MURDER AT WELLINGTON. A SETTLER SHOT. Wellington, June 3.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 374, 5 June 1889, Page 5

MURDER AT WELLINGTON. A SETTLER SHOT. Wellington, June 3.

It has now transpired that Thomas Haw. kins, the Kaiwarra settler who was found dead on the road leading to his residence^ was cruelly and foully murdered. It will be remembered that Hawkins, who lived in the Upper Kaiwarra, a few miles from Wellington, left town at live on Friday, and was found three hours lator lying dead on the branch road which loads to his farm. The body was lying at full length, and bore marks of violence on the neck, and his vest waa considerably torn. A post mortem examination on the body of Hawkins ia still going on, but the authorities are very reticent as to what has been discovered. To all appearance, however, a most determined, and at the same time a most cowardly murder has been committed.

TIRED AT TWICE. From inquiries niade on the spot, and the nature of tho wounds, so far as ascertained, it is evident that the poor fellow was fired at twice, and life finally extinguished by the blows of a knife. Portions of the vest and coat, blown away as by the discharge of a gun, were found on the road some distance from the body, and stones marked with blood lay about in various places'. Along with the fragments of cloth were the remains of Hawkins's pocket knife, broken up and twisted as though considerable force had been used. There was a great deal of blood where the body lay, but little anywhere else. In a gully about 25 yards from the scene was found a stone weighing perhaps I^l b, jagged and partly covered with blood. There were no signs of tho body having been dragged from where the patches of cloth and the knife lay to the spot where it was found. These discoveries dispose of the possibility of Hawkins having been killed by a simple fall from his trap, and besides, it is known he always used to walk up this part of the road, which is very steep md narrow, and is dominated by banks on either side.

A RUFFIANLY ASSASSIN. When ifc was found that besides the wounds in the throat there was a charge of shot in the shoulder, the police at once regarded it as a case of murder, and began to look for further clues. The theory which an inspection of the locality seems to favour, is this : The assassin waited for his victim on the bank, in a position where he would be very close to anyone toiling up the steep. 'As soon as Hawkins came near he fired one barrel of a shotgun, but did little more than cut away the portion of clothing found on the road. Hawkins, instinctively suspecting perhaps with whom he had to deal, turned and ran down the road for his life, but a second shot, better aimed, struck him in the ■ shoulder, and brought him down belore he had gone many yards. This wound was not necessarily fatal, but the murderer, determined to leave nothing to chance, must then have gone up to the prostrate man and finished his work with a knife or sharp weapon. Hawkins was lying on his face, and from the position of the hands would seem to have put up his arms to ward off the blows of the knife. This is the opinion the police have formed of the circumstances of the tragedy, and on it they are working. Dr. Cahill has given it as his- opinion that no blood would spurt up from wounds so made by direct downward force, and consequently the murderer might have gone a way without a spot on him.

AN ITALIAN SUSPECTED. Having come to the conclusion that it was a case of deliberate murder, the police turned their attention to the assassin. From the facts that the dead man's watch was not taken, and that if he had any money on him it was not a large sum, the cause of the crime is at paesent believed to be vengeance rather than ' robbery. Amongst Hawkins's neighbours is an Italian, who has been heard, so it is alleged, to utter threats against him in consequence of some litigation in which they were engaged. His house was searched, and a bone-handled dagger, with a double-edged blade about six inches in length, found. A shot flask was also obtained. The dagger, however, bore no signs of blood, and the shot in the flask were not of the same size as those in the body. No clothes were discovered at all blood-3tained, and none had been recently washed. The demeanour of the man and his wife was calm, and not that of guilty people.

THE POLICE SEARCH. Inspector Thomson and the detectives were busy all yesterday and to-day prose cuting their search, bufc up to the present it is not known whether they have found anything more conclusive. It may bo mentioned that this is the first murder which has occurred in Wellington since Clarence Miller, a draughtsman in Mill's foundry, killed his ' father and mother on Wellington Terrace, and then committed suicide, some nine yeai's ago. Dr. Cahill finished the post-mortem this afternoon', but declined to give any information till after the inquest, which is fixed for nine o'clock this morning.