The newspapers called it a fiendish murder. On Friday night, the 31st of May 1899 the dead body of Mr Thomas Hawkings was discovered on a road leading from the Hutt road to his farm (Home Bush Farm) It was quickly established that he had been murdered. He was covered in wounds on his back, shoulders and neck.
The body was confirmed to be a Mr Thomas Hawkings. Thomas’s wife Mary confirmed that Thomas had lived at Home Bush Farm in Kaiwarra (now known as Kaiwharawhara) for about 18 years. She last saw her husband alive on Friday morning at 9:40am. He had left that morning to go to town for business. He was driving a cart with a grey horse. Thomas normally came home around 6pm but that night he was late. At 8pm Mary’s cousin, Charles, who had been staying with them, went out to look for Thomas. He found the horse and cart with the cart wheels caught in a fence. He got the cart free from the fence, called out for Thomas, received no reply so took the horse and cart back to their farm and then returned to look for Thomas. He found him lying across the road, face downwards with his head resting on his left arm and his feet towards the bank. Charles spoke to Thomas but received no reply so bent down to take hold of his hand and found it to be cold. Charles then rolled him over on his back and found him, in his words ‘quite dead’ He raised the alarm. A doctor and policeman arrived shortly afterwards and Thomas’s body was moved to the morgue where a post mortem examination was conducted.
He had multiple cuts all over his face, chest and back and several stab wounds. The cuts on his face were quite severe including one which completely divided the lower jaw-bone which made a slight fracture. There was also a very severe wound ¾ of an inch long and 2.5 inches deep that ran downwards and inwards through the muscles of his neck and ended by striking against the bones of his spine. There were several cuts like this around his neck, jaw and ears along with multiple other wounds on his back and chest. There was also a gunshot wound discovered on the back of his shoulder which had penetrated into his right lung. The post mortem examiner said that the majority of the wounds were mainly inflicted on the back and most of them were aimed towards the centre of the body. He concluded that to cause these injuries it would need to be done with an exceedingly strong instrument and driven with great force.
An investigation began with the police interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence.
The clothing that Thomas had been wearing had several cuts and holes in them. The back of the waistcoat had another hole (or dent as they called it) which was caused by a gunshot. All of his clothing was sodden with blood. It was said the gunshot must have been fired at very close range. The coroner agreed.
Thomas’s wife, Mary, came forward again as a witness. An inspector asked Mary if she was aware of any threats being made against Thomas. She said she thinks there was. When asked for more details she said he had come home a couple of months ago and would not have his tea and he seemed depressed and put out. She questioned him further and Thomas told her that Louis Chemis, who worked with him had sworn at him and said ‘Ah! I’ll have you yet’
Louis Chemis had arrived in New Zealand from Italy in 1877 and had leased a piece of land from Thomas and built a house on it. Louis brought some cows and a horse and added to his earnings by selling milk. He then agreed to lease more land from Thomas but then found out that Thomas had already leased some of that land to another man so Louis declined to carry out the previous agreement. Thomas took Louis to court but lost the case. Thomas had tried to compromise with Louis but Louis refused.
Louis Chemis
Papers Past - Evening Post 30th July 1889
Early morning on the 5th of June police made their way to Louis Chemis’s residence. He was just about to commence work for the day when he was told the police were there as he was a suspect. He agreed to go with them saying ‘It’s all right, it’s all dang lies, I shall not be there long’ Police also gave a thorough search of Louis’s home with Louis and his wife present. They found a double edged dagger (which matched a description of the kind of weapon that would’ve been used to injure Thomas) they also found a double barrelled gun that also matched the description for the type of gun used to shoot Thomas. Both items were seized. Louis’s clothes were also examined for any blood stains but none were found. Louis Chemis was taken into custody to await trial.
On the 15th of July 1889 Louis Chemis was found Guilty for the murder of Thomas Hawkings. Louis remained calm as the verdict was read however his wife fell forward and sobbed as if she didn’t care to live. She had to be led out of the court. The judge then donned the black cap and asked Louis if he had anything to say why the sentence of death should not be passed upon him? Louis said yes and then went on to pick at the evidence and his treatment from police. The judge disagreed and passed the sentence of death on Louis.
But had they just doomed an innocent man?
A petition was drawn up the very next day to have Louis’s sentence commuted as people believed they had the wrong man. A reward of 100 pounds was also advertised for anyone who would supply a solicitor with information that would lead to the conviction of the actual murderer of Thomas.
