CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 63, 16 March 1868, Page 66

CANTERBURY.

In the Canterbury Times we find the : following ■> $ extraordinary confession op murder. Hester Hoskins was brought Tip [Feb. 26] charged on her own confession with having committed a murder in England. Inspector Pender stated that prfsoher informed a constable that she wished to give herself up to justice. She made a statement and signed it in his presence. She was perfectly cool and collected in hen„manner, and did not betray any symptoms of mental aberration. On being taken to the watch-house poison was found in her possession. The following statement, voluntarily made by the prisoner, was handed in and read in Court; —I live at Mrs Cook’s. I came there on Saturday last. I had lived at Mr Davis’ Canterbury Hotel, Lyttelton, up to Tuesday last. I had been there about five weeks. I bad lived previously at Mr Paget’s, of Leithfield. I went "there from the Immigration Barracks. I came out in the Lancashire Witch in August last. Before I left England I lived with Mrs Richards, wife to a cabinet-maker, at Port Leven, in the parish of Breague, county of Cornwall, England. My father’s Dame is Samuel Hoskins, a miller at Sethnes mills, at the same place. My mother is also living there. I have four brothers and three sisters. I came out by myself as a free immigrant. William James Thomas, a travelling engineer, was murdered by me one night in March, 1867, at Port Leven aforesaid. He was my sweetheart. I had been out walking with him in the afternoon. He went home with me, and we went out again to walk in the evening, down on the cliff. I stabbed him with a large knife which I took out of Mr Richards’ bar. It was a large knife like those used by butchers. I think it was in the breast I stabbed him. I threw the knife into the sea. He fell on the cliff, and he died before 1 left Mm. I went home to Mrs Richards. I reached there about 9 p.m, I did not tell any one, I went to bed. When we went out in the afternoon we met several people, amongst them my brother Charles. He spoke to us. We did not meet any one when we |gent out at night. Next morning I got up about three o’clock, and went “•down s to the railway station at Port Leven, and took the six o’clock train to Hale, about sixteen miles from Port Leven, Before I went to the railway station in the morning, I went down to the cliff, which is about three small fields from Mrs Richards’, and saw the dead body of Thomas. I left it there. It had on a light colored small brimmed round soft sort of hat; a black cloth coat on. At the time I stabbed him he had a grey-coloured overcoat on his right arm, and when I saw the body in the morning it was lying by his right side, partly on his body. The body was lying on the bank, rather inclining to the right side. He had on his left hand glove (light kid) ; and the right hand glove he had elapsed in his right hand. He had on, I* think, a dark vest; trousers • also dark. There was blood round the body. It was just at grey of the morning when I saw it. The cliff was called the Merlow Cliff It was a good hit away from the footpath. I arrived at my uncle’s, Charles Hoskins, at Hale, at about 9 o’clock that morning, My uncle is a shipowner and flour merchant, residing at Point House, at Hale. I said nothing about the murder. I stayed there until six o’clock that evening. It was Tuesday when I took the train and went to London, arriving at Paddington station about 5 or 6 o’clock on the Wednesday. I had got all my papers about a week before the murder, so that I went direct "from Paddington station to the ship Lancashire Witch, then lying in the East India Docks, London, J took a cab there. I went on board the ship that day -and never went ashore afterwards until I landed at Lyttelton, New Zealand. It was on the 27th March I went on board, and the ship sailed from Gravesend on the 2nd April. -Thomas, was about 28 years of age. I shall never tell my reason for lolling him. He served me very badly. We were to .be married. We had been courting about 6 months. A short time before I killed hifh we bad arranged togetmarried, but he did not come to see me, nor did he Write for a long, time, and the inar-

