The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-18 00:00:00

THE TRAGEDY AT FULWOOD

B 41. R RA CKS .

PRESTON, TUESDAY.

Late last evening Mr. Myres, coroner for this
district, opened the inquest touching the deaths of
Col. Crofton and Adjutant Hanham, who were-shot
by a private of the 32d Regiment, under circum-
stances detailed in The Sun of yesterday.
The inquiry was held in the governor's room at the
House of Correction. The jury, having been sworn,
proceeded to the Fulwood barracks to view the
bodies. On their return the Coroner proceeded to
take the following evidence :
Major Robert S. Coils was first sworn, and said—
On Saturday last, at half-past 11 o'clock in the
morning, I was sitting writing in my quarters at
Fulwood barracks, Preston, and heard the report of
a rifle outside. I thought there was something
wrong, and shot up one of the windows which looked
out upon the barrack square. I saw the late Col.
Crofton and Capt. Hanham standing in the middle
of the square. Just as I looked out I saw Col. Crof-
ton throw up his hands, and heard him cry out,
" Oh, lam shot !" I immediately ran out. On ap-
proaching I saw that Capt. Hanham was bleeding
from the left side. I placed one arm round his waist,
and he placed his right arm round my neck. Col.
Crofton was assisted to his quarters by myself, and
Capt. Hanham by another officer. On reaching the
Colonel's quarters I placed him in am easy chair. I
stripped him and found a bullet hole in his chest.
That is all. The two bodies the jury have seen are
those of these officers. The colonel died yesterday
and Capt. Hanham this morning, to the best of my
belief. Col. Crofton's age was 47 years and eight
months, according to the records of the battalion.
Capt. Hanham was aged 38 years and eight months.
None of the jury wishing to ask the witness any
question, the Coroner asked the prisoner if he had
any desire to do so?
Prisoner—l wish to ask him if he heard Col.
Crofton say, " Oh, I am shot !"
Major Colls—l have already said so. I heard
him distinctly.
The Coroner—Do you wish to ask him anything
more ?

Prisoner—No, sir.
By the Foreman—You said you thought some-
thing was wrong?
Major Colls—l knew by the sound of the rifle
that it was loaded with a bullet.

Rosannah Bridgewater was next sworn and eia-
mined. She said—l am the wife of Benjamin
Bridgewater, colour-sergeant at the Fulwood bar-
racks. On Saturday morning, between 11 and 12
o'clock, I was looking out of a window in J pas-
sage. I saw a man come out of K passage. He was
a soldier. I did not know him. He had a rifle with
him. I saw the Colonel and the Adjutant walking
in the square. I turned my head and saw the sol-
dier make a spring and put the rifle to his shoulder.
The min was a yard or two from the passage. The
man was on one knee when he fired. I did not notice
if he took aim at anything. After he had fired I saw
Captain Ihnham reel round, and Col. Crofton put
up his hands. I heard Col. Crofton call out, "Oh !
ray God, lam shot." I immediately left the win-
dow and went downstairs to the door. I saw Ser-
geant Smedley with the soldier, but I cannot swear
prisoner is the man. I did not know the prisoner be-
fore, and do not know whether he was the man
who fired or not.

By the Foreman—When he knelt down he had
his rifle to his shoulder.

By a Juror—l did not see the sergeant seize the
prisoner.
The prisoner declined to ask witness any question.

Sergeant Conihan sworn—He said, I a-ma colour
sergeant in the 2d battalion of the regiment sta-
tioned at Fulwood barracks. I have seen M'Cafferay
before, and knew him to be a soldier at the bar-
racks. He is a private in the 32d regiment. On
Friday evening last I took him into custody by
Captain Hanham's orders. I can't say what offence
he had committed. I asked him when he was in the
guard room what offence he had committed, and he
replied in an under tone, which I could not under-
stand. I handed him over to the sergeant of the
guard, and he locked him up. I know he las been a
prisoner in the cells before, by order of Col. Crofton.
I do not know how often he has been confined. Col.
Crofton or the officer in command for the time being
were proper parties to order him to be confined. I
do not know what crimes the man had committed.

The prisoner, being asked if he had any question
to put, said—How did you know I had been in the
cells ?

