LATE WILLIAM CAMPBELL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 259, 29 July 1919, Page 6

LATE WILLIAM CAMPBELL

STORY OF A FORGOTTEN CRIME. . Many people in "different parts of- the Dominion will regret to hear of tho deatli on Sunday, at- his residence, Clyde Stre.ii. Island Bay, of Mr. William Campbell. for many years of the Government detective branch of tho Police Department. Mr. Campbell joined the Department as a police constable in Wellington in August, 1879. 'Five years later ho was rnado a detective, remaining ju Wellington until 1809, achieving a name as a smart intelligent officer. In 1809 he was transferred to Dunedin, and in 1003 became chief detective, on the West Coast, stationed at Greymouth. In 1911—under the amended Act—lie became a detectivesergeant. In 1915 lie retired from the» Service. since when he has resided at Island Bay, •!

The late Detective Campbell was connected with several notable criminal cases. One concerned the murder of a young Englishman on a station on the East Coast, i This man had secured work on the station, another employee on which was acuainted with the neweouer's wire. That acquaintance developed with tragic results. One day tlfe lider hand and the young Englishman went shooting, and the former came back, alone. 'Later, when questioned as to the Englishman's whereabduts, the older 1 and stated that the man had gone to a certain/ townv Time passed, with no return of the missing man, and some of the hauds from the station, on visiting the town in question. made inquiries as to the whereabouts of their former mate, and were told that he had not visited the town for many weeks. The ci roll instances looked so suspicious that the police were advised of.tlie w.hole affair. Detective-Camp-beil then in Wellington, was sent to make inquiries, and tin order to reaeh v the place unobserved, made the trip in a scow. After making all inquiries he went up the coast to the station, convinced that there'had been foul play. Detective Campbell engaged a number of Maoris, who, armed with sharp-pointed manuka-poles went carefully over the ground that the two ipen had shot over on the fateful day. The search appeared likelv to be abortive, "when they came across the remains of a fire in the bush. The ground, blackened by embers, was prodded and poked, until one Maori struclc the corpse of the missing man, buried under a few inches of soil. With Meat difficulty the body was taken down to headquarters, a medical man was called into examine the remains r.ml testify to tho cause of datli. The lesult vas the' arrest on a charge of i ilful mi rder of the ma'.i who had been out shooting with the Englishman, '.the case was thought to be a clear one, but the essential witness gave his evidence in such a wspner that the accused was acquitted. Ostracised in the district,* however, tho mnn who had been accused left it and took work olsewhere. nnd whilst so engaged he' was carrying a kerosene lantern c.ne night, when he stumbled, the llame of the ' lantern set'fire to his oil-soaked clothes, and he was so severely burned that lie died in the hospital almost immediately.