian Hotel phorily before 5 o'clock, p.m. A great many Naval and Military Officers, tho Coroner, most of the Jurors, and a number of the most respectable civilians formed a long train of mourners, and added much to the imposing solemnity of a spectacle the like of which has never been seen in Auckland, One member of this unfortunate familystill survives. A day or two before the awful occurrence took place. Lieutenant Snow and his wife had placed, one of their daughters at school; she was thus spared ihe untimely fate of her parents and sister. We hear that Captain Maxwell of the Dido has taken the orphan under his protection, and charged himself with her education, and future wants.

"Reform Hoarding House.—The following singular advertisement appeared in a Scotch paper last week :—" Abstinence. —A gentleman addicted to intemperance vvillbe received ss a boarder, in a geme-cl family, in ihe country, where efroris, su«* cessful in the reformation of others, will be used for his. Address," &c. — Atlas May 8. Mehemet Alt.—A formal invitation has been sont by the Queen to Mehemet Ali, who is said to intend paying a visit to Ungland next year, if the* state of his health and affairs will allow him to leave £#ypt.—Leeds Mercury. t New Idea of a Great Man.—All things are great or small by comparison. The following aneedo-e, besides having the merit of being true, affords a now standard of greatness. A sheep-farmer in the Highlands, remarkable for the amount of his stock and sales, while boasting one night, over his cups, of his doing at Fal-ki.-k, and the vast number of his flocks, was interrupted by one of his companions with the remark, " Why, you are making yourself as groat a man as the Duke of Wellington." » The Duke of Wellington!" replied the other, with a look of astonishment not untinctured with pity. " It was easy for the Duke of Wellington to put down his men at Waterloo,someraen here and some there, up and down the fields; but let him try to put down ten thousand sheep, forbye black cattle, at Falkirk Tryst, and it's my opinion he'll make a very confused business of it."—Sterling Journal. Ice Cream by Steam.—A Mr. Lillibridgo, of New York city, has discovered a new method of making ice cream by steam, A Marvellous Story. — Galignani's Messenger gives the following account of the marvellous adventures which have befallen M. Monet, who is at present attached to the staff of Ma.shal Soult :— " In the first war in Spain M; Monet, and a detachment which he commanded, fell into the hands of a guerilla parly, who, after robbing them, placed them in ranks and shot them. By good luck M. Monet was not touched, but he laid among his men as if dead until the guerilla party went away, when he escaped. A little while after he fell into tha hands of another guerilla party, which completely stripped and then hung him to a tree, a. few - seconds after a detachment of French cavalry arrived, and cut him down. A third time he was captured by the same band which had, as it was believed, caused him to be shot. Having recognised him, the band first stripped him then tied his feet and his hands close together, the latter behind his back, and threw him into a deep and rapid river. On rising from the bottom, to which he had been precipitated, thecommandant was almost stunned, but seeing that the men watched him as if to make sure that he was dead, he preserved the immobility of a corpse, and allowed himself to float down the stream. After floating some distance he tried to untie the cords which bound him, hut this was a difficult matter on account of (he water having swollen them. "Being, however, possessed of great strength, he managed to break them, and soon after reached the land."

Greece.—Public Execution. The following horrible scene baa taken place at Napulia, in Grecco :—Two brigands, Demetrius and TheodosiusTryphoudoulos,' were brought out for execution in the principal square of the town. They both walked quietly to the scaffold, but when the executioner approached Demetrius to bind him 10 the fatal plank, the latter, who was a man of gigantic stature and herculean strength, burst his cords, and overthrew the < executioner and his assistants. On their endeavouring to seize him, when they regained their legs, Demetrius beat them severely, and threatened to pitch them off the scaffold among the people, and was carrying his threats into execution, when the executioner drew a long-bladed knife from under his dress, and stabbed Demetrius to the heart, who fell dead upon the platform. The executioner then decapitated the corpse. The other brother, Theodosius, on the contrary, seemed perfectly resigned to his fate, and eubmitted himself quietly into the hands of the executioner. 3n another moment he had ceased to exist.

