THE INVERCARGILL TRAGEDY.

Evening Star, Issue 3535, 22 June 1874, Page 3

THE INVERCARGILL TRAGEDY.

The ‘Times’ of the 17th reports r—Yesterday Mr M'Culloch attended at the hospital to take the depositions ef the dying girl, who had returned to consciousness. A Bible was held by Mr M‘Cu'lo<sh in the girl’s feeble hand, and the oath administered. Sho kissed tbe * ook, and then said, in answer to . the questions put :—I know Jack the Sailor; it was him who cut me. I think he struck me on the bead. I think it was yesterday. I don’t know what he struck me with Some time before he struck me he said he would kill me. I don’t know why he .did so; I never did anything to him. He sometimes asked me to go to the theatre with him, and I went once with him. On : the prisoner, who was present, being brought Quite close to the girl, and asked to speak. She' said,* 1 dbujt see bipi- ‘hut I know his voice. The man who is speaking strupk me,” and, voluntarily, “ I hope be will be for- , given.” Prisoner, deeply agitated. “ God bless you I Not on this earth —I don’t wish it.” On being asked if he had any questions to put to the girl, the prisoner said, “No questions. >he was always good, and never did any harm. It never would have been, only for one little thing that occurred in the house, and that no One will ever know.” Hall, the girl’s father, had an interview with Brennan in the gael yesterday, during which the prisoner asserted that there had been no difference between the girl and himself. He had tried to do her all the good he could, but she spurned him. She would net answer him when he spoke to her. He asked her for a drink, but she refused him. He would have given his own life directly aftgr he bad committed the deed, he was so mdfl b? the gitl. Whep Refused him the drink, she said. “ Np, not half a one f that was the only word she had spoken to him for a week or two. It was a cowardly act He was driven to- what he did by seeing others. There were a lot of people talking mischief. The adze with which the brutal apt was committed' was one of the descrip tion used for tussocking, and was banging in M'Carthy’s kitchen. It appears certain that two blows at least had been struck with the edge of the weapon. 1 The ‘Times’ of Saturday says:—“ Our - readers will be no less surprised than grati--fied to learn that the young girl, Mary Hall, who'was so murderously'assaulted on Mon- - day last, begins to show very encouraging reooypry. -. Op inquiring late last ght, Wei found that she wss then, and had ( been daring the day, able to see, hear, and - speak with tolerable ease and distinctness, ” And the ‘News’ observes standing the fearful injuries inflicted on the girl Mary Hall, she was alive last night and apparently recovering somewhat. She bad no convulsions for about thirty hours, could speak better, had partially regained her sight, and was better able to swallow liquid nourishment. Sensation, too, which was dormant for the first three days, had returned, and she complained of suffering acute pain.”