Hawthorne's Death.

Manawatu Herald, 16 November 1897, Page 2

Hawthorne's Death.

INQUEST. PHILPOTT CHARGED WITH MUBDEB. j At the inqaeat held on Saturday and Sunday the following evidence was given : — Dr CabiJl deposed that he made a post mortem examination in conjunction with Dr Tripe. He found a small wpund on the back of the left side of the head, about two inches behind the ear, which, upon examination, he found penetrated the skull. On opening the skull he found the brain in an advanced stage of decomposition. From the mass of brain matter he abstracted the pieces of lead and bone which he then produced. It was evidently the remains of a bullet that had broken into small pieces. There was no wound of exit. Dr Tripe corroborated Dr Cahill's evidence and further said the wound could not have been self inflicted i unless he was a left-handed man, ■. and even then it was highly improbable. { 1 Joseph Snow knew the miaaing >

man, Hawthorne, for about two and a half or three years. He also knew the prisoner. Ib was about nine weeks ago since he saw Hawthorne. Hawthorne came to pay witness some money. He paid him a couple of pounds, and he had a number of notes left, in- addition to some silver. --. The last time he (witness) saw Stanhope (or Philpott) was on the Sunday <-- following. Witness asked why Hawthorne did not come with him. Hte replied that hi a mate had cleared out. He never saw Hawthorne again , he never went near the camp. Philpott shifted from the camp to | one across the range, and he told , witness that he had bought Hawthorne out. Witness bought a number of tools and various other articles. Stanhope said he had purchased them from the deceased. Stanhope lived with witness for a while. He (witness) only saw a revolver in prisoner's possession once. Later on Stanhope came to live with him, and he missed Hawthorne. The bible (produced) belonged to Hawthorne. It had his name in it. He knew the writing of \ Hawth:.rne and Stanhope. A leaf haa been removed from the book. The letter (produced), dated the 18th September, is in Stanhope's writing. Constable Cruickshank found the empty cartridge (produced) almost in front of the grave. It fitted the chamber of the revolver (produced) exae ly. Tha cartridge was found 30 yards from tho place where the • murdered man's body was found. In the pocket of the waistcoat was an uccount on which Hawthorne's nama was, and also that of Menzies, to whom deceased owed money. Mrs Hodgetts deposed to the piece on the ehirt. Frederick C, Sower by stated that he knew Hawthorne, very well. He used to coma to witness' house. The I.i3t lime be saw him was on 4th September. He never saw him alive it gain. Witness and Hawthorne us(d to go to Sunday school every Sunday. Hawthorne bad a Bible ; his name was on a white leaf in the book. Looking . at the book produced, he identified it as belonging to the deceased. The name on the white leaf was now missing, and the writing in the . book was- not there before. Detective Neill stated that on the 2nd io3t, be arrested Philpott, or Stanhope, on another charge. On searching him he found a six chamber revolver fully loaded, besides other articles. Oo the 6th inst., when it was known Hawthorne was missing, he went up to the gaol and told Philpott of the fact. Philpott said that. Haw, borne went to Dunedin about two months ago; that he (Pbilpobt) had purchased Hawthoroe'd tool*. &£., and bad a receipt for same. He told witness, also, that Phillips, win wa3 in Mr Saager's employ, saw Hawthorne away, wishing him good by. Ho also wished him (Philpott) good-by. The list of goods found atPbilpott'B hrm-'e is /aa follows : — A tin box, 3 pur-* t o'W:m-k, sac coat, 8 shaving iiru-h^s, *ilk handkerchief, Bible, coloured handkerchief, 8 pairs drawers, 3 singles, 9J- pairs socks, 2 o.'iibs, 3 e>llu:, looking-glass, piir nf -lioh-', 2 vests, .2 pipes, acoat with "ieeven c>ic out of it, a razor, a b tin jersey, 8 cartrigas, a lock, a sw.ili bng of shot, a long leather j»trap, to >ih bru*b, pair of scissors, a lqua ..piece of r<ip ; '. D.-tectivo Nt;i!l said that he charged the accused with having murdered the man Hawthorne. He told ther prisoner that the man had been miss''ng, and that he (Pbilpott) was suspected of having murdered him. The accused did not make any reply. Arthur H. Wright, clerk in the district police office daring the course of his evidence said that when Philpott wa3 arrested for forgery he interviewed him in the police cells and told him that a man named Hawthorne was missing. The*accused mide a statement : — On Wednesday, the 28 rd of June, 1897, I went to the Silverstream, where. I met Ernest A. Hawthorne. He was working in tho bush cutting sleepers. I agreed with him to go mates in the work and stopped with him in his tent. I worked with him until about the first week in September. We had then about half finished the contract. Hawthorne had been talking for some time about going to Dunedin, and in the beginning of September , he told me he was going, and sold me bis camp. I gave him £3 153 cash, and he gave me the receipt produced. Hawthorne lefc on the 7th of September. I know this by the entry on the book of the date I went to Snow'u to board. I purchased the camp some days before this, on the Ist or 2nd September. After I had bought* the camp, Hawthorne and I waited there some days ; he told mo he was waiting for a letter. He left the camp about 5 o'clock to catch the 6.5 train to town on the 7;h September. The ■ revolver was also among the articles, and he bought it from Menziea for ms. ' During the 10 weeks wo worked together we earned £25 10~r My share was half. Hawthorne bad 27 sovereigns soon after I went there. H? showed them to me. He took hia olotbjog away when 1 bought the camp, and be then asked ma to take care of the 27 ( sovereigns for him in my box, and I I did so, and gave him a receipt for

them. When be left he took the sovereigns out of'my box early in the morning while I was down the stream for the horse and sledge. George H. Hodgetts said that Philpott and Hawthorne were not on friendly terms. Between 7 and 7.50 he saw a ligtit near where the body was fougd. It was moving about. He saw it again between 8 and 9. It appeared to be a lantern. He saw it again at 11 o'clock exactly. x It was the same sort of light on eafth occasion. . Mrs Sowerby, said she knew Hawthorne. "The Bible produced be longed to Hawthorne. Mrs Ada Menziea deposed that Hawthorne,' often used to come to her place fo>r letters. She last saw him at 10 o'clock on the morning of 4th September. Stanhopo came to her place onj 6th September,* between 9 and 9.80,/ for letters for himself and Hawthorne. Stanhope got a letter for Hawthorne on the Tuesday On the 7th witness asked again how Hawthorne was, and Stanhope said he was slightly better ; he was up and walking about. He said Haw* thorn e was going to Wellington to meet his sister. Her husband sold the revolver to Hawthorne. | Patrick Brodriek.-remembered Phil - pott's Bpeaking to him after Haw* thorne'i disappearance. He asked him where Hawthorne had gone to, and Stanbope replied that bg bad ' gone to Dunedin. John Adair, said he had bought the gnn produced from Stanhope on 28rd October. He gave him da for it. Inspector Ponder said that was all the evidence they had at present He stated that the police had just received a telegram to the effect that the man Phillips, whose name had been mentioned, had just been found. He was right back in the King Country, hence the delay in procuring this witness. The jury returned a verdict of wilful mnr or and that the prisoner, Philpott, then in Court, bad com nutted the crime.