HORRIBLE MURDER IN AUCKLAND.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 25, 3 February 1863, Page 2

HORRIBLE MURDER IN AUCKLAND.

"Wo copy from tho Daily Southern Crost of the Bth ult., the following particulars of the murder at Wan gar oa : — " A deserter from the 40th Regiment of Foot, named George Johnson, makes his way to Wan* gnroaon tho 23rd December, in search of employment as a sawyer. The evening of the following day he calls at the hut of a sawyer named Von Arsdale, where he first saw the man Whitaker. On his approach, whitaker invited tho stranger to drink a glass of rum with him, about half a pint of which,it seemed Whitaker had in a bottle, Johnson declined the proffered drink, at the same time producing a bottle of gin ; and Whitaker and his companion, Von Arsdale, each drank a glass of the gin. It does not appear, from the statements published by us, that Johnson joined the other men in drinking, bnt most likely he did ; nor is it quite clear whether Whitaker had more than one glass of gin. One thing is quite certain, however, that Von Arsdale, after drinking the first glass of gin, returned to his bed, from which he had risen on the coming of Johnson; Whitaker and Johnson were left together, and from the letter of a Wan. garoa correspondent, it would be inferred that more liquor was consumed by these men, for our correspondent writes that it came out in evidence that a considerable quantity of drink wag consumed at the scene of tho murden We may readily suppose, therefore, that more than one glass of gin was drunk by Whitaker, and that Johnson joined him in tho drunken debauch. Indeed such a supposition is necessary to understand what followed, for it would be impossible to suppose that any man in a state even of compative sobriety, as Johnson must have been on coming to Von Arsdale'a house, would havo undertaken the murderous work at which, a few minutes afterwards, he was engaged. We may reasonably conclude, therefore, that the two ineri who began the quarrel, were the worse for, drink before the women, who were the immediate cause of the dispute, appeared on the scene. On the entrance of two women— r-a half-caste and a native — Johnson invited them' to drink gin, and Whittaker interfered to prevent this, stating that many rows had been caused at the house betore, on account of giving these women drink.^This check* enraged Johnson, who attacked Whitaker, and inflicted several stabs on his body with a butcher's knife. Von Arsdale got up to the relief of his comrade, and was in turn attacked by Johnson, and so severely injured that he expired in a few hours.- Johnson escaped, to tho bush, leaving the unhappy men lying in their blood. He was subsequently arrested, and on the yerdict of the coroner's jury committed for trial a* the Supreme" Court, on. a charge of wilful laurderr