The Aroha Murder.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1346, 15 February 1881, Page 2

The Aroha Murder.

Tiie following fuller particulars of the. dreadful tragedy at the Aroha are' taken f i-Qm the Miner of Saturday :—: — At abont eight o'clock yesterday morning the whole township was thrown into a state of horror and painful excitement by tho'news being brought in that a man was lying dead on .the Thames, jnain road not half a mile from Mr O. A. Conies' livery and bait stables. Mr Webb of Campbells station, Wtiitoa, was • the firbt bearer of this direful intelligence, and at once communicated" with" Sergfc. ITul-' yii'e. Richard White shortly afterwards reported seeing the body of a" native with his throat cut from ear to ear, lying- near the roadway. This intensified the excitement, and a large crowd of residents accompanied the police and White to the scene of the catastrophe. On arriving at the spot there was not one who was not at once convinced that u most brutal minder had been committed, — the deceased, a young native, lying stretched ou his back with his throat cut from ear to ear, and a mass of gore saturating the ground around the head and upper part of the body. Mr George Lipsey and others at once indentified the body as that of a Ngatikoe native named Himiona or " Jimmy" belonging to Waitoki. The police proceeded to examine the body, while the others hunted round for evidences of the crime. Seigeant Mulville found that the deceased was bruis- d severely on the forehe id, and the slash across the throat looked far worse on the body being turned on its side, the wound having been evidently inflicted by a blunt knife or tomahawk. The clothing on the body waa searched, but nothing was discovered *.ml there -weie evidences that {he body had been rifled by the murderer. In the meantime the public were closely searching the ground in tho vincity, and Mr Thomas Gavin found an unmounted greenstone pendant, and a silver mounted amber mouth-piece, lying not three yards from the body. The deceased's coat and hat were found^beside a clump of fern, and looked as if t'uey had been laid down carefully. The only other discovery was that of two stones, on which | were unmistakeable niaiks of blood, and which might have been the instruments used to cause the bruise on the forehead referied to above. Such are the particulars of the discovery of the body. A dray was procured, and the ghastly spectacle removed to the Hot Springs Hotel, where it now lies awaiting the ariival of the Coroner to hold an inquest. After the body had been brought iv, ' great speculation was rife as to the perp"e- ' tr.itor and the cause of the terrible critn3./i The different threads of evidence respecting tho last known whereabouts- o£ the" murdered man were hastily coHeoted, and J enabled Constable « Jleary to fasten his suspicions on a man named John We&tbrook, a Kussian employed in the Sunbeam Claim. This person was seen in the native's company on Thursday evening, when the Utter was heard to threaten to " break Westbrook's • nose." This was shortly before 10 o'clock, and outside the British Hotel. It would appear also that the suspected man and his supposed victim had b&d previous differences, Himiona was mounted on the horse of a man named Smalltnan, that worthy having been taken in charge for drunkenness, and Himiona had been attempting to bail him out. I was in this connection that the native came under the notice of the police. A few minutes subsequently Mr Comes was engaged in conversation with the deceased, who very shortly after left to go to his residence near the Tui claim, It would appear that he had aome difficulty in getting the horse along as he stopped at Mr Comes' stables, and borrowed a spur from a young man named Archibald Biggs, a nophew of the proprietor of the stables. Both Mr Comes and his nephew and indeed all who saw the deceased about the time, agree that he was perfectly sober and quiet. Sergt. Mulville hastened to the native claims with a view to seeing if any particulars could be obtained from the natives. Constable Hogan ascertained shortly after the finding of the body that the horse ridden by deceased had arrived at house at about five o'clock in the morning, and soois satisfied himself that this was correct. He found that the horse's bridle was secured to the saddle as if the rider had dismounted for a short tune, and no fence or tree was available to tie the animal to. In the meantime Constable Cleary, who felt convinced f rom whatlitfcle he had seen, that Westbrook had something to do m ith the murder, proceeded at once to his whare near the Golden Anchor claim. Here he found a check j woollen shirt and a suit of blue dungarees hanging up to dry, with stains, as if of blood on them. The clothes were nearly dry, and were taken possession of, along with a hatchet lying near. The constable then proceeded -%o the Sunbeam Claim to arrest Westbrook on suspicion for the murder of Hiiuiona. The man, who has a seafaring appearance, and was attired iv a suit of dungarees similar to those found in his tent, was working away quiotly when the constable put in an appearance. He expressed no surprise, and remained perfectly cool — even while the "darbies" were being clapped on his wrists. On searching the prisoner, a one-bladed Pampa pooketknife was found on him, the blade receiver of which was completely clogged with blood. Prisoner denied all knowledge of the affair, and was conveyed to the lock-up— (?) tent (save the mark), where, securely handcuffed and chained, he will await the Coroner's inquest, ,- Mr J v Oibbons left for the Thames at about 11 o'clock yesterday morning, and a Coroner will probably turn up to-day. " The greatest credit is due to the police and especially to Constable Cleary, for the promptness with which all the enquiries were made, and the suspected man arrested.