Louis’s solicitor also spoke to Louis’s eldest daughter who was eight years old. She told him that on that Friday night she met him on the road leading up to their house. She was with him up until about 7pm when she went to bed. When she went to bed he was sitting in the kitchen reading a newspaper. She said that her father had no gun with him when she met him on the road and she had been with him the entire time.
Many people were starting to come forward with evidence that Louis could not have been the murderer. Louis himself gave a statement claiming his innocence. He said the Friday when the murder happened was just like every other day for him. He went to work as usual and stopped work at his usual time in the afternoon to make his way home, help his wife with the cows, then went into the house to make tea. He says he always does this. He got up early the next morning to milk the cows and was delivering milk when he was first told about the death of Thomas Hawkings. He also said that Thomas had many quarrels with many others, especially hunters. He said normally when Thomas saw a hunter with a gun he would call them all the bad names he knew. This was confirmed by a few other people as well.
It was also said that a large amount of evidence that would’ve been in favour of Louis Chemis, had been withheld. Many points were made in regards to this claim and it went to a Supreme Court to be decided upon.
His sentence was commuted by the Governor to penal servitude for life.
He served his sentence in a few different gaols, he was moved from the Terrace Gaol in Wellington up to Mt Eden in Auckland (where in May 1891 he tried to commit suicide) and then eventually Lyttelton Gaol. There were many attempts to get his sentence reduced or to even get him released but none were successful. Until nearly 8 years later in June 1897 he was finally released under the amnesty celebrating Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.
Louis’s wife Annie came down to Lyttelton to meet him. Louis had no idea he was about to be released until about an hour before it happened. Annie, along with a few others met Louis at the gaol portal where he then passed out into the world a free man.
Sounds like a happy ever after almost. Sadly it wasn’t.
On Saturday the 22nd of October 1898 just over a year since Louis had been released, a man's dead body was found on the eastern side of Mount Victoria. The mutilated remains were found by two young boys who went to the police station to report what they had found. A constable went with one of the boys to locate the body and take charge of the area.
The head and neck had been blown completely away and so too had the right arm from just above the elbow. The body’s condition and the broken branches surrounding the area, and the distance to which fragments had been thrown (45-75 metres away) all showed the force of the explosion. A search of the area was made and found nearby was a box of matches, a coil of gunpowder fuse about 5.5metres in length and a lemonade bottle containing a few sips of brandy in it. The remains of the body was conveyed to the morgue.
Louis’s daughter, Elizabeth was in town that evening and saw an announcement about a mans suicide. She became worried as she had not seen her father since that morning. She was filled with dread and went home to see if her father had returned. He hadn’t. She spoke to neighbours who let the police know of their suspicions and so they were taken to the morgue around midnight. They knew Louis and confirmed the body was him. Several of the items of clothing that was worn by the man were taken to Louis’s wife who confirmed that was his clothing and she had not seen him since that morning although they had arranged to meet in town. He never showed up to meet her.
Upon investigation it was found that Louis at about 10:30am had purchased half a pound of dynamite, a cap and a coil of fuse. He then went onto the Clyde Quay hotel around 11am - midday and brought a shilling’s worth of brandy. It was then assumed he went up to Mount Victoria and over the top and started looking for a secluded area to commit suicide. He chose a spot, placed either dynamite or guncotton in his mouth and connected it with a fuse. He then put a lighted match to the fuse and that was it.
It was told afterwards that since Louis’s release from prison he had had difficulty in finding and keeping work. He had expressed to a friend very strongly about his inability to get to work and the hardships this inflicted on his family. He had even told this friend (A Mr Mills who had strongly helped him with his release from prison) that he thought it would have been almost better if he had stayed in gaol than to be a drag on his wife, who had so much to do. Not being able to find work played on his mind a lot but he had done nothing that would suggest that he intended to commit suicide.
Louis was buried on the 25th of October 1898 aged 41 Sadly just a few years later in 1906 at age 25 his daughter Elizabeth passed away from exophthalmic goitre and was buried with him in the same plot. His wife Annie joined them in 1939 aged 75 They are all buried together at Karori Cemetery.
Louis, Elizabeth and Annie Chemis's plot at Karori Cemetery
Mary Hawkings passed away in 1922 and was buried with Thomas at Bolton Street Cemetery.
Picture taken from 'Findagrave'
During the late 1960's Thomas and Mary's remains were exhumed and sent to the crematorium at Karori Cemetery and they were cremated. A portion of their monument still resides at Bolton Street Cemetery (pic below with inscription)
It's difficult to make out but it reads:
Sacred to the memory of Thomas Hawkings, born 15 April 1839, murdered 31 May 1889.
Also his beloved wife, Mary, died 21 May 1922, aged 72
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