THE WELLINGTON MURDER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1905, 18 June 1889, Page 4

THE WELLINGTON MURDER.

Wellington, June 14, The Court was crowded this morning, when Louis Chi-mis was charged with having murdered Thomas Hawkins. Mr 0. Bunny,.withM> Devine, appeared for the accused, and Me H. D. Bell .for the Crown. Mr Bell briefly ,dassribed the locality where the crime’was committed and the oiroumstances under which the body was found, and brifly summarised the, evidence which it was intended to produce, which waq mainly a recapitulation of facts already known, except that ho mentioned that pieces of paper in the wads in the gun would play an .important part in the evidence. One piece of paper found on the ground where the murder was committed fitted exactly that extracted from a wound in the body of deceased, and these two pieces fitted a torn Evening Press of 17th November, 1888, found in the prisoner’s house, Other .shredjiOf paper found at the scene of the murder also fluted a paper found in aooufed’s house dated 23rd May, 1889. It would be proved beyond a possibility of doubt that the fragment of paper which entered Hawkins’ in front of the shot was a portion of-the paper found atOhemis’s. This would be the main evidence .againstaccused. At the accused's house a dagger and double-barrelled gun were found, the latter having been recently discharged j also, roughly-cast bullets, and as’theie did not fit the barrel of the gun it was suggested that a large quantity of paper would be required as wads. Ohemii explained that the gun had been fired at quail, and that the dagger had, not left its sheath for a long time. D. J, A. Cooper, Registrar of the Supreme Court, produced papers in the action Hawkins v, Chernis. The case had been heard -before the murder, but reserved for further consideration. Argument, however, had not been taken;

F. G. Bolton, solicitor, said Ohomis had agreed to lease the land from Hawkins. Witness prepare 1 the draft of the lease, and took it to Ohepus for perusal, but he refused to read it, and said he would not execute an; lease. A writ was next served on CJhenfia by witness. Accused refused to take it, and the writ was thrown on the ground beside him. The evidence of Qeo. Bowles, laborer, a cousin of the deceased, and who first found the body, ajjd gf Mrs Hsakins, wife of deceased, wag token, but fas of little importance. Dr ’Cahill gaye a lengthy description of the wounds, which was the came as that given at the inquest. Ho deposed to taking out a quantity of pieces of paper and shot from the wound, These he took home and cleaned from ■ blood by soaking the fragments in successive dishes of tepid water. He then placed the pieces in folds of clean white blotting paper, and, after pressing them, dried them in an oven. Subsequently, at Inspector Thompson's request, the pipebs of paper were handed over tp a genUamsn in the Government Buildings, who was making a certain investigation for the police in connection with this case. The weapon to have caused the wound® must have been doubleedged, tapering, and very efcrong. A stilletto (produced}, or a similar weapon, would have produced such, wounds. " He communicated his suspicions of foul play to the police at aboutill o’clock on the night of the murder. There were no bloodstains on the stiletto when! he first it. This concluded • the eyamipatjop qf Dr Cahill, and, it being 5,15 p.m., the prisoner wao remanded till 10 o’clock on Tuesday. The accused’s demeanor is cool and collected.