NORTH AUCKLAND MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 315, 31 May 1911, Page 5

NORTH AUCKLAND MURDER.

ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT. AN UNLIKELY STORY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Tuesday. The trial of the. Maori, Tahi Kaka, charged with the murder of John Freeman at Puhipuhi, was continued in the Supreme Court this morning. Sergt. Moore produced a confession of the crime signed by accused, but stated he did not caution accused before taking down his confession, as it was made voluntarily and not in answer to questions. Counsel for prisoner said he would address the jury later on the combination of circumstances which implicated Kaka in the crime. Meanwhile, he would put him in the witness-box to tell his own story so that the jury might determine whether accused was a murderer or not.

Kaka, accused of murder, gave evidence in fairly good English. He stated he was 16 or 17 years of age. He described how he accompanied Freeman in pursuit of gum, and noticed something bulging in Freeman's hip pocket. Freeman said he had £2O. Prisoner added: "I thought he was joking, and I said, 'Give me the money or I'll kill you.'" Freeman had a spear in his hand and a spade at his side. "Come on, kill me!" said Freeman, who dropped the spade, taking up the spear in both hands, and threw it at prisoner. Then he picked up the spade, striking prisoner on the shoulder. Freeman made to clutch prisoner by both hands, but prisoner ducked, and Freeman fell on top of him, both going to the ground. Freeman was trying to get an axe out of his bag. so prisoner hit him three blows over the head with a stick, and prisoner ran away, and, as Freeman did not follow, prisoner returned, to find that Freeman was not quite dead. Prisoner was verv sorry for him, and cried because he thought he was dead. Prisoner thought lie would be hung for killing a man, and remembering Freeman had said he had money, prisoner took the money out of his hip pocket. ' FOUND GUILTY. SENTENCED TO DEATH. Auckland, Last Night. The jury after an hour's deliberation found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to death, with a recommendation to mercy on account of his youth.