THE ARMIDALE MURDER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 6 January 1910, Page 4

THE ARMIDALE MURDER.

-*-■ Interest in the ghastly tragedy at A*. midale on December 13 last when Hannah Kelly, a young woman, was murdefed in bed, was revived when a youa* man was arrested and charged with, tat crime. The murder was committed in the early hours of the morning, at a leading hotel in Armidale, where the Tictini was employed as a maid. Her room wat shared by Agnes O'Leary, another young girl employed at the premises. The latter was awakened by the pretence of a man in the room, who, realising that h« was discovered, escaped through a wu> , dow. Miss O'Leary then found her companion in a dying state on the bed, wita'j terrible wound in the throat. She called the proprietress of the hotel who questioned the dying girl, but though' the latter tried to speak, she could not,and died in a few minutes. The police called, but owing to the fact that' a. number of people had been admitted 'to the room, no strange footmarks could. ■ be found, and there was no evidence beyond Miss O'Leary's word that a nun had been in the room, to throw suspicion j on any particular individual. Miss j&, I Leary, however, was placed under arrest -I and charged with the crime. After an 1 extended hearing in the police court, *t{ which aroused considerable public indig. |!J nation, it was found that Miss OXearr was quite innocent, and she was diat charged from custody. Casey, the man charged with the mar. der, is a quarter-caste aboriginal, and has a most ferocious appearance. He i» 27 years of age, and describes himself as a labourer. As far as can be gathered, Miss Kelly, the victim of the tragedy, was a stranger to him, and he poasihlj mistook her for another woman against' whom he had a long-cherished grudge ia connection with a monetary transaction in Queensland Casey's confession, it is said, inejndea' details of how he entered and left Ipsi.Kelly's bedroom. He was working at another hotel, and when he returned there some hours after the murder his' employer was reading an account of the tragedy in a newspaper. He then d* cided to leave the district. Casey's statements, which there is now no reason to doubt, effectually prove Miss Olearjri innocence. H