THE SUPPOSED MURDER AT AUCKLAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3570, 18 December 1882, Page 4

THE SUPPOSED MURDER AT AUCKLAND.

AtrCJEi<Airc>, December 18. The prisoner Priestley has giren three different statements as to where he passed, the night of Hamilton's death, and t* c tectives, on going to the places : iaffle( 3 5 found that the statements w^. e i ncorrect . The places were Mangare, an d fishing at Rangitotp r; innne i. Priestley stated that on his ' QJlc \ f rom Onehunga he called in at Morgan's chemist shop in KarahangahapiT Oad about noon, and there learnt of the murder. On enquiring.of those frho Were present they said that on Pri'esfcley being told that Hamilton -wa3 ctead he exclaimed, • What, Hamilton V And on being answered professed great Astonishment and concern, and then hastened away, saying that Hamilton's wife tvould be in a great state, and he must set* her. • To Mr Snedden he said he arrivßcl in town from Onehunga during the afternoon. The evidence inculpating Mrs Hamilton also consists in some part of contradictory statements. While sho alleges her husband to have been so drunk when he cam* home as to bare fallen helplessly at full length against the iron bedstead, hie is shown to have leffc the York Hotel afc midnight quite sober, and that his lodge books •were carefully placed away at home and his watch wound up and removed from his waistcoat. .Again, too, there is Mrs Hamilton's statement that her husband did not reach home till 1 and 2 a.m., when it has been ascertained that he was not long after midnight. Moreover there is the fart that tracer of blood are not discoverable outside tie house, and the very suggestive circumstance that the wall of Hamilton's bedroom, at the foot of his bed has been found to be spattered with blood, and on Dr Wnlker's arrival at the house on the morning of Hamilton's death he noticed there had been a recent attempt to wash away all traces of blood. Dr Walker wanted to see Hamilton's clothes but could not obtain them. The deceased had been tindressed to his shirfc, clean bed clothes were suppled to him, and the carpet (straw matting) clean -washed. Dr Walker says further that Mrs Hamilton was not removed from the house in an unconscious state as she alleges, but that sho went into her mother's place upon some one recommending her to do so. Great stress 19 of course kid upon the discovery of ' e ' ne blood-stained axe. Eobert (M rg Hamilton's brother) fou j fc on the morn . ing of the sad affa^/iyi n g in a plot of grass between his h' oHge an d t ] iat o f 3 B [ stev> anc i a little Ba id that she saw Mrs Hamilton carding it into her house behind a broom *<;ne next morning. It is stated by persons well acquainted with the family that Mrs Hamilton a short time ago consulted a solicitor with the object oF securing a divorce, and that at the same time she was on very intimate terms with Priestley. The reliability of the statement cannot, however, be vouched for. A more serious m-itter which is attracting public attention is the strange coincidence that on the same clay that Hamilton died an infant of the family also departed this life and was buried with his father. This becoming publicly known caused much comment, and now there are not wanting many who assert this suspicion that the child died an unnatural death, and the police are called upon to take this additional mystery in hand and unravel it to the satisfaction of all. The purchase of strychnine by the prisoner Priestley at Onehunga from Mr Gilhnan, chemist, on the 13th November, is alluded to witli significance. Mr Henderson, chemist, whose shop is situated in Queen-street, recalls a curious inoidsnt which seems to have some bearing xrpon the case under notice. He Bays : —" Vf hen I saw the report of the supposed murder in the paper I had recalled to my mind an incident which occurred about cix or seven weeke ago. A young man, answering in every particular to the description given of Priestley, came into my store and after making a few purchases asked if be could be furnished with some strychnine, as he wished to send it up to a friend of bis in the country for the purpose of killing Maori dogs whicli were a great nuisance to him. I replied that he could be supplied certainly if he brought a reliable witness. He then left, and two days after, about 7.30 p.m., he entered my shop with_ a female, who not being in my opinion a reliable witness -I declined to sell the strychnine." Mr James A. Sneddon, employed at M'Master's drapery warehouse in Queen-street, had an interview with Priestley on the morning of the burial of Hamilton beai'ing directly on the subject of the supposed murder. Snedden gives the statement as follows: —" It was on the morning of the burial when I was in the. shop that Thomas Priestley came in, and in the course of a conversation he volunteered a statement that in his opinion Hugh Hamilton had been waylaid and thrashed. He also remarked, 'You know I was out at Onebunga that night, and did not return till three o'clock next afternoon.' He then eaid, ' Hamilton must indeed have been a strong man, for all along the sides of the passage you could see blood marks where his hands had been, and it must have been outside the house where he was struck.' Priestley seemed to be under the impression that it was not within the building that Hamilton received the two cuts, and said he had made particular enquiry of them (meaning, I suppose, Mrs Hamilton and her friends) as to how the doors were left; whether open or closed." It has already been decided to exhume the bodies of both Hugh Hamilton and his child, when careful medical examination can be entered into, and several points at present enveloped in mystery may be effectually cleared up Priestley has been in the province of Auckland almost sinco childhood, having come from Hobart. His father was an Englishman and both his parents are dead. He has a brother resident on Northern Wairoa, Kaipara, and his sister, Mrs Morris, resides in Auckland. It is stated he was at one time servant to Father Paul at Onehunga. The Bey. Peter Mason states that Priestley was not a Presbyterian divinity student, but was studying with him to puss the arts examination, conditional to entering upon ministerial training.