KAKANUI MURDER.

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1918, Page 6

KAKANUI MURDER.

TELEGRAMS

MAYHEW’S BURY BOUND

THE MYSTERY CLEARED UP

(Per Press Association.)

OAMARU, July 23

The mystery of the strange disappearance of Onslow Mayhew, accused of the murder of Georg-e Swan Burke, and the shooting at three defenceless women, at (iemmet!’s Crossing, near Oamaru, on the night of April 14th, was cleared up this morning by the finding of Mayhew s body in the thick gorse on the south bank of the Kakanni river, about a mile and a-half from the scene of the tragedv. Between 10 and 11 o’clock this morning- Peter MlAulay. farmer, of Tof'-ra, accompanied by bis 15-yenr-old son. was collecting- fnewood along tbe bank of the rirer. Mr M'Aulay pushed his way tbrougb the gorse to a hig patch, where the close undergrowth had been burnt off, lit the searchers for the missing man, and there, about 150 vards from the hank of the river. M'Aulay caught sight of what he took to be a log or a fallen tree. Tie was greatly surprised and horrified, however, to come across the body or the missing man. The body was on its back, with the right arm flung out upon ibe muddy ground, tlie left hand gripped tightly the barrel of a service rifle, the weapon lying across the dead man s ebest, with the muzzle within an inch nr two of the chin. The magazine of the rifle was fully loaded. Although the body was very much weather-beaten and the eyes were gone, the remains were in a sufficient stale of preservation to show that Mayhew bad shot himself, there being a large hole m the left temple, and grievous injury to tbe back of the bead. Acer the body was an empty methylated spirits bottle. The cork had been replaced in the bottle. Under the body was found a corkscrew, and a cigarette bolder, some tobacco, and a. locket, containing a few pieces of sen-sen It: is thought that Mayhew shot himself nn tbe night of the trae-edy. Tbe flames, which some days loter consumed the mrnh m the vicinity, massed over the body and dopfroved the browsers, chaired fho coat, and portico of the hot, T'-bich v-of! oof acin-dlv '-ovm’ed by the dead man. The boots v’C™ still intact, although the laces had apparently been consumed in the tire. It is evident that after the tragedy Mayhew would cross the river and plunge into the thick gorse, and but for the burning of The gorse the discovery of the body 7 would not have been possible. Indeed, Mr M‘Aulay, on findingtbe body, had to take the precaution to mark the spot vor\ caiefully, to enable him to direct tbe police to the place, where the perpetrator of the murder of George Burke took his own life. The dwellers of the whole countryside are much relieved that the mystery of Mayhew’s disappearance has been, clem el up. but thoughts of the crime and tragedy, and the subsequent suicide, and the sorry ending two young lives, one of a man wno was cxneclmg the call to th n colours nnv dav and the other. M one who had served Ids King nml country at Armentioves and on ilw> blood-stained P'-inmo, will 11 d readily be effaced from Jd memory of the people of Aorib Otago.