THE GLENBROOK HORROR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 3005, 17 December 1896, Page 3

THE GLENBROOK HORROR.

The Discowy of Captain Lee Weller’s Body. - A PLAN MADE BY BUTLER. Attempt to Implicate an Innocent Man. ("Sydney Morninj Herald.) Oil tho morning of December Cth tho fate of Captain Leo Wollor, who disappeared in fho vicinity of OkmbroOk on 3lsfc October, Whllo iH Ule company '*f BUtler* who is alleged to (Java nlilrdoi'od the yoUng. riia.n Brcston about a week previously at Linden, was definitely ascertained by the discovery rif tho body of tile missing min on tbo I]row of a Hdgo lea/Jinjy ~to a gully a tyiile to tta.wofjfc.ward.rf Glfinbfook action. The circumstances surtodmlmg the rnd that it was duo nob so much to chanco ay to careful and systematic search by a man who thoroughly know tbo country, and who ttlrfo had the advantage of having booh a man resembling Butler coining from tho direction of that particular gully on tho morning of Saturday, tho hint October, witli a gun or rifle on hi* loft ahoiddciq arid a tomahawk hi lily hand, Ho asked a neighbour why was that man about, thinking it Was ft resident ; but ho received the reply that the trlftu was ono of two men camped close to thd lagdon who wore prospecting for gold. Mr Wood nrtswerod that they must bo now chums at tic mime, uild thought nd further about the u'Ailzz. 5 •• » It will bo ronloiiibornd that about ihd bo ginning of tho week there was picked up on the shores of the lagoon near tho camp which Captain Luo Wollor and Bailor had made a piaco of paper with tracings acid writing on it, evidently being meant for a plan. Tho lagoon was marked, and tho road leading to it from tho station, as wall as tho position of tho main Western mad, wore Indicated, white just übovo tho lagoon was a cross. It had boon considered that this Wal a plan made by Butler or Captain Loo Wolldr for "'.‘mo purpose which was Pot at aU evident. ibUim- miuH it foi* ti trariip, apjulronlly to do Hini » good turn, ihit in reality to throw suspicion of a foul inurdor on an innooont and unfortunate man. Butler on 31st October, the day of tho supposed murder, about 1.30 p.m., saw a tramp on tho Flrau Plains recreation reserve, Ho asked him if ho wars hard up, and lie replied ** Yes.” Butler said, “If you go to tho lagoon at Glonbrook I have loft a camp tliero, where you can obtain some clothes and provisions ; you can also take tho tout if you like. Hero, I will make you a sketch of tho plaoo.’' Tim tramp took tho sketch and proceeded to tho spot along tho railway lino. On arrival at tho camp thonltn found some clothes, which have since boon idontillod as those of Captain Led Wdllcr,and iv few provisions, but the bent was nowhere to bo soon. On Tuesday (Bth) tho tent was found in a pothole near the lagoOrl, After half an hour’s searching by Messrs Wood aud Champion, and Whi'd Champion had burned his back looking for a knife which he had lost, Wood noticed soirlo logs lying Under a shallow cave; Their peculiar situation, apparently placed there by design, at Unco attracted his riotldoi so ilo called Champion, and tllo two removed the tinibof; Tho oituabion df tho gnt.ve Is similar to that of tho grave of Preston lit Linden. It is placed under a lodge of rock with a sandy base easy to dig. Mr Wood described it as having been very fairly hidden, tho soil having boon carefully scraped over it; but tho murderer bad bidden tho grave with too much care, Tbo logs placed aureus it had not a natural look, and they wore apparently placed there for it purpose. The bUrial plaCo df Led Wolldr is jilst dlf a beaten and wdll-doftned track, as was that of Pfoatdp. A,road oil it fora buggy Jed to witUiu 10 yards of it, tad a continuation of .tUdV a .triidj: wHicll Iqdda* td a stfiid-ulihg-holo which:passes within 10 yards of the grave. At Linden tho murder was oom-

