THE MURDER OF MR GEORGE DOBSON.

Grey River Argus, Issue 77, 10 July 1866, Page 2

THE MURDER OF MR GEORGE DOBSON.

INQUEST ON THE BODY. On Saturday, a£ noon, Mr Warden Revell commenced a$ the Union Hotel, the inquest on the body of Mr George Dpbsjn;- who was murdered on the Grey and Arnold track on or about the^JSth of May last. The father and brother-in-law of the murdered man were present, and also the prisoner James Wilson, who stands accused of the murder. During the proceedings the large room of the hotel was (filled by the public, who took a deep interest in the proceedings. Before proceeding to view the body, the Magistrate informed the jury that they were assembled to inquire how, where, v&en, and by what means the deceased man came by his death, and he asked them to discharge from their minds anything which they might have read or heard outside that room touching this matter, and to return a verdict strictly in accordance with the evidence which would b,e laid before them. When the jury returned from viewing the body, the following evidence was taken : — Inspector W..H. James, stationed-at*Grey-mouth: On Tuesday, the 3rd inst.; I proceeded up the Grey .River, with a parly, to search for the body of George Dobson, at a spot about one mile on tie Canterbury side below the cpal-pits, on the Arnold track. The instructions where to find the body. had been received by telegram from Nelson, and said to have been given by the prisoner Sullivan. For the first three days we were unsuccessful, and on Friday, the sth inst., I commenced the search at a point about a mile below the spot indicated on a tracing which I received from Nelson by special Constable o'Brjen on the previous day, as the tracing indicated the locality which we had already searched for three days. At five minutes to twelve o'clock was in the act of. crossing a log which layo ver a blind creek or gully, when! felt a strong smell, and I called Constable M'Urby's attention to the. spot, and told him to make a strict search near it. He found a brandy bottle lying in the creek, aid on examining it we saw by the label that it had nqt lain there long, Constable M'llroy.went a few steps forward, and said he had found the body for the toe of the boot was sticking out of the ground. It was immediately below the spot where I was standing on the log 1 when I first experienced the smell. The body was a few inches under the soil, lying with feet up the gully, the head down, and buried close under a terrace. I immediately cooeyed for Special Constable O'Brien, who was on the track, and I was answered by Mr Matthew Russell, who was passing the track at the time. He came into the bush, and I pointed out the spot to him where the body lay. It was as near as I could gaess about 30 yards in the bush from the main track. As I was informed by Mr Russell that a party was coming up in a boat and would arrive in half an hour, I delayed proceedings until they arrived. Mr Russell Liisn : commenced removing the earth from the body, commencing at the feet, where a part of a boot was exposed. When the earth Wits removed we found that; Mr Dobson's. Inverness cape was lying across . the lower part of his body and legs, and that his Albert gold guard was hanging on his vest, and his silver watch in his vest pocket. On removing the cape to one side I found a prismatic compass, in case, a tape, and afield book lying on the legs, and on each side of the body, two leather straps were lying." On examining the watch I found that it had stopped at twenty-seven minutes to: four o'clock, but it has rundown. The body was lying on its back, the- right hand resting on the body, and the left arm lying by the sile. 1 have examined the. clothes worn by the deceased, and find a slight tear in the back of the cape, and another slight tear in the collar of the coat, but otherwise the clothes appear perfect. The body was not disturbed in anyway, lmt taken up as nearly as possibly. «s it lay, and placed on a stretcher. It was in a very damp spot, for the hole was almost immediately half full of water after taking the body out. I observed that the flejh was wanting on the side of the left cheek. The body was much decomposed, and in lifting it almost the entire skin of one hand fell off like a glove. The body, and some of the articles found in the grave, were identified on the spot by Mr Todhunter, and the body wasalso identified on the spot by Mr MatthewRussell as that of George Dobson. The~ ; tie ceased has been missing since the 2Sth > May last. I have received a copy of Sullivan's confession wherein he states thab the. articles found in the grave, and now produced, were buried with the body. By Jurors : The earth was not removed" i from the face. There were no rat holes about, the earth was hard on the surface, having been apparently trodden dow n. There was a greater depth of earth on., the upper than on the lower part of the body.\ This earth was mixed with fern and clay, and bo tenacious as if it had been trodden down. There was no appearance of; a struggle having taken place near the grave, but it; was apparently at the end of a .track where the body was buried. The track was slight, and I think it was made when the timber was, felled for the bridge. There was no evidence of any person having been recently at ,the spot. I believe the hands or legs had been strapped, and they were loosened -after the body was placed in the ground^-but there | was no proof of this ; it is a surnme of mine. The straps ftfjind-iu. the grave have not been: identified as hay.'*ig belonged to George Dobßon. . .• . . Charles Franklin Todhunter : I am a merchant in Christchtirch, and knew the deceased, .who was my brother-in-law. I have seen the body which was found yesterday, and I identify it as" that of George Dobson, lately Assistant' District Engineer at Hokitika. I can identify the chain produced as the property of George Dobson, but I. am. not positive as to the watch, although! have seen him with due; like :p I also identify the handwriting in the field-book as that of George Dobson. I identify the body by the hands, -the teeth, the color of the hair, and the way in which he wore it, the shape of one leg, the formation; of both wrists, and a projecting. bone in the /thumb. I saw the b >dy when it .'; was .taken up, and also., to-day. The articles produced to-day I saw taken out of the grave by the police. . " ../'■ : Matthew Russall : l am a miner, residing onthe Grey. I knew the deceased George Dobson, who was a surveyor ; and assistant engineer. 1 have known him forvseyexal years, and was well .acquainted with him? : . I saw the body; taken^iit of the place where it was buiied, and I*identify it as that of George Dobson.- I helped to uncover the body, and I identified hint by the size;" the boots, the hair, and general appearance, before. I saw his face. I have not seen the deceased for:the last .three months. (Thewit^ ness continued tp- give evidence as to the finding of the cpnipass and' other articles in the grave, and thefemoval of the body). [ I thin^l>ioticed.a;rat-.hole about a j'ard from the grayo, but I saw none exactly on or close to the gr#ve. I cannot say whether the rats could get to the body by the hole which . I noticed, as I made no examination. '• ,-, Charles /Fpppoly • I am a legato qualified medical practitiouer, residing attfreyniouth. Tlv ' m~rir :g at o'clock I,^in compdny

