THE CLINTON TRAGEDY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1468, 28 August 1883, Page 2

THE CLINTON TRAGEDY.

■ TH| C&| ER'S INQU|fIS| • with ,itbe recent' shooting case at Olintorfwa? 'openedthereto-day, before Dr Smith, Coroner. Mr Denniston watched the lads Roy.- ( The principal evidence was that given-oy.thWgine-driver (Peter Dunn) and Detfiotive Henderao'n. Dunn said'wlTeri' about "three Clinton, as near and, when, a cutting;; aWitia; he heard a report, round, exclaimed, seeming •to'Be"'olrthe,iame nijridf twisted r'bund to look,'-and witnesViaw a' 1 * flash of light, -and before, tkey> cduld',,iealise what 'Be,csud shot; Witness saw the' flash of this alao.;. After thor second; ■ shot,; de-Censed-put-bis 5 to" his' left 'breast, and, explaimed ■?'Oh 1" three times, and as he did so he' tried to make his way over to witness, atidekclaimed "• OhV Peter,'rin ; Witness said, ; ." No, lyou can't be,"' but) dedeased ■ fell into his arms;, DeceaseH l was found to

be dead, when they returhef-to 1 ' Clinton, The seiond shot about three seconds after the '.first. ■. potective Henderson detailed his. interview iwitithe boys before; the arresfc He .James and John Roy riding through, a paddock in- ; a cart. v'Witness' told'-them"' to ; stop, and called John on/one''side,::leavingConstable Wilson; : to' talk' ip James. Witness asked John if He had been out with a cjuri on the previous night. He said that he had':b'een out rabbiting with James, who hid a gun too. Witness then asked if they had fired, any shots, and heireplied,' : " Yes£; at"; rabbits." Witness"'asked if they .had been on the railway lino near Wairuna, at-about 10' o'clock at night, and he replied, V Yes." Wit-ness-asked 'if'they.hajj ,fjr|d any shots abouttheioand he"replied "No;..it was my brother he fired: off my gun." Witness asked if he saw the train while there, and he said "Yes. One passed just at the time," Witness arid John wore just'then joined by James and Alexander. Witness asked Johniif he saw the train pull up, and he replied " Yes; but we did not know that there was anything the matter," and James replied "Perhaps,there is something wrong ;withtbi steanipipe.". After this occurred, we'loaded.'thegu'hs, and came baok along the line for some distance, and cut through the .town to go home. Witness told l the'lii tUt they T would have to go to Clinton on a.chai ge.

of cominittijg the deed by which the ; \ deceased, (Jobii Henderaipn) lost his life'; John said; "Well, we did not, i intend to hurt anyone; we did not know that there was a man;shot 8 till this morning at ten ? o'clock," : He also said to Alexander f : ( ; ' Didn't , you fire off my. gun," ; and,' Alexander . said "Yes." John said lie did..not j know there was' any shot in his giin; as he had drawn it before; and: Janjes:. also said that there was not any shot in ; his gun, He fired fifst, and then Alex , ander'fired,,.Witness.then/.arrested' ] James and Alexander for shooting deceased, and John for being an acces- j ;sory. Isabella . Cruickshahks Stated that she resides at the iWairnna Rail- , way Stationi Oti Thursday last James , and John Roy called at her place at , about 6 p,ra,, and Alexander about mi hour later. They had two guns be- | tween them. They left the house, at about a quarter to 10 o'clock. To Mr , Denniston: The boys coiild "go home' along the railway-line if they choose. Witness:, said ; its ,-they , went; away, "Boysj iniud the 10 o'clock train is nearly due." She did not see which way they went. John Roy deposed that be resides at Gore, and that from jwhat ho heard of ithis matter, he oame to Clinton, and saw.'the boys, who are his 1 nephews. '> He asked 1 ' John if he' fired & gun, and he said, ".Noj.Aiexf ander fired off my gun." He likewise said that" he took the ramrod and removed the nhot or the greater part of it in case of any danger: After hearing; the remaining !evidencbjXthe 'Coroner, in addressing the jury, said:—" There is ; no doubt that the deceased, John Henderson, was shoj', while, on the engine 1 of the'goods''train'which left Clinton on Thursday evening last. It appeared' that the John,James, and Alexander.Boy, were,out shooting on the 23rd instant, and went in tlio. everting to visit their aunt, Mrs Cruicksbanks. They left there at nearly 10 o'clock to go homo, evidently intending to idischarge'the-gurig ! -on the way. When the tra : .n passed James- and Alexander discharged their . gnus, whethorjijtending, to-tire-.them : : 1 at'the train parsing at, thetinker riot,i there is little to show. Thereis, in fact, nothing to show, that they'maliciously fired at the train; hut it proved that the shots took effect uponthe deceased*-, andupbntheeiigino. ; Itiwouldjip'p'ear that Alexander had "asked John for his guntoifire off, aoiihat John evidently did not fire it himself; but the shots were- '■ - discharged'• : by : Jaines" and Alexander, and he had nothhing at all i to do with Jhe -firing. If you think, . gentleman, that there was any mali- . cious intent you will be required to ~ return a, verdict: Mypui i thiiik .tliey. merely fifediat? the 'trairi / iar amusement and out of a spirit of •larri- | kiifuh; and unfortunately' killefr'the' ( deceased, then it will be a case of manI slaughter. The jury, after,.tDrec-quarterei of m\ j' h6ur'flr deliberation", 'returned lthe/fol- . lowing verdict:—"That James and Alexander Roy, during the night of the 23rd instant, diiicharged.iheir guns rookleasly whiUt' the train : through the cutting.near Wairuna, {. thereby causing the,death of the deceased, John''HenderaoK'' '" u This amounted to'averdict of man-, slaughter against the : twri lads, ami; j they were bound..over,in,two-sureties- . of 'd£3so. ! each,.to .appear before tU i Resident Magistrate on Wednesday; The.lads' fatherland' MrHarison, the local schoolmaster, -became the sureties, l: Auokund, Tjiosday.^.. ) . William Nash, thud Jang on,.the" Joyereign of'the' Seas, ,was knocked ' bVerboard' and drowned whilo the ~ vessel wag jibing off the Great Barrier on Friday last.

■';: V : Wellington, Tuesday. 0h& directors [of the Golden Crown sKnjng have accepted the J&df*of|E. Seager/for ! a ten head battfery, ptjce.i£l2oj|i : will Jbe compound condensing supplied with ail the latest improvements, the work to be completed and battery erected at Terawhiti within four months.