TRAGEDY IN AUCKLAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1743, 25 June 1886, Page 2

TRAGEDY IN AUCKLAND.

FOIiLBR PARTICULARS.,^ f? - J _^_ . ■■r-' : ■ :< THE INQUEST. v (UNITED PfiESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, Thursday. The viewing of the body by the heartbroken relatives was a sad scene. Mm Taylor tried to sascain . the J courage,, of X her children, but^Mj* Seymour and tire '"■ younger daughter^Jape, : w<aip vottorly broken dowrn. as were also the' two sons, Samuel and Lincoln. -Mrs-Taylorjtho^ringi^il '-«rlti!ilitt£'rite<s posed that aha waa. wife of tht decpaiwJ, '■'■"" Robert Taylor, and reaided' atTrfornfoa Bay, Great-BarrlerliUnd." She saw Her husband alive at about half-put 7 a.m. on* Sunday morning, 19£h June, there m her bedroom. Hevwrti' but ,of bed and dressed; s uer daughter h,ad. been sleeping with her ever since she was confined, and there was no one else m the house at {the time. A ra an, whom witness since heard was Harry Peon, but whom she bad never seen before, came to^the house. Witness was at the door wh*n lie came iv,, and vhe asked her if , she could let him have a pound of buttor Slie said "Yes." Her husband . asked him to come into the bouse and sit' down. Ho had not been sitting . down V five minutes when John Caff rey rushed ; m. Her husband ran into the ' room. : - Perm had his hands m bis pocket at the time, and' witness did not notice any weapon with him whon he came into the house; - Her husband was wiping hU bands m the kitchen, and on seeing CftSrey be rushed into witness' bedroom to jsaye himself. Perm left his seat and followed her husband. She, saw Gifc f rey following her husband. He had a . revolver m each hand, arid told- her husband to hold up his hands. All she heard deceased say was, ..•' Oh, Johnny, Johnny,!"' »he saw that they, were two bright revolvers, somewhat similar to one shown to her— a small ' English " revolver. When she heard her husband jdall, she went to see what he was doing; 'and Perm had hold of him with one hand and m the other he hold a revolver . which he pointed at witness. He had his left arm round deceased, and pointed straight at witness. They were tuen 'in her bedroom and facing her. She rail outside along the beach about four chains to the stockyard calling out for help and crying. She heard four shots fired. WitneM, Recognised a piece of- wood (produced) cut firoui the ' lintel "of 'the bedroohi door, m which there was a bullet mark. When Caff rey first came into fthe kitohen. and told deceased to hold up *hia hands, he fired two shots at him, whether from one or the two revolvers hejheld m his hands^JwitneßS could, not tell. but tw<^ ib^^ w^t jo^ and ' she cobld notitell whether any of the shoti* had then taken effect! It was while she was going into the bedroom that two more shots went off, almost simultaneously, andjjbe ■ them ran to Bave tier life. She did\nibt know who fired tffinsiiP two 6ut "'diatinctly ' saw Caffrey fire twojshots m the kitohen. "If was after tnese^t^o; shots that deceased called 'out' • t 'On 4^oh"ij'ny^ * Jbhniiy;"i Perm rap after witness to the stockyard. She Was crying for help, and be said that if shb stirred be would blow her brains out. He was then putting bullets . m the revolver. He asked her where the girls were, meaning her two daughters, Mrs ' Seymour and Sarah Jape . She told him she did n»t know, but: he said 'she was telling stories, that she knew all' about it, and that she had them hidden nnder the bed. He kept her at the stockyard about half an hour and then Caffrey came out running and saw. her m the stackyard; She noticed that his. hands were daubed with fresh, blood. She said to him," This man is going to take my ' life," and he said to Perm, "Don't meddle with the old woman, she has never done me any harm." Nothing eWe happened them. They left, and witness returned to the house. She did no>t se^anf- f ef ofver frith Ciffrayf vheat he was leaving. Theywent ih'-the diree--tion of Sandy Bay, at the opposite side 'of; the harbor. When Gaffroy was leaving witness said, '*? Oh, Johnny, what have you done ?" and he replied, " I have done it now." Witness had known Caffrey for about four years, and during I thattime he never used any threats to any, of her family m her presence, but she had heard that he bad done so. He had no cause for malice against her husband. On one occasion he asked her daughter to marry him, arid she replied that she did not want to be married, that her temper and his would not agree, and •' he said she would not enjoy anyone else, and tlia|i next time he went to town he would b'rihg a rlifg or 4 "revolver. Tbii * was about three years ago, and that was all the grievance he had. Witness was present at the conversation, and said her daughter could, please herself, J and her father said the same, but she replied that shj3 did not yraiai to, be Carried; yet. They left it altogether to her daaghter,and she refused him.- He was/tlieA- sailing the schooner Maryj owned- by liter' Murray, of Auckland^ WilneW-idid not sea the revolver or the ring, but sa^ him. ■. j'^Bk came 'there' on his return 1 trip, Vand'C ' asked where Lizzie was. Witness replied that she was riot "at home, ai?d he asked'w&at ha had done to send her •;away from her own house, and said wit- . >!nes»put her on board the cutter Sunder- , ' land and sent her away, but he would not leave the island until he found* her. He ,ft>uad(her ; oVthatf occasion m "Jhe i scrub, where she had hid from him; add * after some coove'rsationi dunrie which he said that if she did not marry him she would marry nobody else, he. left the • house. He had been several times to the house since thafc. affair, but witness did not remember; bio} haying made. use. , bf threats, but she had heard from the neighbors that he 'wai going to finish, them all off. When'he -was leaving on Saturday' nkorning, and was at the stockyard, he said ne was going outside to do * for the lot j< meaning sho supposed, her daughter and her husband. After they left, and she returned to the house, she , saw her husband sitting against a box m ■ her bedroom with his head drooping on his chest; She asked him to sneak, but •■ he could not, and she found he wasdead. - tha| he was bleeding * from the bead, : 'but. did not notice the wound, as'^sh'ff wa^*m^a*hur&y to] >get away .for fear .they- should return to Jcill her and her "'daughter. Witness left mr a boat and crossed the .bay to warn the neighbors, and inform them of what had ar occurred; as as for refuge.,. r . The married daughter and yonng" son of deceased gave corroborative evidence. ' v^.,;..,,.,,.. ;:,;V ..... A verdict ©f wilful murder was returned against Caffrey ariii PerinJmd the Coroner's warrant for their apprehensioa , .was issued. i's- i • '■ [k\ | '■ ' There are ; about 60 armed I settlers watching every. bay and place around the Great Barrier, but no signjof fhfe outter or of the men hasibee^ men., sihjbe Sonday morning. " <_*>■-■•■•■ ..=■*