MURDER IN LYTTELTON.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 185, 12 January 1875, Page 2

MURDER IN LYTTELTON.

THE INQUEST. j I „*r“T •’ 1/HOT t"* v : The inquest was held at the Mitre at 3.30 p.m. The following ,are the names of the ]ury Richard Wood, Robert Cotton, John Pope, George Buist, : Michael Carroll, J. B. K Saunders, T. A. W. Parsons.Gamerdn, James Yule, R. Cole, J. Galbraith, C. W. H. Woledge, G. Ayers, W. Kiddy,,, Mr 0. W,H. Woledge was chosen foreman of the jury. Dr Coward, the coroner, presided. ,He said that they were called together to inquire into the cause of the death of the girl, Isabella Thompson. The jury then proceeded to the morgue to view the bddy. 1 ' ' ;

John Bailey, ten years old, sworn, said—l can read and write. I know the nature of an oath. I live in St. David’s street, -Lyttelton. I remember Saturday, the 9th. I was after the cows in the afternoon, I went back to Ripon street to look after a cow I had lost. I saw a handkerchief in the Rev Mr, Pember’s orchard fast to some gorse. I told a boy named Bouse I thought there was a drunken man there. I told a boy named Duke or Richard Bouse. Rouse sent, his brother Tom and James Knowles to inform the police,. I djd, not go into the orchard. ’ The- handkerchief was tied to the gorse. I saw the body from the. road lying, in a corner, there, is * gorse fence round the paddock. , The body was in the corner of the gorse fence when I saw it. .It was all in the orchard. The body was under an overhanging gorse fehcei ‘The boy Simmonds, was with me when I first saw Jit, I did not know who it was. After putting up- the cow I went near the: orchard, and went close enough to look through a hole in the hedge, and . saw it was a child lyipg-in front. It was the body, of a girl, bug! did not know who it was, - .j

.By the'Poreman^Wljenl,first saw lie hankerchief, I flaw no one loitering near, j By a Juryman—l do not Know' the prisoner, I never saw him before. j Alfred deb Simmohds said—l am twelve years of age. I live in Lyttelton. I remember Saturday last. I know the last witness, John Bailey. , I was with him on Saturday last driving some cows. I knbw Ripon street. I know Mr Pember’s place. I was passing along Ripon street about 6 p.m. on Saturday, I saw a girl lying dead in Mr Pember’s garden. There was blood : on her cheek. It was in the corner of the garden. The blood was on her left cheek. It is a fence of wire and gorse. T saw her from the road. I was passing close by. I thought she was dead by the- blood. I did * not tell anybody. The boy Bailey was with me, just ;a little bit ip front. He told me there was something there. He thought it was a drunken man, and that made meigo and look, and I saw it was a girl. She was lying under the gorse on her right side, with her legs up. Her head was bare. •

By the Foreman—l did not tell any body, I did not see any one about. Richard Rouse said—l am living at jfche corner of Oxford , and Bipon streets, Lyttelton. I remember Saturday last, 9th instant. 1 was told between 6 and 7 p.m, on that day, by my brother, Thomas Rouse, that he was told by another boy that a man was lying drunk and naked,in the gqrse, aad he asked n*e to go

