Constable Charged of Murder.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2134, 26 July 1898, Page 2

Constable Charged of Murder.

An extraordinary occurrence took place at Freshford, a small village about seven miles from Kilkenny. It appears that Mr William O’Neill, an extensive auctioneer and merchant, drove to Freshford to collecting £7. or £8 due to him for household furniture by a police (Unstable stationed in the village. When he arrived the constable was on patrol duty, and Mr O’Neill waited his return, chatting meanwhile to another policeman outside the constable returned from duty he walked straight into the barracks without speaking to Mr O’Neill, and entering the guardroom, where there was no other constable at the time, he, it is alleged, removed his rifle from the rack, and, loading it with a buckshot cartridge, fired deliberately at Mr O’Neill through the window. " The pane of glass was shattered to pieces, and 12 pellets lodged in the unfortunate man, who survived only for about five j minutes. The accused walked cool y out of the barracks to his own residence, where he was subsequently arrested" and conveyed to Kilkenny Gaol under a s rong escort. The accused man, who is married, and has a family of seven children, has been 16 or 17 years in the force, and has hitherto borne a good character.