Joseph Burns (murderer) explained

Joseph Burns (c. 1806 – 17 June 1848) was a New Zealand murderer, born in Liverpool, England. He was the first European in New Zealand to be executed for a capital crime. He was hanged on 17 June 1848^{[1] [2]} at what later became Devonport, today a suburb of Auckland.^[3]

The plaque on the spot of his hanging erroneously states that this was also the place of the murders, and that the crime occurred in 1848.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Papers Past – Daily Southern Cross – 17 June 1848 – A Murder by Law . Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz . 26 May 2013.
2. Web site: Papers Past – New Zealander – 21 June 1848 – Execution of Joseph Burns . Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz . 26 May 2013.
3. Web site: Hanging of Joseph Burns, 1848 . NZ History.