THE OPUNAKE. MURDER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 239, 30 November 1880, Page 2

THE OPUNAKE. MURDER.

THE INQUEST CONCLUDED;' J I }, TtJHI CONFESSES. """ j 1 The inquest was continued to-day. Yesterday.a coat was founchin, Tuhi's whare, which had. blood stains on its sleeve and bieast. The Maori; woman pointed out the ./spot where she saw the. black horse tied, up; which, wag not more 'than forty yards, from 'where, the body was found. Sergeant M'Keon stated that he. met Walter Stannard on- the evening.of the. murder, when Standard's horse's nose was bleeding, and his clothes were smeared with blopd, he noticed -also a small piece of flax in his boot. Sergeant Day, who examined Tuhi's . trousers when he was arrested, found them torn, with blood stains on the crutch, and to the right knee was adhering a human hair, which in color and texture corresponded with deceased's hair. The hair was about five inches long. Tuhi had on the outside ankle of the right foot; a w:ound which was about a week old, and.- on the outside;. of. the moleskin : trousers was found a quantity of blood and matter, which was likely to. have come/from such a wound. On deceased was found a . bone bracelet on the wrist and a ring on one finger. Npthinjg was "found in her dress pocket, but the pockets of her overskirt had not been examined. :.^The. inquest- is .stiU. proceeding. Althqugh deceased's clothes were found much disarranged, themedical evidence proves ehje had not been' ill-used;' "-■- .s .-^ . i ; Macartby stated that the prisoner etrucka match in the; stable. ! Th'eibopc, was a threepenny box and appeared full qf blue headed' matches. The prisoner seemed in a hurry. : v • ; ■ - : ; . j Martin Coffey (re-called)_said he saw the accused frequently on the 25th»- He Bpent no money and had no Btbres v previous to his return to. Opunake with Hone Pihatna 1 . Since the - previous examination I , recollect having Berved him with a tin box of matches for three pence. I also believe that he paid me for it with a three penny piece. In my stock ,we..have.tonly iblueTheaded matches. , and f could: have sold no others. It is possible "thai "tbeiUree!ptenny piece receive^f rom Tuhi would remain" in" my ppsseßsion from the 25tty up till Monday morning but unlikely. I gave Dr Carey a threepenny piece as change this morning. This is the coin (handed in)'. It has marks which I believe to be blood, and scratches. 'Apparently there has been an attempt to obliterate the' 'stains. Dr Carey drew my. attention to it at "the time; 'When the deceased Miss Dobie " purchased a lead pencil I gave her as change, out of sixpence a threepenny piece,- an English penny ana two English half pennies. I met Tuhi on the 25thafter s' p.m. and he came back wilh~mo to my store. He was asking for matches and other things to be put down to his credit, but I refused to give him credit. He was in the shop a little later and asked for a paperj box of matches and I gave him one. They, cost a penny each. He tendered an English' halfpenny saying he had no more money. I told him to go home and ■ accepted the money. , ; . | By a juror: I give and accept tokens, but to a lady I sbould. give small change in silver or English money. I am sure I took this threepenny piece between Thursday! and to-day. i Constable Knowles (recalled) said that he! bad visited Tuhi's whare, and this coat! (handed in) waß found in the whare. When] passiDg by the guard tent on his return,; Tuhi noticed the coat under Constable; Knowlts' arm, and said, in English, " that is! my coat." Witness saw stains which he belUved to be of blood oa the cuff, sleeve, 1 and tail of the coat. It was not concealed,' and did not appear to have been washed. \ Constable Taylor said the prisoner was, wearing that coat on Thursday last when hej saw him. I think the stains are of blood.; The prisbaer directed m« to his wbar«. I am quite sure he was wearing this ooat.< Prisoner's wife said Tubi kad brought home; nothing but a" bar of soap. I Rona Martin aaid, I waa at Tamati's wbare ; on the evening of the 25th. He lookfld un--natural. I observed him to remain long, and; II ft Tuhi behind me. I bad seen Tuhi, earlier in the day at the bar of the hotel. I; remember.the mpleskin trousers. Tuhi was; wearing them when I saw him at the bar. Ij cannot say whether he was wearing them at Tamati's wbare, because it was dark. I did ; notmotice hjs coat, but noticed his trousers,! because Tuhi had a swollen foot, and he I . had ■ called attention to his trouiers. I do not' know if he bad two pairs on, bot 1 am certain he tad moleskins; Those are 'Tti'hiV trousers because they! are moleskins. They were then torn at the knees, [but not like; they now are. I'dicTnot observe his skin. 'i ; saw no blood on them like theyare Btiw. I ■ saw prisoner Itbe time of- Honi ! Piharaa's arrival and on going to Tamati's. ! I was not then drunk. It was daylight-.. He had:not those niolfiskin trousers on then. I did not observe 1 at that; time, but I think he bad trousers on. He certainly had nol mole- ; skin tjrousejfa on at jbaf time. Honi Pihama

