SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

Patea Mail, 16 December 1880, Page 3

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

RECEIVED LAST NIGHT. Sentence of Death ON TUHI. ANOTHER CONFESSION. Wellington, Wednesday Evening. On the handcuffs being taken off the prisoner Tuhi after he was brought into Court this morning, he smiled bonignautly. The confession made by him at Opunaki was read and translated and appeared to afford him considerable gratification as judged by his still smiling countenance. He appeared quite jolly. Thirty witnesses in all were examined, the evidence being a repetition of that given before the Coroner at the inquest. Constable Taylor deposed that Tuhi made the following confession to him: “Iliad no intention of killing the woman when I loft. When we met I said ‘ Where did you come from V She did not understand, and I continued to ask her. She was frightened, and gave me Gs 4d, I was on my horse at this time. When I received the money she said she would toll the soldiers about me, I was afraid of my crime of taking money from the woman, 1 got off my horse and tied it to a flax-bush. The woman ran away when she saw me tie up my horse. I ran after her, threw her down on the ground, and choked her. I thought if I choked or strangled her she would die, I let her go, and a little time after she rose up. I then ran to her and cut (or stabbed) her throat, I took her by the back of the neck and drove her along, so that she might he a distance from the road. When she had gone a distance she fell, and I dragged her to a place where there was a large quantity of flax, and there laid her, I (hen went to catch my horse, and heard Hone Pihama’s buggies going along the road. When they had passed I caught my horse and wont. That is all.” The Crown prosecutor, Mr Izard, and prisoner’s counsel, Mr Fonvood, each occupied about thirty-five minutes in summing-up after the evidence had boon fully given. The verdict of “ guilty ” being brought in by the jury, at a quarter to throe, o’clock, sentence of death was duly pronounced, though the day of execution was not fixed. After the sentence was pronounced the Maori witnesses were unanimous in expressing satisfaction at the result.