NEWS BY MAIL.

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 22, 27 January 1899, Page 5

NEWS BY MAIL.

THE GATTON CRIME STILL ENVELOPED IN MYSTERY. The preliminary enquiry into the dreadful mystery of the Gatton murders in Queensland is now well under way, and so far, if the cable despatches give a just account of the salient points of the proceedings, but little progress has been made towards the discovery of the murderers. The latest theory of the police appears to be (or is made to appear so) that if two men were engaged in the awful work, the man who inspired the crimes killed his companion after their committal in order to minimise the risk of discovery. Upon this hypothesis the black trackers have for some days past been scouring the country in ever-extending circles from the scene of the murders, and so far without result. Meanwhile, though the police are doing their utmost to make a case against Burgess — w ho, be it remembered, does not belong to the district — the local feeling and fear evidently still leans to a belief that the crimes were committed by local men. From the files of the Brisbane Courier to hand we extract such passages fronj the letters of its special correspondent, in order of dates, as appear likely to bear upon future developments, or are otherwise of exceptional interest. A QUESTION OF IDENTIFICATION. Galton, January 13. — There are no fresh developments. The police are working hard with a view to establishing the ownership of the article found at the culvert. Upon this much of the future work will hinge. So far, the two men who were at Gilbert's Hotel on the night of the tragedy have not been identified, but every endeavour will be made to trace them. Many residents here still hold to the loca.l theory. Johnson, who treated the two swagsmen at Gilbert's, believes he can identify them. Descriptions of the two men have been supplied by Johnson as near as possible, and a search is being made for them throughout the district. ,If there were two strangers concerned in the tragedy it is regarded as probable that they separated after it. Photographs of Lee have arrived here, and enquiries are being made to ascertain if he was known in Gatton. Miss Molloy, at Gilbert's Hotel, has seen the photograph's of Burgess taken since his -arrest. She does not .believe that they are those of either of the Vnen who were there on Boxing Night. To-day I visited the Helidon district. There is pretty fair proof that Burgess is the man who spread the report there, before the exhumation, that Michael Murphy was shot through the head. If Burgess was out of Gatton when the bodies were found, and had no opportunity of hearing details, the statement is obviously important ; but it is only fair to say that the suspicion that poor Michael was shot as well as clubbed was pretty freely discussed here on the day of the funeral, if not on the day the murders wore discovered. Too much importance should not be attached to the matter in the light of present information. Yet the woman to whom the statement was made, ft member of the household of a farmer residing about thrfee miles from Helidon, had no difficulty in identifying tile photographs of Burgess as those of the man who mentioned the circumstance to her. LOCAL FEARS. The Helidon people, like those in the Gatton district, have been dreadfully nervous since the tragedy, and do not care to leave their homes at night. Indeed, women will not travel about at all unless with protection. At Grantham the keeper of the only store which the village boasts informed me that business had fallen off greatly since the tragedy. Even young men, who used to go into the store of evenings for tobacco, will not now venture out after dark. There is, if not a reign of terror, a general condition of extreme nervousness. BURGESS'S MOVEMENTS TRACED. Helidon, 13th Jan. — Enquiries have settled the question that the man Burgess was within three miles of Helidon (near Gatton) on 29th December. He called at Hamlyn's place and got food, as previously reported, and also called at the house of a farmer named Berg. One of the members of Berg's household recognised the photograph of Burgess as that of a man who called there on the Thursday following the tragedy, and said concerning the murder that Michael Murphy had been shot through the head. This was before the exhumatioi* and post mortem examination by Drs. Wray and Yon Loss berg, when the bullet was found in Murphy's head. Mr. Parry - Okeden, Commissioner of Police, has gone carefully into the recent developments in the case, and on the whole regards the situation as hopeful. The police out Tent Hill way, here, and at Helidon seem to be focussing their energies on the movements of Burgess, and hi. c possible connection with the article discovered at the culvert on the Tent Hill road, near Moran's sliprails. In this latter work the utmost energy is shown, and the enquiries being made are thoroughly searching. A STRANGER OK LOCAL MEN ? Gatton, 16th Jan. — Opinion is' divided as to whethei the tragedy was perpetrated by a stranger or by local men, but the for mer theory is forcing itself upon the public mind. The police are working earnestly following up the movements of one person ; they have already brought him neaj to the scene of the murder; that is definite. The difficulty which presents itfeelf is to make the connection closer. Thif may take some time, perhaps considerable time, and the public must be patient. I feel certain that the police have evidence of a most damning nature when once it is associated with an individual ; morr than that it would not be wise to say. nor would I be on safe grounds in pursuing the matter further, for the authorities are extremely reticent as to details. On the one man theory, however, thr police are not entirely working. The desperado who devised the crimes may have had an associate — a man whom hr had met under certain cicumstances wren there is opportunity and inclination to hatch out devildoms. If there was such an associate, can he be found ? Is he living ? It ia by no means improbable

