LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1216, 4 December 1882, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

[VER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION]. AUCKLAND, This day. At the inquest on the body of Jno. Winter, found dead in a shanty at Ponsonby, a. verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

DBEADFUL MURDER. i A terrible tragedy occurred yesterday < morning at Howick, fifteen miles from here. 1 A farm labourer on Mr David Nathan's j estate, named James Crowiey, murdered his i wife, Ellen Crowley, with a box iron. Crow- ! ley and his wife lived in a four or five roomed i house, about 100 yards from the residence of Mr Nathan's manager, Mr Frater, and the latter was alarmed about 9 a.m. by seeing Crowley’s daughter, a girl of 14, runingout of her father's house screaming that her father was killing Mrs Crowley, her stepmother. On going up to the house Frater saw Mrs Crowley lying on the floor dead ! with her face battered in. Frater did not ■ arrest Crowley, but directing two of the | men on the estate to keep him in sight, rode off to apprise Special Constable McGill in : the village. On the road about half way , the constable and Frater met Crowley api parently going on to Howick with two men ■ from the estate dogging his footsteps. At some little distance McGill, who has been 1 well acquainted with Crowley for some years ' past, at once accosted- him, and said, “I’m , sorry to hear of this business, Crowley, I ! must arrest you on a charge of murdering

t your wife,” cautioning him at the same time in the usual manner as to any statements he might make.” Crowley replied “ I could not help it; she kept nagging at me all < night.” The whole party returned to I Frater’s residente, and the prisoner was subj sequently conveyed to Auckland and lodged j in the police cells. Crowley had been eight J years in Mr Nathan’s service altogether. ’ Ellen Crowley was his second wife, and the j little was Crowley's child by his first wife. There was some disparity of years between ' the couple, Mrs Crowley being about twenty- | nine and Crowley about forty-seven. There : was no issue of the second marriage. For ■ years past the ill mated couple led a wretched : life, the husband taking a glass occasionally, but never to excess, and the wife having a ! reputation which was tolerably well known ' in the district of having an aggravating way j of “nagging” at her husband, and being ! somewhat of a termagent. The great source I of trouble was the stepdaughter, and it is ■ said that the girl was harshly treated by i Mrs Crowley. One of the party who visited ' the house yesterday, says that the apartment I which did duty for the girl’s bedroom was i partly filled with lumber. There was a blanket, coverlet, and something on the ! floor whi h appeared to be an apology for a mattross. Indeed the whole house had the air of discomfort and slovenliness. Crowley through such treatment I : clung close to his child, and his affection for ; j the little girl seems to have been a prominent trait in his character, and his action on be- ; half of the child led to continual broils be- ■ tween husband and wife. The “ ent and ‘ ' dog ” life got to such a pass that Crowley i was advised to get a separation from his wife I and it would have been well for both if the ! I suggestion had been carried out. Crowley ! j and his wife arc Roman Catholics. It ' :is nut known that either party has . ' any relatives either in this province ' jor in the Colony. Crowley bears the repu- . tation among the neighbors of being a quiet, , ; steady man, and was regarded by Frater as j ' a faithful and trustworthy servant. It seems j that latterly Crowley has been moody, mo- ! lancholy, ami somewhat eccentric. Among other freaks it is alleged that he j ! xvas ploughing the other day in a suit of black 1 j clothes, and had committed ot her acts equally i

■ singular. According to Crowleys statement i his wife had been nagging at him all the pre | vious night. They had had breakfast as the i remains of a meal still lay on the table when I Constable Gill entered the room. Mr and Mrs Crowley were accustomed occasionally to I walk into Howick to attend morning mass at the chapel there. There is reason to believe that she was about to set out for Howi k to attend Mass when the tragic affair took place. It is also stated that h. intended to go as he had on his black cloth suit, but Mrs Crowley had not ironed a shirt for him and refused to do so. Crowley thereupon got a steam iron to iron a shirt for himself, and it was while he had it in his hand, that frenzied with her refusal and her nagging, he lost all control of himself and committed the horrible deed. The tragedy was committed in the usual dining room. The unfortunate woman was found lying on her back, the features and the front part of the head being pounded into an unrecognisable msas of pulp, and the brains and blood bespatterred on the floor, table, and walls. She was fully dres- i sed as if to go out and her shawl and umbrella lay upon the table, and her bonnet at her feet where it had fallen in the struggle. On searching for the weapon with which the murder had been effected a patent steam box iron was found splashed with blood, and much battered and bent. Dr. Fitzgerald was of opinion, from the dreadful character of the wounds, that the woman must have died almost immediately.

TIMARU, This day. A six-roomed house at Maori Hill, occupied by Mr Walker, schoolmaster, and owned by Mrs McKenzie, was burned down yesterday afternoon. The house was insured for £3OO in the Royal, and the furniture for £l5O in the same office. Walker estimates his loss at £lOO. The flames fused all the telegraph wires and interrupted communication for a time. DUNEDIN, Dec. 2. At the Balclutha Police Court, on Wednesday, William Wilson was committed for trial at Dunedin, for indecently ass aulting a Mrs. Twaddell, at Waitepeka. From the evidence of the prosecutrixit appeared that ac cused called at her residence and asked for some food, and she supplied him with some. He had partaken thereof, and attempted to throw her down. She escaped, and soon afterwards informed her husband of what

had hapn«Hefl ( He followed the accuwdj **4Mm some distance on the rted. The Benevolent Carnival sports veeterdoy wire i great success,

CHRISTCHURCH Dec. 2, A child named Amy Richards, aged 2i years, residing at Woodend, has been missing since Tuesday, under somewhat suspicious circumstances. A search party was out all day, but tip to a late hour had no tidings further thari finding her hat, which had something off it resembling blood. It was handed to Professor Beckerton, for microscopic examination. Two of her sisters were with the child on Tuesday, and left her with her father, whb returned home without her, and appeared unconcerned when questioned as to her whereabouts. He, however, assisted in the search on Thursday and Friday. This Dav. Two men, while bathing at New Brighton beach yesterday, were chased by a shark, but managed to escape, and the shark, getting stranded on the beach, was captured ana taken to town. The Government accept the services of the Christchurch College Rifle Corps. The child Ada Whitclow, who wandered from home at Woodend on Tuesday last, was found at mid-day on Saturday, in a very weak and delirious condition, She had had no lood. Large search parties vainly sought for her every day. She is now recovering.

OPUNAKE, This Day. About midnight on Saturday a fire broke out in Capt. Good’s house at Oeo. The furniture, clothing, and nearly everything belonging to the family have been ‘destroyed. The place was uninsured, and the loss heavy. A n w addition to the house, just being built, was also partly destroyed, WELLINGTON, This Day. .Judgment was deliveeed in the Appeal Court this morning, as follows: - R. Cooper v. Coleman (Gisborne). Appeal allowed with costs. By this decision a person cannot be adjudicated a bankrupt on the application of the person who purchased the debts for the purpose of adjudicating him a bankrupt. Judgment will be given in Hurrey v. Bank of New South Wales on Weddesday.