THE BALLINA TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 5

THE BALLINA TRAGEDY.

BROWN SENTENCED TO DEATH. By Telegraph—Press Association.—Copyright. ;•-: 's Sydney, October 10. • !. The youth Brown, who murdered Mr. \ and l " Mrs O'Keefe arid the labourer Gillett On a farm at German Creek, Ballina, 'on July 15, has been sentenced to death. . Especial attention was directed to the !■ « question of tlie stvnity *or otherwise "of-the 1 prisoner. The Government medical ■ officer , stated in evidence that he had had several . conversations with Brown,, who stuck •to '"•.■'. i his statement I that he had killed the '■ O'Keefes hi order to get money to carry out his idea of a. White Australia. "Ho intended to organise a revolution v and kill all' the coloured f people in the cause of liberty. TUe doctor said he considered there were no symptoms of insanity about - the prisoner. It will be remembered that-Brown, who ' had been an industrial school > boy, had been in the employ of the O'Keefes., and '■'. had left them. Ho borrowed a volunteer ; uniform and bayonet, arid proceeded on a Sunday evening *to Mr, O'Keefe'o *■ farm," ■ with the intention of , committing ;a' v robbery. He successively murdered Mr. and , Mrs. O'Keefe and Gillett, and when young O'Keefe and his ; sister ;returned■ from church, struck the former. He then decamped, and the bodies of the slain were not found until the • following morning.* i : Two days later Brown was arrested a considerable distance from the scene' of '■ the tragedy. He described in detail both to the police and in the Police Court, how he had killed his victims. -, " t ' ",