vW.ithlDrStrehz, niiadevaj»<M^»»o»T^TOexamiiiatiicra oh a body shown ,me;,M tnat'pf George D^bson. . The body on, a -stretpher straight on its back, was,dr«ssed and covered - with- "dark soil r so alsbywas the face. /After > removing the soil from the face and clothes (about half a bucketful) we commenced to cut open the clothe 3. We removed the neckt'e, a' black silk one, fastened at the neck very loosely by : a sailor's knot, and then washed the face .and head. We found that all the muscles of. the. face were destroyed from the upper part of the" eye to the chin, and from ear to ear. The muscles were entirely destroyed to the bone. -The edges of this wound was very irregularly" cut with indentation such as would be caused" by the corrosion of My ion is that putrefaction could not' have de-: stroyed the portion of the face' which was gcn3, for -the surrounding par^s, were in a state of comparative preservation. Decom-position-could not have destroyed the flesh so near to the bone without leaving gome harder part" preserved. 'On examining the whole of the body,;although decomposition Wris far; advanced, we found that' tfce work was not in proportion to the time that had elapsed since he was buried. This, delay in the process of deepmppsifcion may be caused by some special quality possessed by the soil in which the body was buried, or someyother cause of which I am not aware. •/, In examining the heaVoi the left side of the temporal bone* we found a large contusion 'of the size of an egg," and extending to the external eari Another. cbiitUßioniwaß' found oh the top of the head, leading down %c., Jeft sideband of tai same sige -as the ether. • On the right side of the head, on the temporal bone, we found a contusion, of the size of a^crown piece, and oh the back of the head there was another wound in the occipitalregion. of the size of half-a-crown. These wounds, after removing the scalp, -we found 5 to pass right through the integuments to the squ.ll, whig}} was also slightly discolored. The negk was swollen in the front from ear to eafc the color of the neck ; was of a yellow -green, which color was also to be found all over the .' body, as a sign of decomposition^ -;In\ the left feide of the* neck, precisely corre-' sponding to the region of thej jugular vein, we found a deeply colored wound, of the size of a shilling. • Starting from, this spot there were three stripes, of a red color, running towards the vertebrae, and separated from each other about a quarter of an inch.: t On the right side of the neck we observed some sed colored; stripes of the same kind, but very irregular, not so distinct, and some ran? ning towards the shoulder. Some stripes of the same color and form we found on the chest. All these- stripes we found only ex? tending to the superficial skin. On examining the teeth we found them all perseryed, only one jbeing missing on the ..Tipper jawj left side, but from the appearance of the gum we thought, it must have ;beoi gone for a long time. One was {ilso. wanting in >* the | lower jaw, left side, leaving an old stump in. The tongue was lat the point for about a quarter of an inch, leaving an indented margin. ' < It was "sw'olleq, and darker than usual. In the throat Adam's apple" was flattened and pushed up as far "as the chin.; The parts composing the "apple", have" lost their natural , resistance. On disectipg the larynx we found .the internal raucous membrane deeply colored. ; Oh opening the head we found .a great vascvilarity of the membraneß of the brain. The brain itself, by. the"actipn of decomposition, had lust all. consistency, and was reduced to a soft paste. We found no fracture on the skull. On opening the . cavity of the chest we found the" lungs congested chiefly in the upper part ; the heart contained in the right vehtrical' a' certain quantity of blood in a liquid state, but a greater quantity than was in the left ventrical. The stomach . wasin a healthy condition, contaiuing a little quantity of a brown liquid which wedid not remove. The intestines and bowels were in a healthy condition, and so also was the liver. As to the cause of death — the-four wounds on the head are the effect of blows given by a blunt flat instrument, such as the stock of a gun. Although these wounds were not sufficient to produce- death, they were sufficient to 'stun a -person and render him insensible. The alteration we found in the respitory, organs .are visibly the effect of the violent pressure of a hand on the throat* The mark onthe jugular vein may be caused, by a thumb, and the person who committed the deed; must have iused; the left hand. The cause of death was the blows on the head and the pressure of ;the larynx in an. upward . direction until suffocation ensued. The handkerchief was not used to strangle the deceased, for if it had it would have caused a circular' mark round the neck, but would not have displaced the larynx as was done. '■■• By" Inspector James : We found no signs of Vitrol or acids having been used to destroy the face of the deceased. i :.;■■; By Jurors : It . is - impossible for the d>-. ceased to have inflicted those wounds upon himself. > : ■ As it was now five o'clock the Magistrate said it would be better to adjourn iftrthe* 1 proceedings as there were a number of wit^ nesses yet to examine,, and as several of them lived in Maori Giilly^-those who, had last seen the deceased'alive— he suggested that in order to give them, time to come to town the iiiquest" should be adjourned" to Tuesday. This was assented^ to by. the jury, "and the proceedings were ( adjourned until Tuesday (this day) 'at one o'clock.