riage was broken off I burnt all his letters. We renewed our acquaintance shortly before I killed him : I believe on the same day. We had no quarrel the day I murdered him. When I saw bitn on that day I first contemplated the'murder. ' I arranged to. meet him purposely to murder him. I don’t know. whether his body was ever found, of whether I am suspected of the murder. There is no person that I know in New Zealand from the same place that I came from. The name of the clergyman at Breague is the Rev. W. Kid more. He knew me well. My object in making this statement is because I can’t rest, always thinking about the murder, Since I came to New Zealand I told one person of the murder. I do not wish to mention the name of .the person I told. I promised I would not do so. I do not wish to say whether or not the paper I gave the constable was written by me. That is all I wish to say about the matter.” His Worship remanded the prisoner until the following day, in order that enquiries might he made. On the 27th February Hester Hoskins was brought up on remand, charged on her own confession with having committed a murder in England. Mrs Niall, the wife of the watchhouse-keeper, stated that she searched the prisoner when brought to the watch-house, and found the packet produced in her possession. James Hebberd stated that he. came from the same part of the country, and knew the prisoner’s father. He (witness) came to New Zealand after the prisoner, but he never heard of any murder having been committed in the neighbourhood previously to his leaving the country. The prisoner’s mother was in a lunatic asylum, and witness had heard that one of the daughters was insane, but he could not say if the prisoner was the one. He knew no one of the name of Thomas residing there. He had heard that one of the daughters had gone to the colonies. • Eliza Reynolds stated she had left England about five year’s ago, coming from the same place as the prisoner. Witness knew prisoner’s father well. She had heard that one of the daughters was not quite right in her mind, but could not say which of them. Inspector Pender stated that the files of the local jour-, nals had been searched, but that no record of any such occurrence as the alleged murder could be found. The prisoner was remanded until Saturday, 29th Feb., in order that medical evidence might be obtained as to her mental condition. The case appeared to excite great interest, the Court being densely crowded throughout the investigation.

POLITIC AX CBISIS. There has been a political crisis in Canterbury, and on the 2nd inst. Mr Montgomery announced that he had communicated with some of the members of the Council and had been able to form a Ministry, composed of the following members—-Mr Jollie, Provincial Secretary; Mr Wynn Williams, Provincial Solicitor; Mr Qrmsby holding a seat in the Executive without office; and himself as Provincial Treasurer; and he hoped that their efforts would lead to the advantage of the province.

ATTEMPTED ESOAPE BROM LYTTELTON JAIL. ■ —A BRISONER STABBED TO DEATH.

The Press of the 4ih inst. says:— Yesterday morning a prisoner named John Burnside attempted his escape from custody. It appears that on going to work at about 8 a.m. yesterday, prisoner was missed by a warder named Fox, who informed a fellow warder of the fact ,of the escape, The warder (Anderson) pursued the prisoner, and a severe struggle ensued, in the course of which the prisoner received a bayonet wound, from which he died.

An inquest was held on the body at the Lyttelton jail at 1 p.m. yesterday before Dr Coward, one of the. coroners for tbe district, and a jury of twelve, consisting of six civilians and six prisoners, of whom Mr George Tayler was elected foreman. The following evidence was adduced:—

Robert Anderson deposed—l am a warder in Lyttelton jail. Directly after going to the Point this morning, at a few minutes past 8, Walter Fox another warder, told me to follow Burnside, who had escaped. I sighted deceased (Burnside) by Sticking, Point, and challenged him, He would hot

stop, but got round the point., When I got to the point he was going towards the old magazine. I again challenged him. He looked round, and took no further notice of my challenge. I then fired at his legs, but missed him. I still challenged him, but he still ran away. He made for the bush. I took a short cut to stop him. I met him, arid again challenged him, snd told him to surrender and come into jail. He said, “No, he was d—— if he would.” I fixed my bayonet, mid he then told me if I touched him with it he would take the rifle from me, and break it across my head. I got before him, and charged him down the hill on to the road. a He stooped to lift a stone, and when coming down a bank to get on to the road, he took up a stone and a piece of clay. When on the road I told him to go towards the prison, when he said he would see me d • first, and that if I attempted to stab him, he would knock out my brains. I kept him there for some time in conversation, to see if I could see anyone coming along the road. He tried to take the rifle from me and to pass me. He made a rush at me. I guarded him off. He threw a stone at me. In the straggle I tried to stab him in the left arm. I think I also touched him on the left shoulder. He swerved at the time, and in the struggle I touched'him in various parts. He said, “You you have stabbed me now;” I said, “I am very sorry for it, but you see you have got it done for yourself.” He went across the road, and sat down.’ I saw he was wounded and in a weak state. I then left him and met Mr Jones, who took charge of him. I came down for some men and brought deceased down; he was dead when I returned. After some further evidence bad been taken, the jury returned a yerdict of “ Justifiable homicide.”