Auckland.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 462, 18 March 1867, Page 2

Auckland.

RESIGJTaTION OF THE SUPER' INTENDENCY BY MR. WHI TTAK EE. The New Zealand Herald of the 12th inst. says:— “ The past week has been one of considerable excitement in gVuckland. The Superintendent of the Province resigned on Saturday week, on the same day it became known that a per|sou iu business iu Oaehunga absconded, leaving a heavy amount o! 'debts unpaid, and ou the next day,

iunday, a solicitor in large practice | did the same, going, apparently, to! America by the Panama route, having | for years previously been engaged i:i; a system of wholesale swindling. It bad been rumoured for soirm time that the Superintendent was on the eve of resigning, and the assumed reason was that he had sold bimselt to the Stafford Government, the price being the Attorney-Generalship of the Colony. Tiiis rumour was induslril,ously circulated by a narrow-minded envenomed digue of little influence, but it was seen that personal spleen ;\vas the prompting motive, and no ione except the unthinking believed a I word of that which they insinuated. IE vents have shown that his Honor ihas simply decided to throw up the i reins of power in order that he may Live more attention to his private; lousiness. This, we presume, every 1 nan may do, though it gave offence iiu certain quarters, as did also Isis retention of cilice at the salary voted ;o him. It was thus evidently imi possible to please this “ rump” either ioy retaining or giving up office. Who s will be tire new Superintendent is a 1 niestion for the future. Several 'names have been mentioned, but it is ’ I premature as yet to put their owner ■ ! forward as candidates. It is not cerI tain indeed whether there will be any icompetitloa for the the office or not. |lt is a by no means easy one to fill, The responsibility is great, expectations of what can be done by a Superointendeut are totally at variance with what he can possibly do, and the disappointment at the non-performance of what is expected from him soon ; raises opposition, and makes the Superintendent practically acquainted with the ditiicuhy of pleasing any , coiistderalie portion of the couiinuAaily in times when taxation is high Maid there is little money to give to jtliose who imagine they have a claim i:upon the public funds.

F AT A L A C CIDE NT. Mu Thomas Ashman, aged 20, and eldest son of Mr Ashman, tailor, of ihortland-strcet, proceeded on Tuesday morning from his father’s house to the residence of Sir Marsh at the WT.au upon business. The young ! nil cm an had informed several friends ; : i.at he would take the rifle ranges by . Cjc way and have a shot at the target. •Mr Ashman jun., had a very good Eujfield rille. He provided himself wH 'twenty rounds cf ammunition an about twenty-five percussion caps.; The young man proceeded upon his journey, and was net afterwards heard of until news was received in town yesterday' that he was found with his scalp clean blown off opposite the ti'JU yards i range. Mr Hazard first discovered the body and Mr Hill, who was passing at the time, brought the information to the police, who at once started to the ground with a s'retcher, Aw The following particulars are taken viva voce, from the several parlies who knew deceased or saw the body:—Air Ashman, sen., says that his son left his house in Shortland-strect about 10 o’clock, on 1 Tuesday morning for Mr Marsh's at the Vv liau. He saw him cleaning his

gun previously to his leaving the house, and lie took the gun with him, but as hlr Ashman supposed, only to leave it ul his lodgings as he did not live with his father in Shortlaud-street. His father did not think it strange of bis sou remaimmng away ali night, because he was very intimate with Mr Marsh, of the Whan, and he thought he had slept there during the night of Tuesday, and would have returned last evening. The person with whom he lodged had no seen him since his departure. Mr Hazard left, Auckland about 10 o’clock on Wednesday and arrived at the riHe range about 12i Vt lieu

the stand at the 600 yards range he saw the body of a young man lying dead, and recognised it as that of Mr Ashman's son. From what he could see it would appear the deceased had the hammer down on the nipple, and in drawing the rifle up to present, the hammer would get partially raised, and by falling on the cap would of course explode. The ball entered the fore' head, just above the left eye completely shattering the back of his head. A portion of his cap was also blown away. : The ramrod had on a piece of rag, and jiVom appearance it had just Leon used jin cleaning out the barrel. The gun I was found lying between the legs of ;the deceased. There was no ammaniIniticn about him and only a few caps. When he started lie told Mr Hazard, !;aving called upon him, he was going out to lire a match against a young man at the Ydhau. There is much need of caution oa the part of young men who may be possessed of what are called “ hairtrigger’ 5 rifles. It is more than probable that this fatal occurence was in the main owing to the ease with which the trigger snapped. It was as nearly as possible a hair-trigger, that is, it wooVt cause the hammer to fall upon the nipple with a very small pressure. A safe trigger should be able to support, the weight of the weapon resting upon it, otherwise there is danger of the ! hummer falling in consequence of nu- : mereus unforeseen causes. In the present case, possibly, the young man allowed the butt of his rifle to knock middealy upon the ground, or to come in contact with the edge of a platform,, or to strike against a stone, and from, this trilling cause he met with an uatimely but instant death.

The Absconder Cox. This, swindler, who absconded from his dupes and creditors by taking the Southern steamer on Sunday, has, we I learn, written to a gentleman in this I town, making a clean breast of the | whole affair. The letter, we understand, will be submitted to them. We trust that some decisive measures will be taken, and a reward offered for his apprehension. A couple of years at hard labour at the Mount. Eden Gaol might have a deterrent effect on others, who, if they see an absconding debtor or swindler, as in the case of Cox and Kirkwood, escape,, may be templed to do the same thing themselves. As a solicitor, in large practice, Air Cox had a very extended held of operations, and it will be seme days, perhaps, before the-

wlmh of the losses occasioned by bis heartless villainy will be brought to light. We have heard of several cases where persons will be utterly ruined by his acts. Money has been committed to his charge for investment which he has appropriated tolas own private use. In one case, a widow and a cripple deposited with him her whole subsistence, something like TIOOO. This is irretrievably lost. In another case, money was entrusted to him to purchase a property for an individual. Cox purchased the property in his own name, and immediately mortgaged it for its full amount. And now, while on This topic, we would draw the attention of the authorities to the facilities afforded to absconders in the practice of vessels, especially steamers, leading port on Sundays. There is scarcely a

j mui day but some vessel leaves this I part, or the Manukau, and these abiseonders, in the face of anything short ]of a judge’s warrant, can go in defiance of their dupes and creditors if it be only Sunday. We would, at any rate, draw the attention of shipping agents to the facilities to roguery which the practice of allowing vessels to sail on Sundays afford. E. J. Cox. The creditors and

drupes of the swindler Cox met yesterday at the auction-room of Mr S. Cochrane, when, after many propositions had been put to the meeting, it was ultimately agreed tnat an application should be made to the Supreme Court for ilie scqaesUatioii of the estate. Mr Garlick and Mr "V ernon were appointed sequestrators. A letter, not heretofore published, received from Mr Cov, was read to the meeting, as also the deed of assignment, the former of which will bo found m. the report of the meeting. As far sails known at present, the defalcations, amount to a sum of between .£II,OOO and j£ 12,000=