THE POVERTY BAY TRAGEDY

Evening Star, Issue 2937, 18 July 1872, Page 2

THE POVERTY BAY TRAGEDY

The telegraph recently conveyed information of a brutal assault having been committed on the persons of a Mrs Hardy and her domestic by a man named Shaker. T^ e Hatch's Bay Herald gives the following particulars of the affair : Mr Hardy was away In Napier. Mrs* Hardy, her two children, who slept with her, and the servant, Ma*y Ann Manchester,

were alone in the house, which is some distance away from any other. On i'riday, the 21st ultimo, at about I a in., flic servant was woke v.p by hearing he children crying, and btfore She had time to gut up to find out the reason, she saw a man niter her room, and as he passed the window (it being full racou at the time, and the moon shining in at the window), she saw that it was a man named William Shnker. He came up to her bed, seized her by the throat, and attempted to commit a criminal assault. The girl stoutly resisted. Failing in that, he stooped and picked up from the door a weapon which he had brought in with him, and commenced beating her on the head; but, owing to her struggles, the blows did not have such full effect as they were meant to have. The last blow, which she received on the upper part of the lo't arm, knocked her on to the lloor. He, being alarmed at her cries, ran out through the back door, across the garden to a gate which ope :s to the front of the house, put on his boots, mounted his horse, which was tied to the fence, and from'thence galloped home. It having rained all the previous day and evening, his tracks and proceedings were as plain as if marked on a map. The girl did not totally lose her senses ; and as soon as he was gone she got up, and, proceeding to her mistress’ room, found her to all appearance dead, and, as the girl thought, with her head battered in. bbe then ran just as she avas, in her nightdress and bare feet, to Constable O’Donoghuc, woke him up, and, as weT as she was able, informed him of what had occurred, He ca'lcd up the constables in tiic blockhouse, and then wont to Mrs Hardy’s. He found her lying on her back, with a child tightly clasped in each arm. She was breathing heavily, and her skull apparently fractured. The constable then woke up Mr Skipworth, the nearest neighbor, and asked him to go and do what he could for Mrs Hardy, He then called Mr Stubbs, who went and dressed the servant’s wounds. He found three severe wounds on the scalp, a bad contusion of the left hand (since found broken), and a severe bruise on the upper part of the left arm. She had apparently lost a deal of blood, her hair and nightdress being saturated. Dr Nesbitt had been sent for, but was unfortunately in the country, and could not arrive under three hours. Mr Stubbs then proceeded to Mrs Hardy’s, where ho found Mr Skipworth and Mrs Taylor attending on the sufferer. She had three extensive wounds on the top of the head, varying from an inch and a half to throe inches long, one on the right temple, one over the left eye, and numerous contusions on the neck and shoulders. The skull was not fractured, but she was suffering from partial concussion of the brain. The bleeding being ttopped, there was* nothing left to do but to wait patiently until the doctor arrived, which was not until nearly eight hours after the occurrence, the delay being caused by the ferryman, Fred. Goldsmith, who refused to put the messenger across the river. The prisoner was brought up for examination on Friday, and remanded until to-day (Monday), when the principal witness, Mary Ann Manchester, would be able to appear and give evidence. On the case being heard before the Bench, Mary Ann Manchester swore positively that jt was the prisoner who entered her room and assaulted her. The weapon he used was a piece of manuka about a foot and a-balf long, which had been sawn the previous day by a laborer employed by Mr Hardy. The prisoner had evidently gone to the wood heap, and taken the weapon into the house with hiip, with the intention of committing murder, if necessa-y, to effect his object. He had obtained entrance through a window in the kitchen, which had, unfortunately, been left unfastened. The prisoner has been again remanded for a week, when it is thought Mrs Hardy will be sufficiently recovered to give evidence.