MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 180, 19 February 1848, Page 3

MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE.

A rumour reached town ou Thursday evening last, that Mr. Charles Warne, a respectable farmer, who resides at Remuera, had put au end (o his existence, whjch, unfortunately, has since proved to be the case. Dr. Johnson, the coroner, accordingly convened an znqueht yesterday, at the 6cene of the fatal occurrence, ■before a jury of twelve inhabitants, when the evidence of Mrs. Mary Warne, wife of the deceased was taken, together with ihat of two neighbours, and the constable who fiist viewed the body. From their concurrent testimony the following were the facts elicited :— On Thursday afternoon about 3 o'clock, Mrs. Warne went out to give some directions to a shoemaker named Worrell, who lives close by, respecting some work which he was doing for her children. While there, a report as of gunpowder going off was heard, but thought nothing of, as being supposed to "borne from the Maories^; and Mrs. Warne went back home, but was seen in a few minutes after, before her house v/ringing her handa.and in a state of great tribulation. Worrell at once guessing something to be wroug, went over to Mrs. Warne, and learned that the deceased had shot himself. Information was given immediately of the fatal event, at the Police Office in Auckland. The body of the deceased was found stretched upon the back, on the floor of one of the rooms. Blood was pouring copiously from the mouth. A levden bullet appeared to have pierced the right breast, come out at the back, and passed into the raupo partition of the room (Tehind. Life was extinct. Mrs. Warne, who appeared to be in deep distress of mind, stated that her husband had been for some time labouring under severe depression of spirits. Some months ago he had drank a good deal, but lately took very lil tie— certainly not above six glasses of spirits during ths la-t five weeks. About ten or twelve weeks since, liejhad made an attempt upon his life. It was «oon after breakfast one morning, shortly after he had lain down on pretence of tak'n? some rest. She happened to visit the apartment in sufficient time to snatch from his bands ajenkmfe, with uhich he had inflicted to. deep wound in hid thro.it. She dres» e isjthe ■wound atrd appused Mi. Foul, mrgeon, who pro n< U ced it not daiuerou*, and applied the necessary remedies. Mrs. Warne further said that h er dedeceaGsd husband was lately subject to strange lanc.es.

Soon after the Maori feast oil New Year's Day hst, he had told her that for writing home about the Government, respecting the Maori war, the Government intended giving him up to the Maori js to be tortured, that he would not visit the scene of the feail in consequence, and having failed to find him there, that they weie now after him to catch him whero they could, lie also said that he had a brother who was for many years an innnte of the Belfast Lunatic Asylum f and a sister deianged. On Thursday morning he did not seem much more depressed than usual. She wished to go to t/ie shoemaker's: he said " yes Mary do, and I'll mind the child." It appears that while Mrs. C. was away, he shut out the child from the room, and hiving loaded the barrel of a fowlmg piece detached from the stock, with a bill cartridge, by means of a lighted paper applied to the priming-, and the barrel held in a sloping position, thns terminated his existence. A neighbouring fanner deposed that he had occa«ionally spoken to the deceased, who seemed usually much depressed, but of late particularly so, about what he considered unfair treatment that he had received rejecting the lease of his farm. Upon) mature consideration of the whole of the facts adduced in evidence, the jury concurred in finding' a verdict " that the deceased had terminated his existence while labouring under mental derangement ."

Coroner's fN'aur.sT. — An inquest wa<? also taken by the 0 Toner on Thursday last, at the gaol, on view of the body of a man of colour named Cook, vrho had been confined upon a cbirge of vagrancy— and died of a dibjased liver. A verdict was returned accordingly.

Svdvhv Markets — Tha supply of wheat arriving is bir small, and the demand equally so, from 43. to 4s. I Od. per bushel, being about the prices obtained for good samples. Van Dieman's Land wheat fetches from i) 3. 61. to ss. 9d. per bus'iel. Flour: Tin 1 demand for tiiio article is anything but brisk. The milleis itili quote i, 3133 13 for fine and £11 for seconds ; ration fl )ur is being offeied lor £B per ton. Maize: A good demand exists for maize. 2s. 'per hushel is obtained ; some inferior samples sell at from Is. lOd. to Is. lid. Potatoes: This maikct is tolerably well supplied, at from £5 15*. to £7 per tou. Onions sell at from 2ls. to Zls per cwt. Bran . This article is in demand at Is. per bushel by the ton. Hay and Straw: The for mer sold at from Gs. to 'Js. 3d. perevvt. by the load, and the latter at from 2s. 6t. to 4s. per cwi. Provisions : Butter, lOowt., sold at from 7£d, to 9J. per ib. Cheese, 3 cwt., 4d. to 411.: Bacon, 10 cwt., 4£d Eggs, wholesale, 10£ d. per dozen. llobsbs. — A lot of ten horses was sold by auction, at the cattle market, iind the prices realised were from £i fo £8, according to a?e and condition. Cattle.— We have only heard of two lots of bullocks being purchased by the butchers dming the week —one of 3'j heul, average weight 600 lbs., for £2 10s. per head ; and the other, 50 head, average weight COO lbs., for £2 7s. — Sydney Chronicle, Jan. 15. Hobart Town.— The wheat market is very dull, 5». per bushel hems; the ruling price, We have heard only of one lot which has fetched above that price ; this was a iinc sample, and brought ss. 4J. Flour, i>l3 per ton ; bread as usual. — Courier, Jan. 25. Launceston\ — We have nothing new to report in the wh?at market. No sales have been effected ; but the replies to our enquiries are, that 4s. 6d. to 4s. 9d. remains the nominal quota ion, — Examiner, Jan. 22. Adelaide.— Old wheat, 4s. 6d. to 4s. 9d. par bushel ; new ditto, 4s. to ss. per bushel ; fine old flour, £12 to £13 per ton ; new ditto, .£ll t<> .£l2 per ton ; oa's, 4s. GJ. to ss, ; English barley, 4s, 6d. to 55. ; Cape do. 3s, 9d. to 4s ; pollard, £b 10s per ton, or Is. 4d. per bushel of 201b5. ; bran, Is. 2J. per bushel ; malt, 7s. per bushel. The 21b. ioaf, 3d. — S. A. Retjisler, Dec. 24.