COMMERCIAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3269, 30 July 1889, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

London, July 28, Tallow, medium, mutton, 265; ditto, beef, 24s Gd, The English wheat market bns undergone a general advance; Continantml -1»*»—- *•»—s»p~i-ard - lonJoilUJ" j American remains steady, N,Z, wheat on passaga'averages 80s; Australian flour, 38s Gd j colonial oats, common sorts, average 22a Gd, 1 Shares—Average price, Union Steamship Co., £l4lO a; N.Z. Shipping Co,, £4 ; Shaw, Savill, £B.

The Murder of the Pook Family.

e CONFESSION OF !HE n MURDERED ° f The confession of Huira te Piri, who was executed for the murder of Mr and Mrs Pook and their child on 0 the East Coast on Wednesday, sth a December, 1888, lias been laid on the 1 table of the Legislative Council i, pursuant to the motion of the Hon, e Sir G. S. Whitmore. The confession • was taken on oath, intheKapier Gaol 0 by Mr G. Preece, fyll,, oi] t|ie 10th May last, just before tiio capital sentence was carried into effect. Tlio j convict commences by asserting that . Hofcepo, after giving him a suit of , clothes, which subsequently to the 1 committal of the assassination of the . Eook family was found to have been j stolen, persuaded him to visit Pook's store, where they saw Mrs Pook, j who at that time .was alone, with the exception of tbo child, who . was in a room of the dwelling place. The convict goes on to state that , Hohepa gayo him a cheque for £6 (also subsequently proved to have , been stolen) before they went into the 1 store. He adds " I and tlio woman i stood together inside counter, and < after buying a lot of goods I gave the woman the cheque, and she gavo 26s change to me. At this time Pook case in by the back door and saluted m, and I returned his salutation, "Tennkoe." We were not long standing inside, the counter before Pook turned his' face and looked at the clothes on me, and' asked where they came from, and I told him 1 got them from Holiepn, and pointed to him, When I pointed to him he (Hohepa) changed his countenance, The woman handed the chequo to ■Pook, who, after looking at me, squeezed it in Lis hand, and, looking at me, said, leave your things till the morning, I felt troubled, for I felt ho (Pook) knew the clothes I wore, and also tlio cheque, had been 3tolen. I turned )ny bsipk, then Hohepa caught up the iron and struck Pook, ! and Pook fell on me. I cried out and i tlio woman did too. The blood spurted on to me, on to my back and ! on front, and his head came on to my I shoulder, I ran outside, , After I aft hB (Hohepa) killed the woman. "When I was out some time he came gfter me; lie caqght me, IJe had an axe in hjs hand a|l covered with blood. He went baok to the house, ] and presently I followed." The con- t demned man then proceeds to relate e how they both looted the store of all ] the money they could come across, ] and this being accomplished, Hohepa urged him. to kill the child,and lie j gofs on to say " [ told him I would g nov .^ reß '° ( to murder). The ] child sit up itl the time, and jooked t at us. I felt sorry tor ti? child. I r said to him don't kill the child, I he replied it won't do, the child knows t: roe, He then entered the room and took g hold of the child with both his bands, q I went out at that time. I did not see ( him kill the child. Hohepa soon I came outside, and said to me, let us ? stay and set fire to the house, I said j to him, I have only one thing to say I

to you, yon commenced your work, von must finish it. I bdi going to my sqltleniont, and I went, off in the direction of my settlement." The remainder of the confession deals solely with the subsequent movements ot the convict and Hohepa, The concluding words of the confession were as follows: "No other person Imt Hopjlm had anything to do with this murder. No one knows about it but myself and Hohepa, I know I am to dia on Monday. I now say that the whole of this statement is true. As I am about to stand in tho presence of God there is nothing false in it. Haiiia TE Pibi." -Post.