ANOTHER AUCKLAND SENSATION.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2665, 21 October 1882, Page 3

ANOTHER AUCKLAND SENSATION.

[press association telegram.] AUCKLAND, October 20.

A sensational rumor of a moat remarkable nature has been in circulation throughout the city during the last week, and as most serious allegations have been contained in stories afloat, the police have at last been compelled to take measures to ascertain whether or not there is any truth in them. It wts known more than a week ago that a girl living in the neighborhood of Wellington street had made charges which, >f true, praatically amounted to one of murder against Sher father. Enquiries set on foot by the police led to several interviews between Superintendent Thomson and the Coroner, Dr. Philson, and eventually resulted in the exhumation of the body of Mrs Hedges, a woman who died hero sixteen months ago. This step was taken to-day, a warrant being issued by the Coroner in the morning, and the body was taken up lata in the afternoon by the police. It will be opened in presence of Dr. Ooldsbro. who will conduct the post mortem examination, and have the stomach forwarded to the Govern* ment Analyst for analysis. The following are the alleged which it is stated induced the police authorities to take proceedings. In August, 1879, a man named John Cobb Hedg j a left London for Auckland, accompanied by his wife, four daughters, and a son.Tbeyarrived here three months later,and went to live in a house off the lower part of Wellington street, which they still occnpy, The mother died on the 20th June, 1881, and Dr. Baynton, who was called in during her last moments, gave a certificate to the effect that death was the result of apoplexy. Amy Charlotte Hedges, the oldest daughter, who is sixteen years of age, has made a statement to tho police and to private persons to the effect that some time before they left London har father sent her out to purchase some arsenic, with which he intended to poison rats and mice. _ She procured it at the shop of Boothly, chemist, Crawford street, Edgeware road, London West. Some of it was placed on bread and left for rata. She did not see the battle containing the poison after till tho Sunday before ter mother’s death. Mrs Hedges died on Monday, June 20th, 1881. She had been ill for some time, and almost entirely confined to her bed daring two months prior to her demise. One day, previous to the Monday in question, she (the daughter) was in an exoited state of mind concerning the state of her mother’s health, and going to the bedroom window, and looking through tho room verandah, she saw her father at the bedside. He was feeding her mother, who was lying on the bed. The girl says she is positive that she saw the battle of arsenic in bis hand. The food being given consisted of egg, and when she saw this bottle she cried out to her mother, “ Mother, don’t take any of that down your throat, or you will be dead.” The girl say» she then screamed out to some neighbors who lived next door, bhs went into tho house and continued the performance of her household duties. Her father shortly afterwards osme out of the bedroom, and conversed with' the next door neighbor, who had been attracted by her cries. She, however, did not hear what they were talking about. Hext dny she went to her work at service in Karangabape road as usual, and her father also went to his work, le-ving before her. Her mother died at twenty minutes to three that afternoon. Mrs Lemon, the next door neighbor, had her attention called during the day to the bad state of Mrs Hedges, and when she went in and saw her low condition she went for lir. Baynton. Without delay he came to soothe sufferer, bnt he said he was too late to do any good, that she was dying. Death to-ik place imaiediatly afterwards, and the doctor subsequently gave a certificate of death from apoplexy. A message was sent to Hedges at the same time as when Dr. Baynton culled, bnt he did not reach the house until two hoars after death occurred. The girl did not know till night that a doctor was called in daring the illness, bnt it appears Hedges was in thelhabit of treating his wife with homoeopathic medicines, which ho kept in the house. The funeral took place on June 22nd, 1831. Hedges, who was the husband of tha_ deceased woman, is a tailor employed at Mnrchie’s. The girl strenuously assarts he is onlylhsr stepfather, bnt ho is prepared to prove otherwise. Ho was married to Mrs Hedges seventeen years ago, and the girl in question was born sixteen years ago. Amy Hedges adheres strictly to her statement, and mentions the names of persons who have told her that Hedges was only her stepfather. She also says her mother assured her on this point. In a further statement the_ girl, Amy Hedges, said her mother had told her sister, a girl of nine years, her father had given her something which hastened her death, it is only fair to Hedges to say tho police interviewed the child in the presence of the head master of the school which she attends, and that she remembered the Sunday before the death of her mother, and tho fact of her father administering the food referred to, but she did not hear her sister call, nor did she remember what her mother was alleged to have said. Amy Hedges has also made other charges of a most serious nature agaiust her father or stepfather. Doubt is expressed concerning the truth of the allegations regarding poisoning, and pending the result of the analysis the police do not consider it necessary to interfere with the liberty of Hedges. Arthur Wood, butcher. Wellington street, corroborated the girl’s story so far as hearing her talk of her mother being poisoned, on the 30th of September or 12th of October last. Hedges bears a good character from his neighbors, and so far as known is a respectable man. Tho suspicion rests entirely upon the most improbable statements by the girl, which she has delayed making for an unaccountably long time, and they lack as yet any kind of corroboration. Whether the girl is laboring under an hallucination or is actuated by malice remains to be proved.