TRAGEDY IN WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 4014, 16 January 1892, Page 2

TRAGEDY IN WELLINGTON.

- f . A tragio occurrence was reported to the Times at 2 o'clock this morning. It appears that shortly after 1 o'olook' ' ■ this morning a gentleman named' Edgar Walker, who- is Waverley Hotel, was walking down Cuba street when he heard a woman; "V crying "Murder!" at the corner .jK' Ganatt street. With two or thpP others he followed the woman, who ; took them to the house of Mr Raines .■' ' where, on the verandah at the back, , they found a man apparently dead, ' ; lying half in and half out tbe ■.-.; doorway. One of them identified him as Harry Crawford, a stevedore, well'boirn on the wharf. There was a large bruise on his forehead, and his eyes were glassy and staring, The woman, who'seemed in terrible distress, said she wasthe unfortunate ~ man's wife, and he had beenmur- '/ dered. Mr Walker fetched Dr Collins who lost no timein going to the place, andat once pronounced the man dead. ; He declined to give his opinion as to the cause of death until he examined the corps at the Morgue. A polioet man had by this time arrived, and . the body was taken to the Morgue at once. No further particulars had reaohed us up to the time we went to press.

Later Partioulasfl.' v ..,, [By Telegraph.—Press Assooiatuli] Wemoton, Saturday. In a drunken row which occurred n a house off Cuba Street, about one 'clock this morning, a man named Harry Crawford, a stevedore, lost hia life, Some persons walking down Cuba Street about that hour stated that they beard a women crying " murder I" They followed her to the house of William George Raines, stevedore, where, on a verandah at the back, they found Crawford lying dead, with large bruises on his forehead, The woman, who was the unfortunate man's wife, said he had been murdered. On the police making enquiries they ascertained that the affair was the outcome of a drunken row. According to Mrs Crawford's statement she and her ausband were drinking in Raines' house, when Raines commenced beating his wife. Crawford interfered, whereupon Raines struck him a severe blow whioh felled him to ground, after which he never niovgQpß Detective Campbell, after investiga* , tion, arrested Raines' shortly before ten o'clock to-day on a charge of wilful murder, whioh will in all probability be resoked into a charge of man* --i slaughter, Raines, who did not appear to have completely recovered from his drinking bout, was brought up at the Police Court this morning and formally remanded. A post mortem will be held on Crawford's body to-day. The inquest takes pfoce to-morrow. Crawford has been in ill health for some time past, and was brought up oh a charge of lunacy a short timoago.

Later. •, Raines states that he never struok Crawford, and his wife supports him, but all the four'were so' drunk that Raines admits he remembers little of what took place. It seems Crawford and hie wife took Mrs Raines home drunk and this annoyed Raines, who began to J beat her, wheretfW",.; Crawford interfered, with fatal results. Raines is a powerful man, but it would cot take rauob of a : blow to injure Crawford in bis weak slate, Raines' son, a youth of 18, appears to ' have been tile only Bobet person in the house, He was asleep upstairs, and when he went down he states Crawford was walking about and his father never struok Lira, He went out to call a policeman and then saw Crawford lying down,' but took no notice, thinking he had merely fallen down. The inquest has been altered to four o'clock to-day.