A THREATENING LETTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4185, 6 August 1892, Page 2

A THREATENING LETTER.

The Ulangamahoe Incident,

housed Discharged. . In the Eketahuna B,M. Court yesterday, before Colonel Roberts, R.M., James Wilkins was charged with writing a threatening letter to J. F, Heckler, of Mangamahoe, The police offering no evidence, the case was dismissed.

Richard Janey was.charged with that he did write a letter threatening to kill one. Ellen Mary Baigent, residing with Mr Heckler at Mangamahoe, E. M, Baigent, sworn, stated that she was at Mr Heokler's house last Twsday, August 2nd, She saw the accused there. Ho asked for food, andwitnesa refased to give any. He then went away muttering something. When he had got some distance he called out " I will burn your house down to-night." He said something else that witness did not understand. Witness was alone in the house at the time.' Sho saw the note that was on the sulky. She did not see accused put it there. The accused was alone. James Wilkins, sworn, stated he was a labourer residing at Christchurch. He was with the acoused on the 2nd August. He was on the road near the house ol Mr Heckler on that date. He did not see the last witness. He did not hear the accused say anything. He saw the piece of paper produced with accused, He told him not to scribble anything. ' By Constable Hoche: He did not know why he told accused not to scribble. He- saw the paper in his hand, but did not know what he was doing with it, Witness did not remember acoused telling the police he left the paper as a joke, He did not remember the acoused saying anything on the way to the polico station. William Seymour, sworn, stated he was employed by Heckler as labourer. He remembered the 2nd August. He was at home that day. Ho saw the accused there. He heard him say, " I will shoot you, you b—, you are too b— lazy to give a man a bit of . tucker when ho asks for it. Lookout for your house tonight, I mean to burn it down." He was addressing Miss Baigent. Witness was about twenty yards from the accused at the time, at tho back ot the house. Ho i saw accused then go towards the sulky , standing at the side of the road and lean on it about two mir.etes. He then walked aw»y. He was at tho far side of tho sulky from witness, who could not see him'writing anything. ■ Accused joined his mate and they both i Went towards Eketahuna. James Heckler, farmer, of Forest Downs, Mangamahoe, deposed that ho remembered the 2nd of August. He knew the piece of paper produced, He saw it on the sulky. He saw Mr MoKenzie take it off the sulky and hand it to witness. There was writing on it. The sulky was just outside witness' gate, Ho read the paper and sent it to the police at Eketahuna, His house was about sixty chains from the gate. He never saw the acoused to bis knowledge before. MoKenzie did not do anything to the paper, but read it and banded it to witness.

Constable Roche, sworn, deposed that on Wednesday, 3rd August, from information received be went to the yard of the Club Hotel. He saw the accused and Wilkins sawing wood. Ho asked them where they came from, The accused said Feathers ton

He asked him if they had been at Heckler's house at Mangamahoe, Accused said he did'nt know where Mangamahoe, was. Witness then read the paper in his hand and asked if he knew the house he left that at. He said he only left that as a joke, Witness arrested them about threequarters of an hour afterwards in the street and told them that he arrested them for sending a threatening letter to Miss Baigent. On the way to the statim the accused said, "If I was to deny writing that they could not prove it,.as no one saw ma write it." I found the pencil produced on the acoused. This closed the oase for the police, The acoused decided to reserve his defence. The information was dismissed.