ATTEMPT AT MURDER IN AUCKLAND.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 226, 1 March 1875, Page 3

ATTEMPT AT MURDER IN AUCKLAND.

The Herald of the 22nd gives the following account of an attempt at murder: —Four seamen, three of them natives of Russian Finland—belonging to the ship Warwick, now lying in harbor, were on shore on Saturday night. They paid visits during the evening to various public-houses in the town and partook of frequent libations of strong drink, resulting eventually in their all becoming more or less intoxicated. At about half-past 1 o’clock yesterday morning they all proceeded down the wharf for the purpose of going on board their ship. A dispute appears to have arisen amongst them, and high words ensued between two of the sailors, named OrlifE Mattisen and William Smith. When opposite Messrs Walker’s gum store the former drew his clasp knife and stabbed Smith in the face. TLe blows were repeated.four or five times, the victim receiving the blade of the knife in the lip, the right cheek, and the temple, two of the arteries being severed. The wound in the cheek was a deep gash, descending from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth. Having inflicted these injuries the assassin rejoined his other two companions, and the three proceeded down to their ship lying at the bottom of the wharf, leaving the fourth to his fate. As might be supposed, he bled profusely from such injuries, and the zigzag course that in his intoxicated state be pursued from the gum-store to the waterman’s house was plainly discernible during yesterday, by the trail of blood that the poor fellow left in bis wake. The night watchmen were unfortunately absent on a job to the north shore, otherwise the villain might have been prevented by the presence of strangers from carrying out his nefarious design. The night policeman, when duty it is to patrol that portion of the wharf leading from the toll house to the waterman’s steps, was most unaccountably absent from his post. He ultimately, however, appeared on the scene, and assisted the wounded man to the stand pipe by the waterman’s steps. Here he washed the blood from his face, and was thereby enabled to see the extent of the sufferer’s injuries. Strange to say, instead of at once seeking medical assistance he conveyed the man, at the risk of his bleeding to death, to his ship, assisted by one of the hands of the Warwick who had also opportunely come up. Having seen the wounded man into the forecastle, Captain Skinner was aroused from his sleep and apprised by the constable of the circumstances. He immediately ordered one of his men to go in search of a surgeon. Dr Hooper, of Hobson street, in obedience to the call, attended without delay and dressed the wounds in the man’s face. The cuts were not considered by him to be dangerous, but the man had suffered considerably from loss of blood. The seaman, Mattisen, who had inflicted the injuries, finding that his victim was brought on board the ship, and that he was likely to get into trouble, coolly readjusted his clothes and decamped without molestation, although what the policeofficer already alluded to was thinking about at the time when he allowed him to pass, it is inconceivable to conjecture. The wounded man, when questioned afterwards, appeared unable to give any intelligible account of the occurrence, and the other two men could throw very little light on the matter, beyond the fact that a quarrel took place between the two men, about what no one appeared to know.