Canterbury.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 460, 11 March 1867, Page 2

Canterbury.

nfTroTvcro n\r TTTI?. WPAT POART JJJ. U A The Lyttelton Times, says;We are indebted to a passenger by Saturday’s coach from Hokitika, for the following information as to the finding of the body of a man at One Tree Creek, sixty miles from Christchurch and, about eight miles on this side of Cragieburn. It appears that a few days ago a traveller on foot, passing the accommodation hut at One Tree Creek, went in there to rest for the night. Whilst there he perceived a strange smell, and on searching about outside the hut, he found in the creek close by, what appeared to be part of a human being sticking out of the shingle-bed. This caused a further search, and a human body was exumed, bearing marks of having been brutally murdered. The corpse had ou a shin only, the trousers being found buried ou the banks of the creek near the spot where the body was discovered. The head exhibited two or three frighttul cuts, the left temple over the eye was completely knocked in, and a gash which appeared to have been inflicted by a sharp instrument was discernible over the right eye. The bed in the hut iu which the unfortunate man seems to have lain, exhibited marks of blood, and close to the creek a toma hawk was found, which, judging from the nature of the injuries on the head of the murdered man, is the weapon which had been used. The affair at present is a mystery. We understand Dr Turnbull, Mr Duncan, Inspector Pender, and some of the police started on Saturday to hold an inquest and make an inquiry. Ou their return we shall be in possession of further facts. The man appears to have been dead some weeks, the lower part of the body being very much decomposed.” The same journal on a succeeding day says:—

Dr Turnbull and Mr Duncan returned from the scene of this murder yesterday evening. Inspector Pender has gone on to the Bealey to follow up some information. Itis understood that arrangements have been made for the removal of the body to Christchurch, so that the inquest may be held here. No clue has yet been obtained to lead to the detection of the perpetrators ol this murder. From the wounds on the body there can he little doubt that the man was murdered while asleep, none whateverastothe instrument used being the tomahawk which was found near the body. The marks of blood in the hut lead to the conclusion that the murdered man was lying asleep on the left side of the chimney, looking from the door, with his face turned to the wall, and on his right side; that the murderer, weapon in hand, stood alongside the sleeping man, his back towards his feet; and the first blow having been dealt on the back part ol the head the assailed turned towards his murderer, who then struck a second blow on the left temple, a third just over the right eye, and others all over the head. The murdered man had red or sandy hair, with beard, moustache, and whiskers of the same color, the latter being thin and scanty. From the cl .thes found near him it is conjectured that he was on his way to the West Coast, and that he was probably a digger. The man who first gave information to Mr Enys of the body having been found is in the custody of the police on suspicion of being the murdeier, or of being in some way connected with it. This man, who can give no coherent or probable account of himself, is said to be insane, or to be partially so. It is said that having been in Nelson hospital at the time of the trial of the Burgess gang, his mind may have been affected. He alleges that two other murders were committed not far from the scene of that which has just been discovered, and that Burgess himself told him of these. By later files we learn that a strict search has been made by the police in order to trace the perpetrators of the diabolical murder near the Bealey, reported by us as having taken place early in the month j and from the report published by the Lyttelton Times,

it appears that strong suspicion rests upon a party of Chinese who were I/nAtrrn fa V\ntrA hlahu j.l. _ % “ uw «u I*vr Air*» w j/aoocu cllVUg tut? road about the stb ult. The identity of the murdered man is not yet certainly known, though from the evidence of a man named William Kerr, a digger, the body is believed to be that of a sailor of the name of “ Jem,” who met a party of Chinamen as he was travelling from the village of Cass into rki*A/w>nr]n/1 nn Vtin way with them, but has never since been seen. It is supposed that at least a fortnight must have elapsed between the committal of the murder and the discovery of the body, which was first found by one Michael Darcy, who gave information of the fact to the police. The. whole of the evidence is very inconclusive, and the inquiry is adjourned until the 12th March, by which time the police hope to be able to trace the Chinamen supposed to have committed the deed. The following extract from the medical evidence adduced at the inquest, shows the state in which the body was when found. Dr Turnbull said: —Two of the teeth had fallen out, aud the rest were loose. The scalp was much swollen, and there was a deep flesh cut across the face. There were other wounds on the head and temples. On dividing the connecting piece of scalp, I found that the whole of it had been pushed forward by the maggots collected beneath. I removed the scalp down to the face, aud found that the flesh wound over the right eye corresponded to a largo opening in the skull. Inspector Pender showed me the axe produced. I fitted the axe to the two wounds and found that it corresponded exactly. I I believe that the wounds were cansed by the axe. There are marks of four others which had not altogether pene*u~ *l._ uaicu tuc aivuLi, xuc uuucs Oi. iuu skull were loose and easily removed. I believe that this was caused by blows on the opposite side of the skull. The inside of the skull was filled with maggots. The legs were not so much decomposed as the rest of the body. The walls of the abdomen and chest had given way and were filled with maggots. The arms were very putrid. The bones of the fore-arms were exposed and the right hand was missing. The inquest was adjourned for a fortnight.