THE MURDERER CAFFREY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1409, 17 November 1886, Page 2

THE MURDERER CAFFREY.

A. skipper of a coasting craft has furnished an Auckland Star reporter with •<;mo particulars relating to Caff ey, the Barrier Island murderer. He says :■ “I shipped with Caffrey as an AB. in the Minister of Marino. We want to Frisco in her, and then worked oar passages to London, Thera I separated from 0 ff>ey and came back to AQcW an< L Caffrey worked his passage from London to Calcutta, and from there to France, In France ho joined a circus—one of the biggest shows going. He was engaged as “ s»ilor.” I mean he was the general handy ram, mended the tints, and did other oJd jobs. He travelled right through France with that circus ! don’t know where he went after he left France, or what he did until he returned to Auckland." When questioned as to Oaflrey’s esrly history, the skipper said he did not know much, and proceeded as follows :—“ 1 know that Caffey was born near Oaohrmga, and that he was acquainted with the Barrier almost from infancy. When nine years of ago he w irked in a copper mine thsre, and he was there afterwards cutting firewood. 1 believe the first vessel he had charge of was the Catherine Barradale —the wreck of her is now lying in the Mechanic's Bay intake. He used to tun to VVi.lheka for firewood. C iff .'ey had also several other vessels. Ab >nt four years a>o he took the Tamaki Packet, and run between Tauranga and the Great Harrier, and cirried firewood from the T ylors’ pises. I always found Caffrey to be honest aod uptight, and a better man I hava never sailed with in all my life. How on earth he came to do what he did, the Lord alone knowp,” S me general oonvets* tion ensued, during which it was state! by the sailors’ present that a amount of money was being collected hero amongst l* e men on small craft to assist in providing the best possible defence for Caffrey.