ahdisee. I my brother and KnowlerfefhdVoorner of the Rev Mr Pernber’s garden in Bipon street, and I saw the body of a little girl lying there with her face covered with blood. I told my brother Thomas to run for the police as quickly as possible. The body was inside the fence. She was lying on her back ; her head was turned a little to the right, and her right arm was stretched out, her left by her side. Her legs were'open, and lying straight down (apart), they were quite naked, with the exception of her stockings. The body was naked up to the middle, with this exception. Just five minutes before the police arrived, I noticed a cut. in her neck. The body was inside the wire and gorse fence, and lying in the centre pf sotne gorse. hand was covered with gorse. 1 saw the police come. Dry gorse was in her hair. I did not notice any gorse on any other part. By the foreman—The body was lying with the legs down hill. James Wallace; constable, .sworn, said— On Saturday,.about 620 p.m., a report was made to me by a boy named Thomas Rouse, who came to the station. From what he told me I proceeded up to the -Rev Mr Pember’s garden, in Ripon street, and I saw the body of deceased lyingmnder a gone fence, looking through the fence I saw her f imf coirefed with blood. I went through the fence. I saw a large cut wound,; commencing at the left ear and. running round the throat. was then dead, but quite warm.' I put my hand oh her stomach, which was uncovered. She was naked up to the ntiddle of the body. She was lying on her back, her two legs being; spread out, from each other and straight down. Her arras were by her side; Her right cheek was lying on the ground. I found a pair of drawers trader her right thigh. There was blood on them., The button which fastens them behind was pulled offhand hanging bn them. [Drawers shown and identified.] I also found a man's 'pocket handkerchief under her right shoulder. Her hat was lying about four ’ feet from, her, and two tickets for the school treat'were lying at her right hand. [The hat and handkerchief, and tickets, were produced and identified.] There was a large pool of blood under her neck. There was a quantity of blood at her side. She was . lying right, under, a, gone fence in the corner of Mr Pembcr’Sgarden. Her ' head was dbwn : hill. ; The gone was fotir or five feet 'high'in the garden fence, and partially covered the body; • There was a lot of dry gorse about the place.. There was a lot of dry gorse id* her hair, and her ' legs were. scraped with it. f There apple trees in 1 tbe garden, I sent immediately, for Dr Bops*., and. he name, and after, he had examined it: I 'took'it to the station. Her dress wits torn off half-way round the body, and her petfeidoats also'.’ The skixl r vras torn offthe bpdy of tbe dreps. John Blair 1 Thompson having token an affirmation, said—£ am the father of the deceased Isabella Thompson. Shnwould have been twelve years of age'on tbs'23 rd of this pr. sent month. I remembefSatnfdmy last, I saw deceased atoout S spiUi!’ on that day opposite Mr Hamilton'sgarden in Dampiers Bay; I asked where she was going, and she said she was going to get two tickets for the school treat for her mother and myself.' 1 told her it was not neoauarj m I should not go. She went dancing down the hill in good health 'and -Strength. I next sa# - the police station, death I do not know at' what time. There was no: one with, her when I last saw her;; She has been an the habit of going on messages into. Lyttelton for me. She was a very ; qu[pt inoffensive gprl, I never saw any. man walking with her.’ ■ ’J, By the Foreman ; I, was at bomefrpm the time I last saw her. alive till, they message came telling me of the matiey.. ~t >’

' Dr Bouse, sworn, said on Saturday evening last about 6.30 p.m. at the . request .of the police ! accompanied:two.!ol ;the constables to Mr Pember’s garden. In tbeh.B. corner of i the garden under a thick gone fence the lower portion of. the gone is destroyed and .the upper .hangs down.- There is a .bole large enough to: admit eewend boys. - J was shewn by Constable Wallace the . body of deceased. She was lying across the corner of the fence, her feet diagonally up hill, head downwards nearest to the street. I saw a gosh which occupied J nearly the whole of the left .side of the throat, gaping wide open, The extremities were nearly cold, the body retaining considerable warmth. The legs and lower part of the thighs were uncovered when I saw it. The knees showed signs of a struggle in that they were covered with fresh earth scratched and pricked over with gone. Her hair was long and thick, and filled with .broken dry gone. Her clothes were much torn; she had no.hat or drawers on. I examined, the bodycasually then, and detected no signs qt violation. 1 .tbe drawers, and handkerchief produced picked up, I noticed that the' 'drawers' bad b?en apparently tlhtoitly ,%n -eft: jut the button was torn pff and attached *6 a piece of 'cloth/ ahd ' I 1 noticed* stain on the handkerchief as' if a.kbife bad been wiped qn it. At fint I was surprised at seeing, so little blood,.hot found a quantity haid bean : hidden ' under the'dry gorse near where the head lay before the constable moved it. Nbt more than an hour had elapsed since death had occurred when I saw ili‘^'Tilo ( -hi)t think there could have been any attempt at violation, 1 examined -accused at Sergeant QlGrady’s request this morning;-: /I . discovered a number j of small spots about hjs legs, which he' said were pimples. He dehied 'they were thorns or anything of the kind. There were extracted from these about twenty gorse prickles; some out of his legs, about > the knees, and some from his hands, principally at the back of the left hand. Sergeant-Major O’Qrsdy extracted them, and I took them fromhim and handed them to Detective Feast.' I noticed a scratch bn hia face,. and. on the back of one hand. They were recent. He had also a scratch on one shin, vl have since examined .the prickle* through the microscope, and - am convinced they are gorse prickles that were taken from the knees and hands of accused. Dr Hugh McDonald, duly sworn, said—l made a post mortem examination of the body this morning. I should think the body was that of a girl of twelve, well nourished, and apparently in good health. Her hair was matted with gone. There were slight bruises, one on her forehead and one on etch arm. There was a large incised wound on the left side of-her neck, and two smaller wounds. The left common carotid artery was cat through, and the other large vessels of the neck. The first wound was only akin deep, just below the chin,, two. inches long. Then there was a wide gash on the left side of the throat right to thebaok of the neck five and a quarter inches long, sod gaping two and a half inches. At the end oi the large

wound near the centre there is a triangular piece of skin not divided. On ■ opening the body, I found the heart, and all the organs healthy, the leftventricle of the heart was quite empty and contracted. I examined the stomach, and found a partially digested meal. The sexual organs were uninjured. There were marks on the knees of struggling, and they appeared to be scratched by prickles. The wound in the throat was the cause of death.