Witness—By your hair having been cut.
By the Coroner—No private's hair is as short as
his unless he has been tried by court-martial, or has
got cells.
Prisoner—How do you know that it was Colonel
Crofton gave me the cells ?
Witness—Nobody else could give him the cells
except the commanding officers for the time being.
This man was not placed in separate confinement;
he was only placed in the guard-room with the
other prisoners.

Tho-mas Whatnall sworn—He said—l am ser-
geant in the 32d Regiment. On Friday afternoon,
about a quarter to 4, I was parading the drill in the
barrack-square, and Capt. Hanham told me to come
to him directly, and he would give a copy of M'Caf-
feray's crime. This is it I now produce in the
handwriting of Capt. Hanham. (The first was for
neglect of duty when on picket sentry, and the se-
cond was for not obeying orders given him by the
adjutant at the same time and place.) I made a
copy of this, and it was sent to the sergeant of the
guard. I saw M'Cafferay on the following morn-
ing when brought before the commanding officer.
He had been confined all night. That would be
about half-past 10 o'clock. Capt. Hanham gave
the evidence against him. He was released about
10 minutes after that. I heard the sentence was 14
days in the barracks. I afterwards saw M'Caffe-
ray standing outside the orderly-room. It rained,
and I told him to come inside the passage, and he
did so without making any observation. I did not
see him again until after he had fired. When I
saw him he had to wait for the sergeant to show
him to the men at the gate, after which he would
be entirely free and discharged.
Prisoner—What was the evidence you gave be-
fore Mejor Cells ?
Witness—Capt. Hanham said there had been
several squares of glass broken by children, and the
officers had had to pay for them. Capt. Hanham
ordered this man to find eut who the children were.
He found out the name of one and whom he be-
longed to. There were two others there, and he
was told to go and find them out. He moved in a
slovenly manner, and came back and said he could
not find them out.

The Coroner then announced that this was all
the evidence he then proposed to take, and that he
should adjourn the inquest until Tuesday evening.

MUBDER OF A MISSIONARY AND HIS

WIFE BY SAVAGES.

By telegram from Sydney (says the Melbourne
..49e) we have intelligence of the brutal murder of
the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, of the Nova Scotia
Mission, by the natives, at Erromanga—the same
island in which, it will be remembered, John Wil-
liams was killed in 1839. The intelligence was con-
veyed to the Rev. Mr. Cuthbertson, at Sydney, by
letters from Lifu. The particulars are as follow :
It appears that in consequence of the measles which
had been raging among the islands with fearful
mortality, the natives of Erromanga determined to
kill all the white people on that island, looking on
them as the cause of the disease. Gordon was aware
the natives intended taking his life, but thought
that a little time would change their purpose. About
noon on the 20th May, nine Bunkill natives, of
whom the chief Lova was the leader, called at the
mission•house and inquired for Gordon. They were
informed he was working. at a house which he was
building as a winter residence. They then went
towards the place. Eight of the men concealed
themselves, while the ninth went further down to
inveigle Mr. Gordon into the trap thus laid for his
destruction. He had unfortunately sent all the boys
to gather grass for the roof of the new house, and
was unattended, when Narbu L. eet walked up to
him and asked for a piece of calico for himself and
others of the party, who, he said, were waiting at
the mission-house. Mr. Gordon took up a piece of
board, and wrote with charcoal, " Give these men a
yard of cotton each." This he gave to the savage,
and told him to take it to Mrs. Gordon, who would'
induced
Gordon him what he wanted. The savage then
Gordon to go with him, and he started up the hill,
followed by the native. On arriving at the ambush,
Naruba L€et buried his tomahawk in Mr. Gordon's
siiine. He immediately fell, uttering a loud cry.
Naruba Leet then gave another stroke on the right
side of the neck, which almost severed the head from
the body, and others rushing from their concealment,
quickly cut the poor victim to pieces. While this
tragedy was being enacted another native ran
'towards the mission-house, and Mrs. Gordon, who
had been alarmed by the fiendish yells and laughter
nbt
ueiiienrndd hisouNothing,
who
hhn h aof the savages, ran out, and standing near the out-
house she asked Onben what all the noise was about?
He laughed
boys amusing themselves." She said, " Where are
toma-
hawk boysco p
concealed
andand
d said, "
bbae ; it itds i n
hlciks :r ha
blow below the shoulder blade. She fell on the grass.
and he then nearly cut her head off, and otherwise
s only the
a
:
mutilated her body. Both bodies were recovered
and buried. •