MURDER BY A CONVICT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2048, 28 January 1889, Page 3

MURDER BY A CONVICT

» A convict named Wi'liam Cody was at 10 30 a.m. on Saturday attacked by another named McManus with a heavy hammer at Bipa leland. It appears that a batch of five or six men were working on the lower part of the island breaking stoned. McManus and Cody bad a quarrel, whereupon the former struck Cody Beveral severe blows on the left side of bis bead, over tbe eyes, and towards the top of the head with a heavy hammer he was using to break stones. Cody was knocked in* sensible m an jinstant. .The officers were at once acquainted with the facts, McManus was arrested and plaped m irons, and the injured man was cent to Lyttelton* Upon his arrival at tbe gaol, Dr HtzHenry, the gaol surgeon, was sent for but the man died this afternoon, McManua has been m gaol threa months for vagrancy, having been committed from Ashburton, and would have been released on to day. At one time he was m the lunatic asylum, and is occasionally very peculiar m his behaviour. Cody was sentenced atChristchurch only on Saturday to an additional month's imprisonment for larpeny of a hand-cart, but he had been previously sentenced on several oharges of lorcepy. The pohoe report states that five pr:«onerfl named John Mptfanuß, William Cody, George Duncan, James Jones, and Robert Saverton, were employed stooe-breaking together. Moorhouse (A.C.) was the guaid, but he did not sea the assault committed. The other three prisoners gave tbe alarmPrincipal Warder Boston came up and found Cody man unconscious state, The ptber prisoners pointed out McManus to Beaton, and said that be did it. Beaton asked Mo Manna why he did it. He replied —" Because he threw stones at me " The three prisoners state that MoManm etrnok Cody with the hammer three or four times. The firßt blow Cody warded off. (Per Press Association.) Chhistohuboh, January 28. An Inquest on the body of Cody, the cpnviot killed at Bipa Island on Saturday, was held at lyttelton to-day before Mr Whltefoord. A verdfot of f? wilful murder" against John MoManus wai returned.