A ROMANCE OF CRIME.

Western Star, 23 April 1920, Page 4

A ROMANCE OF CRIME.

By the death of Zara- White at the Loud Bay reformatory for Women, there is removed the last of three persons concerned in the notorious Barrier murder of 188 ft. White was taken to Long Bay on March 12, and died the same day. At the inquest the coroner found that death was due to heart failure, caused by alcoholism. She was born in New Zealand, and was a widow. On Juno 19 of that year Bobert Taylor was shot by John Caffrey,. u resident of the Great Barrier Island, 60 miles from Auckland, while Henry Albert Penn held his hands. White, who gave herself up to the police at the same time as Penn, was also taken to Auckland, where she was charged with having been an accessory after the fact. She, however, turned Queen's evidence, and by her testimony against the two men helped to send them to the gallows. —New Zealand Terror. —

Uulunu'ug to cyducy, White bourn

well known to the police. She was hardly out of gaol in the past 30 years, and had a record of nearly 200 convictions for drunkenness, riotous behaviour, andj other offences. S’.ie was known as the “ New Zealand Terror,” and had 10 aliases. Caffrey was a master mariner and Penn a draper’s assistant in Auckland. Caffrey had command of the ketch Sovereign of the Seas, which traded between the Islands and Auckland 1 . He wished to marry the daughter of Taylor, but she rejected him. He then vowed that he would murder Taylor, and induced Penn, to take a hand. Penn and White were on good terms, and she consented! to join the pair, and alfter the tragedy to accompany them to America. In talking, over the plans, Caffrey callously suggested that after he murdered Taylor the black- Hag should be hoisted on the vessel as a reminder to him that he had got rid of the man he hated, but there was no time to purchase, the material for one m Auckland, bo White, it was subsequently stated to the police, agreed to make one out of a piece of black silk dress which shei was wearing. This she did, and placed a white linen cross in one of the corners. The tragedy took place on the Great Barrier Island, where Taylor was a selector. The trio sailed in the ketch to the island, and/ Caffrey and Penn rowed ashore, White remaining <>u the boat. After the murder of Taylor the ketch, with her black flag floating in the breeze, left supposedly for America. —Warship Goes in Search. —• When the Auckland police learned of the tragedy a man-of-war was sent to search for the ketch, but could not sigfit it. Well stocked with food, but, as it turned out, nob with sufficient water, the three criminals, after being a fortnight ait sea, suffered a good deal from thirst, owing, to the supply of water running out. They were in serious straits, and at last Caffrey, who had brought with him a prize Newfoundland dog, killed the animal and poured the blood into a dish, and, they drank the contents. Rain soon fell, which was fortunate, aa there was no telling what would have occurred on board the next day. Their tanks were filled sufficiently for the rest of the journey. But the . party quarrelled a good deal, and Penn and White took it in. turns to sleep lest Caffrey should shoot and throw them overboard. White, who had Caffrey’s initials and tombstone tattoed on her left arm, took her turn at the wheel every day, and attended: to the cooking, but it was fully three months before land was sighted. —Australia Sighted.— They saw the coast of. Australia; a few miles 'from Newcastle, and thought they had reached America. Sailing south they arrived opposite Sydney Heads. Next day the Sovereign of the Seas entered the Crescent Heads, and was anchored. A camp was fixed up, and after all provisions had been removed from' the ketch it was scuttled. Caffrey and Penn quarrelled over White, then about 19 years of age. Caffrey offered to* fight a duel for her. This was agreed to, so they procured revolvers and went to the beacii to settle matters. White, however, would not be a party to the encounter, and getting a gun, she went between them and threatened to shoot Caffrey if he fired at Penn. Seemg that he was beaten, Caffrey packed up his swag and! cleared out. In the meantime the New Zealand police had acquainted the New South Wales authorities with the facts or the crime, a description of the vessel, «aid of Caffrey and his two companions. Alt the coast police stations were told to be on the lookout lor the murderers, and Sergeant May, stationed at Bellinger, conceived the idea of disguising himself as a swagman and going on tramp to try to pick them up. —Trapped By fv.vagmnn.—

The sergeant came across a man whom' he thought was Caffrey, at Deep Creek, and after having, travelled with him for some distance, he said : “ 1 am locking for a man answering your description. Ho is wanted for the murder of Richard Taylor, at the Great Barrier, near Auckland. I think you are John Caffrey. He quickly covered! Caffrey with his revolver. Handcuffs were placed on him, and he was taken to' Belling,er, 12 miles away. “If I had known you were a constable before you surprised me,” said Caffrey later on to May, “I would have shot you like a dpg.” It was subsequently stated by Caltrey that he had killed two other men in his time, and that the greatest hero in the world, to his way of thinking was Ned Kelly. Nosey Bob, well known as a hangman in New South Wales, was sent to Auckland, owing to the Near Zealand Government being unable to get a man to draw the lover at the execution, and he hanged the two murderers.