THE HOWARD CASE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1460, 28 January 1886, Page 2

THE HOWARD CASE.

THE ACCUSED COMMITTED TOR TRIAL. The severed hand case was resumed at Christchurch, on Tuesday morning. Mr Joint appeared for Howard. The hand, preserved in spirits, was produced in Court. The evidence in the morning did not not reveal much not previously published. A witness named J. W. Nicholls stated that Mrs Howard, the day after Howard’s arrest, told him she had received two letters addressed to Howard signed John Watt (Howard’s alias), one containing 30a, said to bo part-payment of a box Howard had sold to the writer. She stated further that on the evening of December 15t.h she was accosted near the railway station by a strange man, who asked her if she was likely to get the insurance money, and followed her to Addington. Inspector Pender deposed that on December 19th Mrs & iward admitted having received a letter unsigned on the day previous to the hand being found, asking her to meet a friend in Cathedral Square at mid day next day (December 16ch). She said she had not done so because the hand turned up in the meantime. This was untrue, as she was not told of the band being found till seven in the evening. Elisha Godfrey bad first said that Watson, a storekeeper, had shown him the hand, but on Decomber 19th he stated that a man, evidently disguised, had done so, and he asked him not to let anyone know that ho was there, as ho held an official position in Christchurch, Frederick Godfrey refused to make any statement. George White, newspaper runner, deposed that at § a.rn. on December l§th, Howard, disguised with long hair and carrying a small parcel, offered him five shillings to drive him to Sumner. White could not do ao, and afterwards saw

Howard walk over the Ferry bridge to* wards Sumner. White had picked out Howard at the police station from several men wearing goggles. Richard Stevens, a lad, said he saw Howard hanging about Taylor’s Mistake on December 16th. James Henry Moore saw a roan resembling Howard, but with black hair and moustache, waiting about Taylor's Mistake for an hour on the same day. This j witness had also seen Elisha Godfrey near the same place. Elizabeth Ann Watson, wife of tha postmaster at Sumner, said that on December 16th a man, whom she . believed to be Howard, but who then wors a large moustache, asked her to send a message to inspector Fender about the finding of the hand. J. M. Thompson, licensee of the Heathcote Arms, said that Howard oal’ed in on the afternoon of the same day, and told him that Howard's band was found at Taylor’s Mistake. George Asbbolt deposed that B. Godfrey said be thought the hand was put where it was found when he was fishing, as it was not there when he passed there the first time. James Carter, who accompanied the Godfreys to Taylor’s Mistake, stated that he left them alone for about three hours. Further evidence showed that E. Godfrey at one time said be had found the hand himself. When Frederick Godfrey was brought to the police station Elisha told him to make a clean breaat of it and tell all about the other man finding, the hand for them. Constable O’Rourke, who brought r Howard frotn Wellington, deposed that on the voyage he said ; “ I’ve done nothing wrong, only to put my clothes on the rock. I intended to go to the goldfields near California, and I thought there would be no more about it. I know nothing about the hand, but I saw by tbe papers that the ring hnd beea identified as being like mine, i’ll knew my ring well. It was a very weighty one with tbe tongue of the buckle off, I left it in my vest pocket on the rock. ‘ A.H.’ is oarved on it. 1 did it myself with a diamond. I was down at Christchurch on Anniversary Day. I met several of tbe police, but none of them knew me.” James Beard, a station cook, stated that Howard, under the name of Wait, tried to get him to help to open a grave in Masterton cemetery, saying he wanted to see if a certain body was that of a man who had bad some property in Germany. Several other witnesses were examined, but their evidence was either confirmatory or proved facts already widely known. Thirty-one witnesses bad given evidence, when the case was adjourned t« 10 a.m. on Wednesday The severed hand case was resumed yesterday morning at the R.M, Court, eight witnesses being examined, Sarah Ann Margell stated she saw a man like Howard wearing a soft hat and goggles passing Mrs Howard’s house on December 15th. A boy named Morris Coleman deposed that a man of similar appearance to Howard gave him a letter to take to Mrs Howard. Herbert Nicholson stated that he took a jletter from Masterton from Howard to Mrs Howard. Mrs Howard’s sister deposed that, she was married to Howard on board tbe Janet Court on the voyage from England by the Captain, John Crawford. There was no clergyman on board. No evidence was called for the defence. Mr Holmes addressed the Btnch, submitting there was nothing in tho evidence to connect the Godfreys with Howard. The Bench committed all the prisoners for trial, and allowed bail—tbo Godfreys and Mrs Howard in tiro sureties of £IOO each, and Howard two sureties in £2OO and himself in £2OO.