THE LAKE OHAU AFFAIR.

Evening Star, Issue 4033, 29 January 1876, Page 2

THE LAKE OHAU AFFAIR.

The case of the map Phillips is a somewhat x remarkable one. Our r aders are familiar with the circumstances under which’ he wks apprehended and regained in custody on,the suspicion" that,he «fas Cunningham, the 'supposed mur.derer of Hannah, >t Lake Obau. The eri!d<rnce of identity at first appeared to be very strong. , Twd'mCn ,in Dunecun. bn being' shown the.; phot >gr iph ,of Phillips,, declared Aiosfr tively that it Mas that of . Then, ; Cunningham, BO;Wati Pbilli|e Cunningham wm of: iauddle' < size‘'ahd! stout built; so was Phidias, Cunningham had peculiar,tattoom'rks.on lua, right- aim ; ho had I Phillips* . All th‘,B,; coupled with the, fact that. Phillip? asked; (before‘he; was informed, wha 1 ' the charge against him was) whether.“,anybqcly had been xnui,de' ed,” let the police to believe, that they had gbt . the light inan' AajJ yet, after, a 1!, ‘ itTi turned but ‘ that X7iilli|iß was not J Crmningham ’ at 'ell - because nbt Was ppative J evidence received from Christchurch to that effect, but it; bad also been discovered, that at the time whi-n the supposed mutder 'was committed in Ot-go, Philfips was actually..residenfc in the WelliUgtOn Province. Thft case shows what' strangechancs resemblances, may exist between twi»'differ : nt persons, hnd ! how positively some people will make statements which afterwards turn out to be - totally Unfounded, It alto shows how little rel ance can by placid upon a written '.escription -f features and -marks. ; the police handbills and comparing the < escription given of Cun* ningham with that of »hillips the similarity was remarkable, and yet -f the two men oould : have been placed side bysMe, their totally different general appearance would, probably have been at once manifest. As the case stands Philips has been dscharged, cleaied of all suspicio i of the murder His cases deserves sonm sympathy. Tt is,, not pleasant for a maw to bedecked up for some, three weeks under suspicion of murder,, when conscious of innocence.—* Post ’ ,