that a man plotting and carrying out such a crime would deal with his companion under the principle that dead men tell no tales. With that in view, the ■ persistent searching by the police in places J remote from the scene of the tragedy may ! be well understood. If there was one prime mover in the affair— determined to rob, outrage, and murder — he would not be particular about making short work of an associate. M'NEILL AND THE POLICE. Mr. William M'Neill, the brothev-in-law of the victims of the tragedy, was in Gatton to-day, and informed me that he intended taking action against some of the Southern papers which had been making free with his name in connection with the affair. M'Neill is very sore on the subject, and his feeling extends in a measure towards the police. When he gave the police the letter which was picked up near Tent Hill referring to Campbell's paddock, three specimens of his handwriting were taken, written with different pens. M'Neill said to me—" They mus< think I am a blockhead not to know what their object was." By the way, do the people who mention M'Neill's name endeavour to account in any way for the man at the sliprails who accosted people near where the murder took place ? That man was at the sliprails when the Murphys drove in, and there is little doubt was the murderer or one of the murderers. M'Neil l j at this time was at home at Murphy's house with his wife and children, with his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and three at least of the younger Murphys. When a man is regarded with suspicion, and knows the circumstances, it is only fair to show a point which practically clears him. Of course there are other points to clear him, which have been referred to on several occasions. THE ONE MAN THEORY. Captain Deacon, formerly Mayor of Ipswich, was here yesterday, and informed me that after seeing the spot and hearing some of the inner circumstances of the case he had altered his view regarding it. Captain Deacon now considers it quite possible and very probable that one man was responsible for the whole of the shocking tragedy. On this " one man " theory the Commissioner of Police has informally expressed himself. A visitor to the town asked— " Do you think one man could have committed the crimes?" Mr. Parry-Okedenre-plied briefly and to the point— "Yes, I do." CLEAR ONE DAY AND OBSCURED THE NEXT. How is the work of establishing the ownership of the article found at the culvert on the Tent Hill road progressing? "Very well," Inspector Urquhart replies. There are diffculties in the way; cross circumstances come in ; things look pretty clear one day. and are obscured the next. The trail is a hard one to run, but there is no cause to despair — rather otherwise ; there is every reason to hope." In connection with the suggestion that the mysterious man at Moran's sliprails on the night of the tragedy may iave, with a companion, been guilty of the commission of the crime, the police are making an anxious search for a man who was seen here about Christmas time, and who would be perhaps the sort of character to be associated in such an affair. No trace of him has been found anywhere. His discovery is a small matter perhaps, a point based on a rather far-fetched idea, but it is being zealously followed up. He may be found later on — perhaps dead. BAFFLED POLICE. Gatton, January 17.— 50 far the police have been unable to trace the ownership of the article found at the culvert near Moran's sliprails. It is important that it should be traced, but the task is heavier than was at first anticipated. I have received information that Ipswich folk are being thoroughly interrogated, both with respect to the matter of firearms and the possible movements of the owner of the culvert article. This does not give a par ticularly hopeful look to things, but at the same time there is no occasion for despair. I feel strongly that there should be a closer search for the camping place of the man who was seen at the sliprails on the night of the crimes, and for articles which he may have made away with. What of the chief article missing? A tramp would not keep that for amusement, nor indeed would anyone else be likely to do so. Yet it cannot be found, or at any rate it has not been found. SOMETHING OF BURGESS. The man Burgess's record is altogether bad, and he has been known to the police for a long time as a dangerous man. Concerning the charge brought against the man Burke at Kilkivan, prior to his assault on the old lady at Leybutn, the police have no difficulty in fixing the defendant in that case as Burgess. Whether he was connected Avith the Gatton tragedy remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that he is a fellow with an inclination to molest women. His resistance when Constable Gillies went to arrest him at the Bunya Mountains stamps Burgess, or Burke, as a pretty desperate character. He had filled his " billy " with stones, and with them and a stout stick he bailed up and made a sturdy fight. Constable Gillies did not wish to injure his man, and getting the assistance of two other persons managed to take Burgess in the rear, Mr. Walker, who was first with the constable, getting behind him and seizing him. The prisoner, it is said, lamented the circumstance that he had no firearms. He assured the constable that if he was otherwise armed he would not be taken very easily. From what I hear a very mild account of the encounter was given in the first instance. When he was overcome Burgess obstinately refused to give any account of himself. IS THERE A CASE AGAINST BURGESS? Gatton, 19th January. — It is an open secret that afettr his removal from Tqowoomba, Burgess's clothes were taken from him and sent to Brisbane for analytical and microscopical examination. This, it said, was resented, and Burgess for some time— like our Irish friend O'Brien, M.P. — refused to wear the raiment supplied at the prison. However, wiser counsels prevailed. The analytical work was sent to Mr. Henderson, the Government Analyst, and the microscopic work was entrusted to Dr. Orr, of Brisbane. What the result of the investigations may be has not been allowed to transpire in Gatton ; indeed, it is not likely to be made "public at all unless Burgess is charged with the murders of the three Murphys. The absence of his clothes in Brisbane may explain why Burgess has not been broughc here for identification by those who saw the mysterious man at Moran's sliprails on the night of the tragedy. Later. — It has been decided to bring Burgess down to Gatton when his clothes are returned from Brisbane. The persons who saw the man ac fie sliprails at Moran's paddock on the night of the tragedy will be called on to say whether Burgess is that man. If they cannot- identify him, I fail to see how ibe police can hope to complete a chain of circumstantial evidence. It is probable,, i& the light of this later information, that a magisterial enquiry will be held. The police this afternoon received a consignment, of pumping material from Brisban-, und a start will be made probably to-morrow to pump out certain waterholes where it is considered some articles connected with the tragedy may be found. [The cable has since told us that Burgess was picked out of 15 men by three witnesses as the man they saw at the sliprails of the paddock in which the Mur-

phys were murdered, but it must be remembered that evidence of identification under such circumstances is very unreliable and of little value.]