THE ATTEMPTED MURDER IN OTAGO.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 532, 20 July 1869, Page 2

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER IN OTAGO.

An extraordinary attempt to commit murder is reported to have taken place at the Marowhonua Digging?. It appears that John AVarden or Gal lagher, a recent arrival by the Crtvoi Dunedin, came to the tent occupied by Craig, store-keeper, and remained about the place, doing odd jobs in return for his board. During this period, he had frequent opportunities of seeing that Craig purchased gold, and that he had money about him. On Monday evening he went with Craig to tether a horse belonging to the latter. Craig carried a piece of wood for a tether pin, and prisoner 3 tomahawk with which to drive it into the ground. "While Craig was holding the pin which the prisoner was driving in, he suddenly received a blow on the head which partly stunned him. The prisoner declared that the blow had been caused by a piece of wood flying from the post he was driving into the ground, and which Craig was holding The latter, though not convinced, allowed it to pass, and the prisoner was most attentive in dressing the wound. On the following day (Tuesday) Craig felt his head very painful, and was unable to sleep. The prisoner was anxious to give him some opium, and asked Mrs Craig if she had any, but none could be procured. Craig and his wife and infant child went to bed early that night, but the prisoner sat up by the fire, which was in the same room, a lighted candle being near the bed. Presently prisoner.

said he had made them some tea, of which all three drank. Almost immediately after doing so Mrs Craig and the child vomited, and Craig fell asleep, though up to that time he had not been able lo do so. He had only been asleep a few minutes, when he received a blow on the head; then Mrs Craig received a blow, and Craig another. Both of them saw the prisoner standing over them with a tomahawk in his hand —in fact, after the first blow, Craig saw him strike his wife, and then himself again. Prisoner then got on the edge of the hed on his knees, and aimed another blow with the tomahawk, which, however, was intercepted by a sapling, which stretched over the bed, a sheet being tacked to it to serve as a curtain. The force of the blow was thus destroyed, and the rebound threw the prisoner off the bed on to the iloor, when Craig and his wife jumped out of bed, and secured him. Mrs Craig then ran to the next store kept by a man M'Quade, who returned with her, and alougwith the assist-ance of others working in the vicinity, took charge of the prisoner. Mrs Craig happily escaped with no injury beyond a swelled head, the force of the blow struck at her having been deadened by the bed-clothes, which she pulled over her head. Her husband has three cuts on the head, one having been inflicted on Monday night, as already stated, and the other two on this occasion. Fortunately for him his head was thickly bandaged at the time with towels, cloths, &c, or the first blow would have rendered him insensible. The prisoner was taken to Oainaru, and was committed for trial.