Stabbing Case at Awapurua.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 33, 9 January 1885, Page 2

Stabbing Case at Awapurua.

1 *On Wednesday morning, a blacksmith named Redrndnd" was arrested by Constable Motley, charged with stabbing another named, Rarlow^- at the Awaporua Bridge. Accused Was the satno day brought before Mr Fduntaine, J.P., and ..charged with the assault andjreinan'ded till Monday mormug/ On Monday the case was gone into before T. F. Fountains-. Esq. J. P., and .: W. W. Carlile- Esq. J^P^ ;;iThe accused John Redmond, was defended by Bd|r Morison, and pleaded not guilty. : William Barlow, for whom Mr McDougal interpreted m German, said he was a cook residing at Awapurua Bridge. He k)iew the -prisoner. On Wednesday last at 7 o'clock his wife calied him out of the cookho'ise at the bridge where He was cooking. His wife waß crying an|d' J said the blacksmith had called her a "b— — w— — " Witness wont to the door of accused's tent and called him ou.t, and said " What for you call my wife names"? His wife was standing behind him and prisoner said, "There is the . w— J -^-. keep her off from my tenti" Witness said he would not have his wife called names like that, and struck prison--1 of ttiid threw him down.-— Prisoner 1 had a knife; m his hand, and got up and ■stabbed witness on the left shoulder. Witness tisied to get knife from, prisoner, but could not. Witness was m the tent at the time, and when goirig out prisoner stabbed Him m a second." Prisbuer had no^'kuife wheu witness' struck him, but readied for it when he fell, and got it off the bed,— ln cross-ex- , araination witness said the tent was close by the blacksmith's shop, and the cookhouse was abont three chains away. Witness could swear accused had no i knife m his hand when he struck him. After accused stabbed him he knocked oiim' dp wii & second time. Witness had; jrnever heard accused and his -wife quajr'felling. (Accused here ' undressed for i the purpose of allowing the court to ejeaihine thp^ Witness nevpr threatened to' burn accused's tent. | i" E. , A<igu,Btji"(' Barlow, wife of the i'nforinanit, said she was feeding" cbickehs m the : bush when, prisoner .. came iOat. She. was; not .near,. the tent.,. Pi^Bpner, i;was passing and said " If you don't clear' out of tliis I'll knock your brains out." Witness told him to leave her. alone It was not' the'firs't tiiiie ho had spoken 1 lo her like that.. She then west for her husband. Her husband then went to tliQ te,nt and said " Blacksmith, are ybii in'." 'Accused' answered lt ye'B," ■ plfaintiff said I ''want to see you." Barlpw asked the blacksmith if his wife was an w — ■tt." L Prisoner did not answer then hut-afterwards said "if you do not take tlievd— ~ w~-— away I shall shoot her with, a reyqlver v '/ As prisoner said that accused struck him m the face; The rest: of the evidence was corroborative of ■ilie-iuformflate.-' ■Accnsedithreatened to got a revolver and shoot tham bot)> jf Barlow did not let him go. Witness bad a little stick m her hand and said to her husband that if he did not come out she would hit him with it. She saw accused take the knife off the . bed.— -Wituesa waß i cross-examined at length by Mr Morrison who then addressed the Bench arguing that accused had acted m self-defence and was" actually asWailed m his owrri tent.— Their Worships agreed with tliis view of the case and dismissed the acouged. [A strange decision verily. Ed M. S.I