THE RANGITIKEI MURDER.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2050, 19 April 1864, Page 3

THE RANGITIKEI MURDER.

(fbom a. correspondent.) Wanganui, April 14th. Tricker is, as you will see, committed for trial ; the Resident Magistrate could not have done otherwise, and it will be best for Tricker to have the case fully gone into at the Supreme Court, and be either convicted or acquitted. It is fortunate for him that he will be aide to account for It is whereabouts from six in the morning till one or two o'clock in the afteruoon on the day of the murder. He went from Campion's to Scott's in the morning early on some private business, arid as Scott had several letters for various parties between his place and Campion's, he asked Tricker to deliver them. Tricker called at the different houses on the road and delivered these letters. Now at the time the half-caste stated the murder was committed — at that particular time Tricker was delivering these letters, which the recipients will swear to. Now taking the evidence for the prosecution into consideration Whales' i» particular, it seems more likely that poor Rnyner was murdered the night before. That the deceased did not like the idea of living alone is evident from the fact of his ! having asked a Mr and Mrs Robinson to come and slop at his house. On (he Sunday uight previous to the murder Raynor heard . a great noise in his fowl yard, and the next morning found several of his fowls killed, tiud could not make out what had done it. It was that that led him to ask the Rubinson's to cojue and stop there, which however, they did not do. You have the half-caste's statement against the prisoner, tending to confirm which you have Messrs. Jordan and Mitchell's evidence as to hearing shots from the direction of Rayner's. On the other hanAyou have the evidence ot the recipients of the letters against the possibility of the prisoner being there at the time mentioned. You have Whale's evidence as to seeing no smoke from Royner's chimney on Friday morning and as to the cows not being milked. Mr Ray tier always shut his fowls up every night and let them out iv the morning. I have been told by a person, that the fowls were not let out that morning, for he let them out himself, for the first time after the murder, two or three days afterwards. In fact everything seems to tend to the conviction that Rayne<' was murdered at aight. If so, the half-caste's statement falls to the ground as to Tricker, On this supposition the half-caste must either be weil schooled in his evidence, or else he is relating facts truthfully as to the manner of the murder, but not a» to the murderer, or as to the time. The general impression of the Rungitikei settlers is that Tricker is not guilty. They ate from their own personal knowledge and from the evideuce, inclined to the belief that R-tyner was murdered at night and by some one who knew about his receiving a large sum of mouey, and also that if the murderer had trusted the half-caste, he must he some one who would tiust a native and know more about them than Tricker did. I have heard a report that some tobacco wrapt up in paper was found near the body, but I cannot confirm it, for had such been the case, the sort of paper might hive led to something. I believe the reason that Tricker did not bring his witnesses forward was that be knew the case would be sent to Wellington and as he would have to take them down there, he did not wish to drag them into Wauganui needlessly.