The Murder at Pokeno.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5028, 23 February 1885, Page 2

The Murder at Pokeno.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

The following further particulars of the murder of Mary Prendergast by ; her husband, at Pokeno on Thursday last, are taken from Auckland fileis to hand :— The jury in due time .reached the dwelling house, and were there joined by Dr Dalziel, who had come up to make the post mortem examination. The front door was found to be locked, and it was stated that for sonse • time paat the prisoner had prohibited, anyone from opening it. On entering from the back,to tha kitchen, the place where the body had / been, found j lying on the floor beside the table was pointed out; Deceased was fully dressed', rind lay on her left side, with one hand under her head atod, the other stretched by:--her side.; From;lthis position they: had -lifted her, and laid heron the stretcher bed< in her room. On;; the; table were the remains of a breakfast, a cup and saucer, which had been used, a second saucer on'which was some buttter, a sugar basin, and some cut breud on a plate. On the hob/ was a crockery ware teapot containing tea. The sons say that thpse'were not on the table when:they left,; at ab'mt half»pßst nine' o'clock in the morning, and the inference was that Pren-; dergast must have prepared breakfast for! himself b>for^ going to Mercer, after ttie murder hadbeen committed. There was also found a heavy mortising chisel, which had manifestly been used by the husband to prize open the door of his 'wife's bed^ room.. This is apparent fromtheindentations on the door and jamb, as^ell as by; the straiaed condition of the latch fastening. Mrs Prendergast had, evidently' locked herself in her room, being afraid of her husband (as she had good reason to •be* he haviug before threatened to take: her life), and he had prized, opeii the.door and dragged her out into the other room, and there ruthlessly shot her. This supposition is borne out by the statement of the prisoner, < that " she pleaded hard for mercy, but it was no: good*" In the bedroom the body lay on a narrow stretcher or bed beside the wall. It was fully clothed, and the powder marks and hole in the dress at once showed where the bullet had, taken effect. The outer portion of the dress—a drab stuff—was singed aud blackened by the powder.' Dr Dalziel at once commenced to undress the body to trace tho wound; He -found a bullet hole just beneath -the/left breast. It was evidently fired from above the victim,] for on tracing.its course he found that it was at first ddwnw ; ard for about an inch or more, after, which it glanced off,the breastbone diagonally, and then entered' the cavity, penetrating' the heart, and finally lodging just underneath the skin, close to the backbone. '\.,\

[Pee Pjkhss AsspciATipN.j

Auckxand, This day*

An; inquesfc on, the remains of Mrs Prender«ast, murdered by her husband, was held afc Pokeno 'on Saturday, 1 Prendergast; being also present. /He manifested great unconcern, frequentlyfjejacu-! latinp, " I did it." On one occasion, when impatient at the'length of time taken by the clerk to write down the evidence, lie remarked with a chuckle—" You might hang half-adozen of us for the time you take."^- ■■ ■-„..'".; ; ; ;- ■.":;-- V r ■■■'. :'•. „' •■-.■'•';