THE WOODVILLE TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 12, 28 November 1877, Page 2

THE WOODVILLE TRAGEDY.

COBWEB'S INQUEST; / // (^efoi^CHia. : ToDD i ,l_Lp;; ; Qproher.]. / ; A coroner's inquest was held on Mon- . day at the Woodville Hotel, on the body of the murdered man, .'George /Ollandt. The inpuest* cbnimenced/at Bio'clbck a.m. on 'Monday and ended on* f Tuesday at 6.30 a.m., the jury .sitting the- whole time between; the; hours mentioned, with the exception of short intervals for refreshment. . / : ;"'£ .' //' ■:. /The following are the names of the ; jurymen : ~ Sorrey (foreman), r Ross, Mpnteith, Hirst, Stacejjr, Peebles^ Ridley, "Smith, Linton^ 'SriuthjHavey, Protheran. . :' ■.''■■ ■;"/'/-.; The foUowing is jftie< verdict arrived at,:— "That we' are pf 'opinion the deceased, George 'Ollandt, - was 'murdered by the prisoner/ Hejhry ' ' Thomson; ' of • Wbodville, on or aboiit Thursday^the, "22rid N(^mBer| 1877^5;- O yA? !A.< The prisoner/ ! bn ! hearing < the read, seemed quite/as careless as he had been throughout the whble of the proceedings. .A A..: • '■-■-'•-'-" - : ' ■ • ;■ We now proceed to give a portion of the evidence as taken /by pur repprteri We are sorry we cannot give the whole of the report m this issue; will furnish it m. our next if possible* i ! ;/.,/ The Jury were taken; ftoto the^wel to the house lately occupied by decegred and his partner, the /prisoner* /The body was then 'exppsed'tp" their view, and presented a horrible /spectacle, the . face and . head; being' awfiul$ cut and mangled, the/flies' to all appearance had been very busy with^he' ghastly wounds. After vie wing the bodytJo^ejury; returned to the hotel, where the inqiiestewas held. ' v The prisoner hlivirig been Wbnght before the juryi looked^^ 4^ite : nlri^pricerned and - seemed' to treats the^wfiple affair very cooly. The Inspector of/ the Napier Constabulary, Major /ScuUy, was present, with three attendants^ members of the same r force; Ukewise constables Purcell and GiUes^e^pi'tllis district. J.: Samuel Hem*y Kem'py bring sworn, said : ? lilmow the prisoner;" I;was /boeirding with h'irnup.to Thursday morning last. When ■I'gdt tip on Thursdiyi George, tbTe deceased, said, " breakfast is KH^y."/ 1 and two inor» boarders sat down and had breakfast. After the meal was oyer we went the front room, about 9 o'jslock. I* sac there some tiifle/read^ingi the papers.y -ri s>w,pne#>f the lodgers settle with George f of -ms board. A .short time.aftefthat/ 1 said I wanted one" efiilriVg's' worth/of matohes. y When .'5" got themi;l saidil might aa well settle rip.with him, and I paid-deceased ss. I' then' left / the houseC :i could "n^/sAy -how {debased was dressed.. :I ;His shirt sleeves were rolled up; he had*no coat.on. I think the dress ;was : exact!y thesame.as that 'm a which he was foiind.whcri .picked \vp 'dead 1 .- J When I left the hou^, : t went' up "the Napier road. I n was "j absent -about ' ten .minutes^ I came straight do Wthe the prisoner's: nbuse/.'but did not see anyone there; /I then ; Wjent^;to ( Mpflteith's store. I agaipjreturned to the, hoi^Y about. ,l pjn. I went m by'the front' &dot arid sat on one / ofthe.seat?in.th"eroom. •£ read the papers for about httff i^hc-ur.' Hji*ry£ the /prisoner came m, ari&as^eN-^h^^ I 'replied, iio. "He'^aid, 'We haVe had{ours longago. He asked mef^to' com_«ioto the kitchen to get itr.~l went arid had some eggi for "dinnefc /-fc-MpnteitH thenjjame m and enquired,;fpr.X3fwrge,.»aT^ wanted hi-

hair Put. He'aaareMed' his conversation to frisoner, who said, 'George is m the bush.' afterwards cut Mbnteith'a ihair., . I. first heard of George's absence at about 2. p.m. Prisoner said, v the* reason why George had not come homeVwas^-that he had taken , some tea with him. Ruben Collins about this time came to the house.with; a load of bricks, and said he wanted assistance to, unload them, and enquired for George. Prisoned replied, is "m the bush." Collins then went -and cooeyed for him, and carafe back^ seymgth>fc 'he' could/ not Set an answer to his cooey. When. I nished cutting Monteith's hair we both came into the kitchen. I put the scissors and comb on prisoner's bunk. Ithen'left the premises m company' with Monteith, and again -returned m about half -an-hour. I went' mio she'^front room ' again arid resumed paper reading. I afterwards fell asleep under the 1 -window.- - I- awoke about an hour afterwards, when prisoner came m 'and said, "Why don't you get~a pillow to lay on." I went into my room and got one, r and! -again' ''fell asleep! "arid awoke af dusk. I did not see George then. I was awoke by a swagger coming into the room ; shortly afterwards I heard palings rattle. The prisoner. then made his appearance. I asked if George "had returned. . Prisoner said, No j perhaps he 'had gone to ' the settlement further, along the road. Priso- i ncr did riot' seem" at all anxioiis about hismate's absence. (2b 'oe continued.) ' I