A Woman's Revenge!— Last week a woman, at Stockport, who had had some disagreement with her husband, tied his legs together while he was asleep, and emptied a saucepan full of boiling water over his body. His is at the infirmary, m a very precarious condition.—Atlas. June 12. '

I Borneo.—Wine captives arrived here a day or two ago from Bruni, part of those who were on board the fleet of .pirates at. j t\ob?d by the Nemesis. Their depositions | hare been taken by the marine magistrate •hand vr_ shall give the substance of the j statement made by some of them. One of } them named Muda states that he is a native j of Lingin, for which he sailed about four ; months ago in a prahu, of which he was naeodab, along with seven other men, for Pulo Sahassan. They fell in with a fleet ol pirates one day's sail from Lingin, by whom they were seized. They took the men out of tha boat and shared them amongst the different prahus, tying their hands and feet, plundered the boat, and cut her adrift. They then proceeded to Sianatan,where they seized several persons at Pulo Soobie they took seven men and women : and at Pulo Tambelan they seized three or four more. During their passage they saw a large schooner with raking masts, and also sighted a brig off Sarawak. At Pulo Sahassan they were fired upon by the inhabitants, on which they thought it best to sheer off. They then debated whether they should touch at Sarawak River, b_t it was finally de* termined to proceed to Borneo Proper, as it was said a steamer was in Sarawak River. They anchored off Moara River at eight o'clock at night, and next morning seized two fishermen on the shore. Between eight and nine p.m., they descryed the steamer coming down the Bruni River, and at noon the action commenced. The prahu in which this person was confined was the first that was sunk, after ten out of the crew of thirty, had been killed and wounded: Of the captives a female and a boy were shot, the prisoners being made to sit on the deck, during the action. The pirates and their captives swam on shore, where they were attacked by the Kadyan Dvaks, who, however, on ascertaining the captives, treated them well, and took them to the Sultan at Bruni. Abont forty pirates were brought in alive, and the captives were desired by the Sultan to take their revenge and cut them up. This they declined, saying, " God is great, and will punish the wicked." The Sultan's people then tied the hands of the pirates, and about two hundred fell on them and cut them to pieces, the Sultan undertaking to despatch half the number, while the other half were handed over to Pangeran Moormein. The captives, about fifty in all, were treated with kindnes3 by the Sulfan and bis people. This man relates that while they were at Pulo Sianatan the boats were all hauled ashore to have their bottoms charged. One of the Chinese captives being sick and unable to work, they hung him up to a tree, and then all fell on him and cut him to pieces. Another person of the name of Buwang states that he is a native of Coluraboo, a small island to the southward of Lingin. About three months ago, about three o'clock in the morning, their village was attacked by pirates. He, his mother, and two sisters, made their escape in a small boat, and directed their course to Lingin, but were overtaken by the pirates and brought bask. They were put on board a prahu, their hands and feet being lied. The pirates then coasted along to the eastward, touching at several islands, such as the Tambelans, Sianatan, Soobie, Sahassan, &c. They took several people at these places, men, women and children. They several limes threatened to throw his little sister, a child often months old, overboard, because she cried, but at Buwang's entreaty they did not do so. Another of the captives says that he saw thesick Chinaman hung up and cut to pieces after a feast. There seems to have been from seven to ten captives in each of the pirate prahus, and it is probable, therefore, as only about fifty have been yet collected, that a number must be still in the jungle, or have been killed in the engagement, or afterwards by the Dayks on landing, being confounded with tha pirates. Every fresh detail we receive only adds to the horror of the picture of pirate life ; and here we find it in the pirates amusing themselves, alter a feast, by banging up and cutting a poor Chinaman to pieces. The brig Tyrone arrived here on the 12th instant, from Bruni the 20th ult. We have gathered the following news brought by her. The Sultan and his people were busily engaged in hunting down tbe pirates driven on shore by the Nemesis. They had killed tyenty-nine in the jungle in thu course of the pursuit, while eighteen who were taken alive and brought to Bruni were formally executed. From fony to fifty captives" of the pirates, from Lingm, Banca, &c, had been brought in, and will no daubt be forwarded to Singa, pore. A tonnage duty of one dolier per

ton is now* paid by vessel*, instead of duties on goods, &c. This is in pursuance of the provisions of the treaty signed by tho Snllan on the occasion of Mr. Brooke's Lite visit.