SINGULAR CONFESSION OF MURDER.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 186, 5 March 1868, Page 3

SINGULAR CONFESSION OF MURDER.

The following is the text of the singular confession of murder made by an immigrant girl in Christehurch, on Wednesday last. Hester Hosken came to the Depot with Constable Alexander Wilson, and of her own free will made the following statement: — I Jive at Mrs Cook's. I came there on Saturday last. I had lived at Mr Davis's, Canterbury Hotel, Lyttelton, up to Tuesday last. I had been there about five weeks. I had lived previously at Mrs Paget's, of Leithfield. I went there from the Immigration Barracks. I came out in the Lancashire Witch, in August last. Before I left England I lived with Mrs Bichards, wife to a cabinet maker at Port Leven, in the parish of Breague, county of Cornwall, England. My father's name is Samuel Hosken, a miller at Sethnes mills, at the same place. I have four brothers and three sisters. I came out by myself, as a free immigrant. Wm. James Thomas, a travelling engineer, was murdered by me one night in March, 18G7, at Port Leven aforesaid. He was my sweetheart. I had been out walking with him in the afternoon. He went home with me, and we went out again to walk in the evening, down on the Cliff. I stabbed him with a large knife which I took out of Mr Bichards's bar. It was a large knife like those used by butchers. I think it was in the breast I stabbed him. I threw the knife into the sea. He fell on the cliff, and he died before I left him. I went home to Mrs Bichard. I reached there about nine p.m. I did not tell any one. I went to bed. When Ave went out in the afternoon we met several, amongst them my brother Charles. He spoke to us. We did not meet anyone when he went out at night. Next morning I got up about three o'clock, and w r ent down to the railway station at Port Leven, and took the six o'clock train to Hale, about sixteen miles from Port Leven. Before I went to the railway station in the morning I went down to the cliff, which is about three small fields from Bichards', and saw the dead body of Thomas. I left it there. I had on a light colored small-brimmed round soft sort of hat; a black cloth coat on. At the time I stabbed him, he had a grey-colored overcoat on his right arm, and when I saw the body in the morning, it was lying by his right side, partly on his body. The body was lying on the bank, rather inclining to the right side. He had on his left hand glove (light kid) ; and the right hand glove he clasped in his right hand. He had on, I think, a dark vest; trowsers also dark. There was blood round the body. It was just at the grey dawn when I saw it. The cliff was called the Marlow Cliff. It was a good bit away from the footpath. I arrived at my uncle's Charles Hoskons, at Hale, at about nine o'clock that morning. My uncle is a shipowner and flour merchant living at Point House, Hale. I said nothing about the murder. I stayed there until six o'clock that evening. It was Tuesday when I took the train and went to London. ... I went on board the Lancashire Witch on Wednesday, and the ship sailed from | Gravesend on the 2nd April. Thomas

was about 28 years of age. I shall never tell niy reason for killing him. He served me very bad. "We were to be married. We had been courting about six months. A short time before I killed him, we had arranged to get married, but he did net come to see me, nov did he write for a long time, and the marriage was broken oft'. I burnt all his letters. We renewed our acquaintance shortly before I killed him. I believe on the same day. We had no quarrel the day I murdered him. When I saw him on that day, I first contemplated the murder. I arranged to meet him purposely to murder him. I don't know whether his body was ever found, or whether I am suspected of the murder. There is no person that I know in New Zealand from the same place that I come from. The name of the clergyman at Breague is the Rev. Mr Kidmore. He knew me well. My object in making this statement is, because I cannot rest,always thinking about the murder. Since I came to New Zealand I told one person of the murder. Ido not wish to mention the name of the person I told. I promised I would not do so. I don't wish to say whether or not the paper I gave the constable was written by me. That is all I wish to say about the matter.

Hester Hoskek - . P. Pender, Inspector of Police, Christchurch, Canterbury, N.Z. Alexander Wilson, Constable. The prisoner, who had given herself up, was remanded.

On the following morning the prisoner was brought up at the Police Court, and several witnesses gave evidence leading to the belief that the prisoner was insane. James Hebbard deposed that he came from the same part of England, and knew the prisoner's father. Witness came to New Zealand after the prisoner ; but never heard of any murder having been committed in the neighborhood previous to his leaving the country. Prisoner's mother was in the lunatic asylum, and he had heard that one of her daughters was insane; but he could not say the prisoner was the one. Another witness gave similar evidence. Poison was found on the prisoner when searched. She was remanded.