wafejfhere, b\t l^JcptildiHsee he had not the trousers that before itf^the morning. .The, prisoner had rags. on his ancle. ; I\; Wihataron.; deposed: I saw the prisoner about half-past eleven on the'2sfch. He;then ha 4on molelkih trowsers, and also another pair on underneath. I can identify; thebutsidepairf ,Me inside of the leg of ihe outer pair was torn, and I saw a striped patch on the front of the leg on the underneath pair. He also wore the bat now on the table. He had this coat on. (This was the coat about which the other witnesses were doubtful as,to its identification ) .-^- <-- . |i Tamati Kawarpra* sworn, said: Rona and; Tuhi came to my whare ; together on Thursday. It'was dark. I told Tuhi to sleep there, that ..night. I. did not hear Tuhi's answer. Ttihi had on trowsers, coat, and hat. . After the. meal Rona, who arrived drunk, left;/ Tuhi did not stay loug after Rona left. When he was aßked to stop he looked frequently out of the door. Otherwise he looked as usual. This closed the prosecution. Dr Carey j sworn, said: I searched the body of Miss Dobie with the assistance of Mrs Ebbet. I observed a punctured cut in the collar of the dress, and found a corresponding wound in the neck. Judgipg.from the punc; ture in the collar, I should 'say it was made by an instrument about half an inch in width; I found a large wound, immediately .below the lower jaw. four inches in' extent. , The whole throat was cut -down to the vertebral column. Two attempts appeared to have been made to cut the throat.' The; second wound had been tnade about two inches below the angle jof the lower jaw. There was another transverse.wourid about an inch and a half in extent, also two other small, wonnds one half an inch and the other five-eighths on -the left, neck. These were" all the wounds , on tbo neck. There was also, a wonnds on the second floger of the left band about an inch long. Death was the result of these wounds. Fexamined every part of the body, and am positive no 1 attempt^ at ill -usage had been made. [Moat of the :wbun<Ts'. were 'pn» the; right' side. The knife in my opinion had blood stains on it. That knife, would/inflicf .the injuries described., ■ - I- (.received iome change from Coffey this morning, sixpence' and a threepenny piece. I noticed it had . been scraped as if to erase something which I took to be bibp<fc Deceased would have bee.n able to walk after receiving the smaller wounds on the neck/ but not after the larger. The first wound was. a combination of sbab and cut, and judging, by the cut in the collar the wound could not be made by a larger knife than this. The knife produced is .sharp enough , to cause such a wound. I ; probed my finger into the wound opposite ■ the bole in the -collar -to a .depth of three inches, a The body would be nearly cold within three to four Kours. The coronerqproeeeded to read over tbje evidence, but the jury said it was unnecessary, and further said they were unanimously of opinion that there was no evidence whatever against Stannard and it was their wish that he should be at one released. ~ i Sergeant-Major Buclen produced an affidavit from Mrs Cook, of the Empire Hotel at Hawera, accounting for some blood on the clothes of "Stannard. , : , .. . .... .V; The Cor^ber- •addressing Stannard, said, I congratulate" ypu ' that, you leave this room entirely free and without' any stain on your character. 1"• -' "•' ! : "At 1 9-52 a.m. the Maori confessed, Baying, "Ididit." - | ,; W>en Mr Hursthpuse, the interpreter, asked him if he had any Btatem^ht "to make,? he said ''It'wasdone by me.'?; , ;' . , . i Jtf r Hurstbouse said, "Dp you know what you haye really said; do you know,, your ; ;ri6siti6h?"- •'■•■■ - ■:<" A '.I'/, A> -..;. , '; 5 .Tuhi '»ai3, " I know;! killed : the woman. ■'It^vas a great sin or fcrimeV ~i&nb.w)i6." /. I ! The Coronet theri'saidj lf do not; think I Under the circumstances'; I can^ask you. gentlemen of the jury./toidoanythirig.furtber • ,The excitement .was intense. .- The interpreter faltered, and was .. deeply moved j afe w;as the coroner.. ~ The murderer appeared mofe^calm than; mostof those in .the Court. Throughout the day he wascalmrand looked 'each witness slight * n J? 10 a 9e i an^ seemed.quite collected and cool. He-asked a few 'questions, which seemed intended to test the reliability of the witnesses on pointfe where they conflicted,- but in no case did he endeavor to. dispute the ownership of the trousers, or to question the accuracy of the evidence given against him 'by men of his I own race. •'■-■•- , ■ Tuhi was then again asked if. he had anyr thing to say. He. replied, ". I 'desire to be questioned," and this being inadmissible, he said, "I have nothing more to say except that-I committed the 1 murder." ! .The. scene was, most exciting when Tuhi went up to the table to sign, his confession and-tohave it attested by -the- interpreter. The, ji£ry» were called on to give their verdict exactly -at 11 p.m. by, the coroner) and, after a f ew/seconds of whispering, the fforemari said^that/the.verdictjwa^ that the .deceased $£,iss : Mpiy Dobie was' wilfully iriurdered by r the prisoner Tuhiior Te Kaa-ea^orijthe after; f th .Noveniber, ..between, the ;h i pui i s^]6f. t^rp -and'-fiy.^.p.m, :' No ■political 'eigjajficiance is. applied to the murder. , i j^'Aite^his'cbmMttal the r pris6ner saidj'." I Sio' not /wish fo^ I, want to "meet my now." : Handcuffs then .put pp. him, the prisoner preserving the same calmness; -aid looking aiallrbundhinj straight in the face; -•• ■ >