THE PUKEHINAU AFFAIR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 86, 15 August 1913, Page 8

THE PUKEHINAU AFFAIR.

■♦ A FIT SEIZED ME TO SHOOT HIM I [Per Press 'Association.] Dannevirke, August 1 I. The Pukehiuau shooting incident on lie Jth inst. was investigated before ,lr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., at Danne.irke to-day, when Win. Edward Ar'hur Clemens and Elizabeth Ireland vere charged with the attempted minder of Frederick dames IrtJand. L>v. ecfiVO Andrews prosecuted. Ireland, the man shot, a sheep farnir said he Had known demtfia for . iouc J 2 months. Ho had been a .requeut visitor to Ireland's nouse. ie i:ad met Clemens on July 26, ana nvitsd him to stay at nis place t.li m ;ot something to do. Accused traveiid August 4. Up to then they had ieen working and shooting together. /a August 4, Clemens left the house a the morning, and returned at six .'clock in the afternoon. Witness .nen gave his account of the tiring ij the first shot. He fell over. Jusid «s he got up a second shot was tired, art it ciid not hit him. He saw Clemens

.nning towards him, looking as if ,rying to open the gun They both ■an in the direction of the house, and icard Clemens call out: "Get another arDridge, missus!'' Accused went inj trie house. Witness ran to a leiguoor's place, where his wound., ,oi« at tended to by Dr. Sounness. He ..id never threatened to use a gun on ,iiy members of the household. jiie medical evidences showed that _reiand was shot in the arm and abjineii. Tnere were forty-one shot arks, one in a dangerous position. u'niiam Sounness, living a mile .way from Ireland, deposed that after .aeiiding to the injured man he went . ,ui Constable Oattanch to Ireland's place. When ho went in the constable ..ilormed Mrs Ireland that Clemen-, .ad shoo her husband. She, replied:

•'Don't say lie (Clemens) did it. 11 you say he did it, I'll do away wit.. ;i!vsell'!" Clemens was found in bed. ..ndresscd. When charged with the hooting, Mrs Ireland said he did not Jo it. Mrs Ireland was threatening to cio away with herself, having to be ~eld. She became hysterical, and. iter being taken to witness's house, she was arrested, and never inquir- . i after her husband. Constable Cattanch corroborated, :x\ said that when lie arrested Mrs ..eland she said: "I have been to lame all through." On the way to fangaroa she said nothing, but had previously asked 1 to he allo.ved to pui r.ii end to matters. He asked iv:r i hat she meant/She replied : "A drop i lysol. That's all." Witness found Jrsol bottle '''lit the house ■ Mrs ..-eland never at any tinve risked about :er husband

Detective Andrews produced a statclent voluntarily made by Clemens a I ; ahiatuiij in which accused said that n .Monday 4th August lie went to ongaroa and returned to Ireland's nuso at 0 p.m. He iiad tea and aytd crib. ; Oh several occasions . j Heard Ireland threaten to blow the brains of his family oitiiP On Monday evening Ireland appeared- very psct. "While I was talking to kirn,'' iid accused, "a fit seized me that i. did not shoot him lie would shoot ,e. J don't know how to account for ,ie lit. I got up, went outside, took up gun standing at the back door, loadi I both barrels and called him outside. Ie said: 'What's the matter?' and : replied : 'Come over here. There is a .-. >rsa in the fence.' 1 went over a small i dge. Ireland came over the ridge and ;ked where, the horse was. I replied: Down here.' He came down the ridge .bout half a dozen yards towards me. ' s he did so 1 fired at him one barrel the gun. From what I could see he tell and rose almost immediately and started to run. He was groaning id squealing. I x fired another shot. . him. Just as T fired the second shot ! heard him say: 'Oh, von b ■ I'll

11 yon first !' After that I went down j the house and went to bed, and reained there until Constable. Cattanh came and arrested me." This closed the case for the proseation. Mr Smith (solicitor for accused) ask 1 the Magistrate to discharge the feale accused on the ground that therr as no evidence to commit her f'oial. The Magistrate ruled that she he/ case to answer. Doth accused reserved their defence id were committed for trial to th' '•iprenie Court session at Palmerstor ortli, commencing on 19th inst. Application for hail was refuse'' 1 censed will await trial in Wellington : aol.