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In 1866, soldier James Stack was convicted of the murders of Mary Finnigan and her three sons the previous year. Stack had been living with the Finnigan family in Ōtāhuhu and claimed they had gone to the West Coast goldfields when neighbours asked about their absence. After Stack abruptly left the property, it was thoroughly searched, and the bodies of Mary, James and Benjamin were found buried in the garden. Stack was apprehended in December 1865 and executed by hanging in April 1866. The body of John Finnigan was not found until 1869.
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