The Petone Tragedy.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1896, Page 2

The Petone Tragedy.

THE INQUEST. VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDKR AGAINST SOME PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN. (Per Press Association.) Wellington. Sept. 1. The inquest was resumed to-day at Petouc. The evidence in the forenoon consisted of those who were the iirst to discover the bodies. Henry John Fleet, next door neighbor of the victims, deposed to seeing the door open and a light burning in Jones' house at 9 o'clock and 11 o'clock on Thursday night, and again at 4.30 in the morning. Had ttic door been open at 8 o'clock at night Avhen he left tho house he would have noticed it. John Hounslow, undertaker ; James Rose, laborer ; John Cotton, tailor ; Constable Cruickshanks ; Benjamin Studley, manager of Lindsay's boot shop, Petone ; also gave unimportant exidrnce. Joseph Cairns said Shore accosted him and the lad McWhirter under Jones' verandah about 6.15 p.m. on Thursday. Shore lived in Beach street, and this was just at the corner. He asked if the newsboy had passed, and further, "Have any of you kids a knife?" He received a reply in the negative. After stopping the newsboy Shore went down Beach street. Shore was then apparently sober. George James Reltel, a young man employed in the blacksmiths' workshop oq the Government railways, said he passed Jones' store about 10.130 ou Thursday night, and about fifty yards from the store saw Shore looking into the yard which separated Jones' store from Atkinson's. He appeared to be trying to close the gate. Witness said " What are you doing here, Jimmy ?" He replied, Closing the gate as he did not desire to see the poor old robbed. Witness saw accused was very drunk and said " You had better come home." Accused gave the gate a pull and came on. He was staggering very much, and witness asked him where he had been that night. After going a short distance Shore said " That — , I should like to rob him, George." Witness and Shore went on towards accused's house, and witness saw him enter the gate. J. H. Collman, working on the stopbank contract with accused, said he met the latter at 8.10 on Friday morning, who remarked there must be some thing wrong in Petone as he had met a policeman and Fred Priest and added, " Perhaps somebody has cut their throat." Inspector Pender said he arrested Shore, who in reply to a question said " I know nothing about it." Shore admitted to have been drunk the previous night. The licensee of the Empire Hotel said Shore was in his hotel at 5.45 on Thurs- : day uight when sober, but between three \ or four hours later when he again came in he had evidently been drinking. Witness saw him resting up against the stable later in the evening, and accused was then in a much worse state of drink. In summing up the Coroner said one ] thing against Shore was that he had been seen outside the house of the murdered people, both before and after the time which the crime was supposed to have been committed. The knives also had some bearing on the case, and the fact that accused had expressed a desire | to rob Jones. i After deliberating a few minutes the jury brought in a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. This Day. Shore was remanded until to-morrow. No evidence was offered. Bail was accepted of two sureties tor £500 each.