SHOCKING MURDER AT POKENO.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1970, 21 February 1885, Page 2

SHOCKING MURDER AT POKENO.

[ii\ IMI. .X U'll — OA\ COUKKSI'ONDrNr ] AtcxLWD, Fiiday. YimiOKDU a tenib'o tr.igedy was omimtted at P.ikoa.i, iv the dwelling of .1 — »u .t 11 settlei. Fi om accounts ti hind it would appeu tl>>t the author of th-j tia^edy, Robert Pieivleigast, a set lor .it Pokeno \ alley, who in about 1)0 you-, of age. delibiM itely --hut lii-> wife through the hent, about noon >r-t'iday. There was neitlioi eai no,- eye \\itness to the dieadful cmii 1 , .is I'ieudeigast and his wife won- :it tlie tune alone in thi" 1) >n*e. w Inch is a considerable distnic fi'>in .my other duelling The uianni'i in v Inch the cum • was disovered and ti.iced to the mmdwr i~ peculi w . Yesterday wis the annual fete of tlio -cluiol c-h.t<]i(>n .«t Pokeno, and on the ocjimoii the wh >le of the youthful popul ition tuin-il out for enjo\ miMit. Among the l>le.v>uie >.euker» wore two »ons of Frcndeifrist, younj uninarncd men, who redded withth-u paunU When they returned home about -i\ in the evening they we-o lmrrilied to (md the do id body of their agod mother 1> mj,' stark and stiff on the floor of the kitchen in a pool of her own blood. They at once gave the alarm, and Home of the neighbours went for Constable Kyan, of Mercer, who immediately went to Vokeno to make enquuies. About 8.30 in t!ie evening he ai rested l'rendergivat on a charge of wilful minder. On bjiug told I the charge against him, accused replied : " 0 yes, I done it ; you will hnd the pistol on the shelf m the kitchen." The constable, on searching, found a long hoi^e pistol, which had evidently bjen discharged quite lecently, on the shelf, as stated by the prisoner. Prendorgast \\a^ at Mercer yest-rday afternoon for some houis, and attracted attention by hi*. o\ti lotdmaiy behaviour. Ho was in a st.\t»' of intoxication, b-<id»*> labouring uud'-r lii^li e\fitemeut, and was "peaki'iir .'md diinkinsr witli eveiyone who would join him. He talked a good de vl of incoherent stuff, and iv the c<>urs« of the conversatio i asserted scveial tini I}-.1 }-. that he had shot his wife. He loudly boasted that the whole of Mercer balonged to him, but that the title deeds lnd been lost. He intended, however, to go and see Superintendent Thompson and get them reeoveied. Thoso who heard him concluded he wa« ia\ing and they therefore ptid no attention to his assertion* about ha\in? muidered his wife, and h.3 w.is allowed to lea\e the township unmolested. It is apparent that the murder was committed about noon of ye^erday. The two sons left the house about noon tor the sports wd as accused was in the public house at Pokeno about two in the afternoon, on his way to Mercer, it is plain that the deed must have bjen done shortly after the sons left home. From the fact that the wound was a deadly one, and just in the region of the heart, the probabilities are that the murderer wont coolly about his terrible business, and shot his poor wife at close quarters without any warning. Deceased was about the same age jh her husband. Thry came to the district about 20 years a so, having four sons, the eldest of whom has since mauied and settled at Pokeno. The second son was employed at Xcwni.uket, on the lailway, and ou receiving intinnMoii ot the tiagedy at once too'c the tiain for Pokeno.