DOUBLE MURDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8539, 13 April 1891, Page 5

DOUBLE MURDER.

CONFESSION OF THE CRIMINAL. The man Colston, for whom the Melbourne police have been searching for the last six weeks in all sorts of out-of-the-way places, was arrested at Burjoyne's Hotel, Yarra Glen, and lodged in the lock-up. It appears that a Mr. Foster, a well-known whip, was driving a party of excursionists over the ranges, and they called at the hotel, when Foster, who is well acquainted with Colston, noticed him at the hotel, and informed Constable Arnold, who made the arrest. At first Colston strongly denied his identity, but finally admitted that he was Colston. He then "became more communicative, and confessed that he had killed Mr. and Mrs. Davis at Narbethong, and stated that he would disclose where the knife was with which he committed the deed, Colston, when arrested, had a six - chamber loaded revolver, in good order, and also £32 in cash. Later on ne made the following confession, which was duly witnessed "Yarra Glen Lock-up, March 31, 1891. — William Colston, on being arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr. and Mrs. Davis, of Narbethong, on information given by W. Foster, at Yarra Glen, on March 30, 1891, after being duly cautioned, state: Finding that employment in the district was scarce, I had packed up to go to Miidura, thinking there would be a good show there. I had arranged with Davis to take my heavy toolchest to Healesville in his dray, and lie came • and fetched it on Friday evening, at about a quarter to nine o'clock. After helping him to load it we had a drink, and he took it to his house. After that I had several drinks with some friends who were at the hotel that evening, and after a time I was thinking that the coach may be full, and thought that Davis might as well take _iny other boxes. I started up to ask him to come for them the following morning. Oil the way up I felt overcome, and fell down and went to sleep, and did not wake up until the following morning until about five o'clock. When I had gathered my wits I got up and went to Davis. I knocked at the door, and Mrs. Davis asked who was there. I said 'Colston.' She then said, ' All right, I will get tip.' She opened the door, and when I went in she had only her nightdress on. I stopped and said I wanted to see Davis about my other boxes, and asked where lie was. She said, ' Oh, I suppose he is out in the orchard, keeping the birds off the fruit.' I said, ' I will go and see him.' With that she caught hold of me suddenly on her bed, and shouted out ' Davis!' and Davis at once opened another door and came in and said, ' This sort of thing has been going on long enough, and I am determined to put a stop to it,' and said he would report it to the police. As she had been doing this, only in not quite so glaring manner, for the last two years, and Davis, her, and I had always laughed at it, considering her eccentric. I was surprised to see him obstinate on this occasion ; so, being annoyed, I said, ' Well, Davis, I see this is a blackmailing job. What will satisfy you?' He said, ' A £5 note;' and, thinking I should bring him to reason on the way down, I said, 1 Very well, come down for my other boxes, and I will see about it.' On the way down we came to high words ; and feeling then that, although he had always laughed and seemed to understand it before, he must have been in the plot, I collared the axe off- his shoulder and hit him twice, and then drew my bush knife and cut his throat, for he seemed to me then only as vermin._ When I saw what I had done, I dragged him off the road and covered him up, and then remembered his wife knew all about it, aud I rushed back and served her the same, and threw the knife into the bushes outside the door. I then turned the house upside down, hoping it might look like robbing, and left it. When I came to sec what I had done, I started for Maryville, thinking I had better give myself up to the constable there ; but 1 missed him in the short cuts in the bush, and in returning from Maryville I observed a man I did not like on the tail of the coach, looking for my tracks. I thought then that I would not be arrested through his means, and took to the bush. During that j time I twice saw black trackers, and had sueb. a horror of being taken by them that I determined to put my wits against theirs, and leave it to the white man. I should desire to call evidence of several neighbours to whom I mentioned this old woman's endeavour to entrap me on different occasions, as they occurred fully two years and eighteen months before— believe it was money she was after— witnesses to previous character. I don't believe I ever started a quarrel or row in the whole of my life, or hurt man or beast willingly.(Signed) W. Colston." Since his removal to the llealesville lockup Colston has supplemented his confession with some interesting details. He states that Mrs. Davis was jealous of her husband's attentions to another woman, and to excite his jealousy she had been in the habit of referring to Colston as her admirer, and believing it was chaff, Colston treated the observations in a good-natured way, Davis seemingly, doing the same. When Colston called in the morning it was to ask Davis to take some small packages with a_ box to llealesville. The packages were light, and could easily have been carried to the house by Colston and Davis. On Colston's arrival at the house, the scene referred to in the confession occurred, and both men left for the hotel, Davis picking up an axe on leaving the house, saying he would get it sharpened at the hotel. On the way Colston, in a passion, snatched the axe and struck Davis two blows on the head, and then dragged him to the bush and cut his throat. He was so excited at the time that he cannot recollect how many blows he struck Davis on the head and face, nor how the pieces of brown paper were left by him alongside the body. He took a screw-driver to Davis's house some time previously wrapped in the paper, and may have had the screw-driver in his hand. He then , murdered the woman, for whom he felt no compunction. He admits that the £2810s found on him he stole from the Premier on Good Friday at Mr. Munro'a country residence, St. Fillian's. He had been hanging about there a good deal, and when Mr. Munro went there a few days he thought it a good opportunity to get the newspapers in order to see what they said about the murders. During Mr. Munro's absence for a short while he got inside, and crept under a bed .in the room which Mr. Munro used as a sitting-room, remaining there the whole afternoon and evening, Mr. Munro being in the room for several hours. Mr. Munro left a purse containing £30, and Colston took at, getting clear away from the house in the morning. He says he slept in the house on other occasions. He had been employed there, and know the premises. He regarded the money as sent by Providence to afford him the means of escape. He had had money of his own in notes, which got wet through ; and whilst drying them by the roadside lie was disturbed by passers-by, and in his hurry to get away he forgot the money. He remained iu . the neighbourhood of Narbethong till Monday. After lying about in the scrub for over five weeks, and having the means to get away, he determined to make a bold attempt for liberty, and took the Healeavil.le road, arriving there during the night He was afraid to go to the hotel, so he-walked along the railway-line to Yarra Glen. He had a comfortable breakfast at the hotel, but would have avoided the • place if he had known the police station was next door. He intended to take the evening train for Melbourne, avid got out at the Richmond station. ' He was completely surprised when Detective Foster eccosted him. He then felt that resistance was hopeless and his arrest pretty sure.