THE BARRIER ISLAND TRAGEDY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1287, 29 October 1886, Page 1

THE BARRIER ISLAND TRAGEDY.

i- Sydney, October 20. Caffrey, Penn, and Lizzie Graham, charged with the Great Barrier mur* der, were again brought up at the police court and remanded to Auck land. THE ARREST OP PENN. Penn, * who was implicated with Caffrey in the murder at Great Barrier Island, was arrested by Senior-con-•table M'Lelland on tho evening of the 10th within two miles of the Mao leay bar. The girl Graham was with him. Penn and the girl were lodged in the Kempsey lock up, when Penn was charged by M‘Lei land with wilful murder. He replied that the charge should be “ implication in the crime.’* At the Police Court at Kempsey, on the following day, Henry Albert Penn was brought up before Captain Davis, R. M,, and Mr C. Sutherland J.P. Despite Lis three months' adventures at sea and his five weeks traversing of the desolate coast, prisoner looked respectable. His deep *et black eyes and pleasant face stamp him as a man who is capable of better things than murder. Inspector Harrison conducted the prosecution. Senior-constable M‘Lelland, of Trial Bay, deposed to having arrested the prisoner about € o’clock ®n tho previous night, about two nilea from Maoleay Heads, on the Arakroon ride. When M'Lelland first approached him, Penn went to meet him and said that he had come from a wi*ck. M'Lelland asked what wreck. Prisoner replied the Sovereign of the Bcaa. Tbi* was • voluntary statement A female was with him, when the constable told tho prisoner that he would arrest him for the murder of Robert Taylos on tho Great Barrier Island in New Zealand. Prisoner said, “ I was there and law plicated in the merrier.* The constable asked him if he had firearms, and Penn handed to him a nickel sihi ver British bull-dog revolver loaded in ■ll chamber*. This was produced in Court. Tho girl with Pena was carrying » single-barrel fowling piece unloaded. In a swag which Penn acknowledged was his, witness found a powder flask and shot, also two bullets and some caps. Shortly after arriving at the police station at Arakroon, Senior-constable M'Lelland charged Penn that, in conjunction with John Caffrey, he did murder Robert Taylor on the Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, on June 19th last, Penn repeated that he was there, and was implicated in the murder. After a few words had passed, Penn asked if Caffrey had been arrested. Witness told him ho had, and he believed he had confessed to the murder. Witness was in plain clothes at the time, but previous to arresting Penn he told him he was a constable. The girl when arrested gave her name as Grace Graham, but afterwards said her name was Cleary. Captain Davis asked ' prisoners if they wished to put any questions, but the prisoners declined to question witness, and were remanded to Sydney. The girl is to give important evi« dence against the prisoners. Lizzie is 18 years of age, and belongs to Napier, New Zealand. She is rather goodlooking. Penn told the police that he and Lizzie had been living under a tent near Crescent Head for five ’ weeks. When tbay first touched | coast they landed near Port Stephens, and saw some men on the beach, , Caffrey then, in reply to a question, ’ said that their vessel was a fishing ■ craft. From that time till arrested Penn and Lizzie did not see a single person until Sunday fortnight, when they saw one of the Port Macquarie police riding along the beach, Caffrey’s two companions on board the cutter Sovereign of the Seas arrived in Sydney on the morning of the 14th by the Clarence and Richmond Navigation Company’s Queen of the South. Penn was leg ironed and , handcuffed. The prisoners were 1 brought down in charge of a couple of mounted constables. They were 1 conveyed at once to the Water Police lock-up, and charged before Captain 1 Fisher with the murder of Robert Taylor, and Grace Graham or Cleary as an accessory after the fact. Penn states that the girl Graham ■ had been living with him on board i the cutter for pome time prior to the murder. On the day it was committed ■ Caffrey and himself went ashore to | Taylor’s place, and he was in the door.< - way of Taylor’* house when Caffrey 1 shot Taylor. Penn acknowledges that For rent <ff Aaw* sat JW* Pop*