SUPPOSED MURDER AT MERCURY BAY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume I, Issue 83, 18 June 1873, Page 3

SUPPOSED MURDER AT MERCURY BAY.

We published a telegram on Saturday, from our own correspondent at Grabamstown, to tbe effect that a man ranged Daniel Bourke bad been arrested, charged with murdering one Jutnes Marts, at Mercury Bay. We have been favoured ■with tbe foliowing i >lo •mation, respecting the abeged murder, by a respectable young man wbo has recently a, rived fom tbe Bay, and is now employed in Tam-auga : —lt appears tbat on the 241 h of April last a number of buahmen met at an hotel at Wbu' ; anga. A “ spree ” followed, as a ualural sequence, dur ; Jg which the accused and Marks commenced qua»rell ; ng. Some h’gh words ensued, and Bourke was he.rd to threaten tbe life of deceased. Shortly afterwards Bourke and Marks left the hotel together, apparently upon friendly terms, but both in a state of partial iniosicat’ou. MarnS was not seen agam alive, and his body was pmked up about a fortnight afterwards at Buffallo Creek, about six miles Irom the township, with marks of violence upon ibe person. Several circumstances po’utto Bourke as having been guilty of fogl play, but ii order to allow the ends of justice to fake their legitimate course, we refrain irom publishing further particulars until a judicial enquiry has been made. Considerable excitement has been caused at Mercury Bay, wbe-c both parties were well known. It is stated tbat the prisoner is an “ old baud,” having already “pot in” ten years at Mount Eden for mauslaugther, end otherwise gained for bimaelf an unenviable notoriety.