INQUEST ON KATE KENNEDY. Auckland, December 17.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 326, 19 December 1888, Page 5

INQUEST ON KATE KENNEDY. Auckland, December 17.

MICXACL McDbrmott, the perpetrator of the Swanson-streeii tragedy, is stui alive and doiag so well that notwithstanding the »wkward bullet holes in hi* head, he is now eoniidtred to hare a rery fair prospect of inrriTing the consequences of his rash act, •>nd Mißweiinif for his misdeeds. Apertoßortna ez»minatioQ of the body

of Kate Kennedy, the woman who died from injuries received in the shooting, wai made at the Hospital. It was found that death h*d been caused by a bullet which had penetrated under the right breast, penetrated the liver and intestines, and pasting out of the left hip. An inquest on the body of Kate Kennedy was commenced at the Hospital at 2 p.m. to-day, before Dr. Philson, coroner, and tke following jury: Henry A. Hoffman, Wm. Beehan, Hugh* Mcllhone, Jamea OBrien, Robert Armistead, Alfred Jno. Tapper. Inspector Broham represented the police. The witnesses summoned to attend were William Wright and Mrs Wright, and Joseph Henry Neylon (tkreeof McDermotts neighbours), Sergeant McMahon, and Detective Hughes, Dr. Hooper, and Drs. Lindsay and Bell, of the Hospital. Mr Beehan was chosen foreman of the ! jury. Mr Brassey appeared to watch the inquest on behalfof the deceased. Sergeant McMahon wai the first witness called. He deposed to having been called to Michael McDermott on the night of the murder. Witness asked McDermott why he had shot himself and McDermott replied " Becaube that Kate Kennedy is erery night tempting me and robbing me. She has been at me this four or five years. I shot her too, I discharged three shots, two at myself and one at her. She broke my tobacco and my candle. I fired at her first and tken at myself." Tn answer to questions put to McDermott by witness, McDermott said tkatke had not been drinking. He asked McDermott if Mrs Paterson and Kata Kennedy were the same person and McDermott replied in the affirmative. McDermott said to witness, " There is a bundle of papers in my coat pocket. Keep them; they are the cause of the whole affair, or hey will explain the cause of the whole affair." The papers were produced. Inspectorßroham stated that these papers contained a large amount of correspondence that would take the juryaboue two hours to go through. They contained charges again«t a number of persons, who were possibly in- | nocest and McDermott appeared to have been somewhat unhinged in his mind. It was undesirable to give tkese letters to tke public. Some parts of the letters were written eligibly enough, but other parts showed that the man's mind must have been quite unhinged. He (Inspector Broham) therefore suggested that the letters skould be read by the jury privately. Dr. Philson said that as the object of the j inquest was merely to ascertain the cause of death he did not think that it was necessary to make the letters public. The contents of the letters would come out subsequently. Mr Brassey said that the object of the inquest was not only to ascertain the cause of death, but also to find out what had led up to the cause of death. He insisted that the letters should be read. These letters would possibly lead to something which the jury wanted to know. He thought the letters should not only be read, but placed in the hands of the press, and that this inquiry should not be burked in any shape or form. He did not personally know the contents of these letters, and he thought that as he was watching the interests of deceased, he had a right to know their contents. Inspector Broham said that ke strongly objected to the letters being read. Directly they were touched upon it would be seen tkat it was undesirable that they should be read. He thought it was not right that the names of a lot of persons who were probably innocent should be dragged into this matter. Mr Brassey said tkat the question was are they the names of innocent persons ? Dr. Philson said that as McDermott had acknowledged committing the crime with his own hands no one else could be accused of it. Mr Brassey said that the jury were entitled to have these letters read to them, and tkat he, as counsel, was entitled to know what they contained. Inspector Broham suggested that the jury should read the letters when they retired to consider the verdict, and he con sented to Mr Brasaey looking over the letters afterwards. The question was submitted to the jury for decision and they resolved that the letters should not be read in public at the inquest, bnt that they shoald be read by tke jury privately, when they retired to consider their verdict.