By the Police—l observed what appeared to be prickles in the body. On the right thigh, left hip, and. .the fingers of the right hand, there was large scratches, that did not appear,to ; have been caused by prickles. They might “have been caused by catching hold with a hand with, sharp nails on it. The instrument was evidently a cutting instrument of some sort. A-pocket-knife would have done it. There was no sigh of disease in the body. r , „ r, ' By foreman—Considerable force must have been used * .There wereprickles in her hand By the Jiblice—-Tbe child’s clothes and hair were covered with prickles, and there were some on her bddy.* * ! James Allan, .{lnly sworn, said—l am mate of the Canterbury- schooner in Lyttelton. I know accused. He was cook and steward on board the Cftfiterbury. His name is John Mercer. I saw him on Saturday last the 9th. He chme ishdre' frbm the schooner a Jittle before. 11, a v rn..on Saturday morning. We went to get'paid bff at Captain Russell’s house. That was about 12 15 p.m. I left about half an-hour'afterwards. Mercer left Captain Russell’s before me. I next saw him at the corner near Mr Bailey’s public house, at a little after one. I gave him a£l note at the time. I went" aboard and «jpfs (|gain afterwards: T ;saw accused "at vtfce'A wharf? -about four p.m. There were two men with me, and he asked me to lend him the boat. >,I refused, as we wanted the boat for water. Tsaw him next when the captain and, I were standing outside the Albion, ihout' five o’clock. Captain Russel and I were talking together when he came up with aUltSle jgirl. He came up Canterbury street to the front ot the Albion, where we were standing in London street. He spoke about Captain O’Brian, He then went farther/up*Canterbury street, in tho direction of ScottV public-house. The little girl was with hiity ,t)i en< f l observed the little girl at the tim’e,'l have seen her since, to-day, ip the.dead-house,. I went there with Mr Feast. 'I believ'd^tis same child, because she had a peculiar expression on her features which ishejrefains after death, and which I noticed when she passed us at five on Saturday, The child had something in her hand when she came towards . us.,» I, saw Mercer after that a few minuter before the 6 p.m. train left Lyttelton fpr Christchurch. He was standing on the platform? first,- -and-afterwards in a second-class carriage. I did not see him come to the statioiwiHe was standing up at the door, when I saw him, nearest the platform, with both", his? hands in ihis trousers pockets. I noticed him particularly, as he seemed excited, .He- had a light waistcoat and boat 6n. I think hbhad a black cheesecutter cap on,, but cannot: swear it. I have not seen Kind since till 1 now. I have known him some weeks. There were no marks on him like that I see on bis face now at 4 p.m. on Saturday. There were no marks on his t Hands, itAhat/ time.’. ! I believe accused smokes, and carries a knife. By the Foreman—Captain Russell was with me when I saw accused with the little girir.’^' Captain John Russell, duly sworn, said—.l sm master of- the schooner Canterbury, I know John Mercer;' I discharged him on Saturday Jrom,my employment, about eleven o’clock; M'mytbwn housA * I’saw him aboutj 6 p.m. the same day, between Mrs Webb’s shop and the .Albion IHofel, close to the Albion. He came up the street towards me from the Mitre. He-spoke to me. There was a little girl standing near the corner on the side path, and?she turned round and! looked at him when he spoke to me about 1 wages. I aokpd the mate Allan whether he. knew the little firt.i 'The little girl went up the street towards Scott’s, and the accused! followed her, He-wa» five or six yards off.l The girl ran up the street, and Mercer fol-1 lowed her iuhhihgl, Ol'fcould not sty; if •he was in company wi.tjh the girl coming up Canterbury street before I met him. I have not seen thfr 1 --body. ‘ I'think I could recognise the body of., the girl I saw with Mercer. ; r .. j t > By 4 Hair was fair. v ; Captain Russell then proceeded to the morgue bpfljf,.*. On returning he; said—l believe it to be the body of the same child that I saw with Mercer on Saturday. Mercer was not dressed then as he is now. He had a and[ a French peak cap on. [A cap was then placed on prisoner,] f * h ? fc : I : now see on "accused.. '

Sergeant Major. O’.Grady applied for anj ad j burnment till Tuesday; the 19th, at noonj “ d ‘ " i