mittod in a lonely and unfrequented spot, •where nobody ventured once in twelve months. Hero tho crimo was oommltfccd within a mile of half a dozen bouses, and within a few yards of a p ith, which, for a country place, is frequented. For coolness and audacity it could nob bo oxcollod. How tho man could havo tho nerve to Coolly bury tho body in so exposed a place In open daylight is beyond explanation. On arrival at tho scoilo of tho dia©every the detective had a sniall hold dug, and having oomo upon some oldthirig was satisfied that a body was uudonloafch, lie refilled tho excavation ponding orders from headquarters, Ho was inettuCtod dob to allow the body to be exhumed till Drs Baton artd Taylor, together with Witnessed, arrived by apodal train, which would leave Sydney at a quarter to throe. Those instructions ho carried out, but there was a little unpleasantness. Some of tho crowd seemed determined, to have tho body out of tho ground at all hazards, One man had adtually got a pick in his hand, boasting that nothing would stop him from doing his duty, which was to have the unfortunate man bilt of tho grave at once, but a warning frdrn Constable Tttit as to the probable consequences proved sufficient, and he desisted frdM further trouble. Tho crowd kept increasing every minute. Tho nows was telephoned "dp the line and down the line, ctnd at tho rind df a cpriplo of hours buggies, dartd, hdraeMon and horsewomen were converging on Gleabrook from oVory direction. Some made a picnic of it, and under tho surrounding trees wore seen many a pionio basket open and displaying tempting Viands. Meanwhile the search for the property of tho missing man wits nob discontinued. Every inoh of tlio valley was ox* plorod, with most conclusive roßulta < as to Captain Loo Weller having been in tho, vicinity. William Holmes, of St. Mary’s, among somo rocks 30 yards away from tho grave a little below its level found a pick, which was evidently the instrument used in tho digging of the grUVo, *nd Uotlodd td hayd boon carried by Buclor dn the day of tho disappearance of Preston. A little later another discovery was tuadd; Mr H, T. Rooney found in the ledge of another rook A copy of the Review of Reviews. The date Was not apparent, but it boro tho words '* Captain Leo Weller.” At the police canip all was excitement, and waiting for tho special train was wearisome. At last, about 4.10 p;M.,ib steamed into the station. A start was at once made for tho sdono. Twenty Minutes’ walking at it faijfc pace brought the party to the place, round which by this time there wore fully 500 people; All the soft soil of tho grave was dug out, a large Hole being formed to a depth of about 18in, Then tho sand-in tho middle was carefully scraped away till the portion o! tho body nearest tho earth.was exposed. "When tho earth was cleared away from round the body tile horrible manner- in which the murderer had dealt with his victim after death afforded a nauseating spectacle. Tlio grave had been dug only about 3ft long," and into it tho whole body had beoU crammed, the legs being drawn up, right against tho trunk to the forearms, and bent upwards to the shoulders, and the head pressed down on the cheat. A blanket wsjis spread across tho bottom of tho grave, and as the corpse was forced from its bod and .was rolled into.it a more ghastly sight could not bo imagined. Though tho body had been placed in the hole with its back to the surface it was tho back of tho head which was lowest in the grave, and as tho body became exposed to the general view a cry of horror went up from the people. Women fainted, and oven tho faces of strong men paled under the heartrending econo. Then tho effiavitw from tho corpse became unbearable, and, with,tho exception of those whose duty compelled them to stay, all hurried away from the range of its influence. The sand was hurriedly taken from the body, and it was placed in the coffin, and conveyed to tho station in a cart. It was placed aboard tho train and taken to Penrith. To have got the body into such a short length as tho grave the murderer must have placed it in position and then jumped on it to force the corpse into the bottom of the hole. A short recapitulation of tho story of the departure from Sydney- of Captain Lee IVoiler arid Butler, and of tho disappearance of tho latter, will at this stage be of interest. On the 24th October Captain Loo Weller answered an advertisement in a newspaper for a mate to go on a prospecting expedition. Kq found that the advertiser was a man representing himself to bo Frank Harwood, the possessor of an aesayer’s certificate from the School of Minos, Ballarat. Ho told Captain Lee Weller that no previous experience was necessary, and, accordingly! arrangements worn made that they should set out together on a prospecting tour in the Blue Mountains on the 29th October. This they did, catching the 10.15 a.m. Western train, and leaving it at Gleabrook. Captain Lee Weller carried about .860 of money and a quantity of jorrollory, -which had belonged to his* late wife. They were soon by Mr Beattie, tho Gleabrook stationmaster, going in tho direction of the lagoon. By its side their camp was seen on the following day. They had not removed on the morning of 31st October, as a boy saw Captain Lee Wellor there about D o'clock. The captain then disappeared, while later on in the morning Butler was soon coming out.of tho gully southward of the camp, but on tbe opposite side of the railway line, by Itflas Wood and her father, carrying a gun ?nd a tomahawk. About 2 o’clock tho same afternoon Butler overtook a tramp, who had come from tho same direction as himself. He told him where to find tbe camp,” and gave him permission to take what he could find there,' actually drawing a plan to indicate tho spot. An hour later Butler was seen bearding tho train at Emu Plains for Sydney, whore bo arrived in due course. There is one phase of the case which adds oven more to the dastardly mturoof tho crime than any other. Butler, in sending tho tramp to tho caaip and giving him articles of Weller’s which ho could find there, acted with tho intention of throwing suspicion on a man who, if tho articles had been found on him, would from tho nature of his existence bo only too ready to bo suspected. He had well thought out this matter as well as tho murder, as out of many tramps ho would moot on tho road ho selected one who came from the same direction as himself. Butler's cun'ring and duplicity wore beyond bounds, but in one thing ho was deficient, in so far as tho covering of his crime was concerned. From his movements ho apparently lacked bushmansbipjaUhoughioapparontly know tho country well. In each of tho murders which havo boon discovered ho committed tho crime within a few yards of a path. Ho was not bold enough to take Ids victim far into tho wikis for fear ho should got lost himself. All through his motive sooras to havo been nothing else but robbery, and that for sums for which tho ordinary garottor would not think worth risking his liberty. Hitherto tho police have confined their attention to tho two cases in tho mountains ; but now that * that work has been accomplished, further enquiries will Vo prosecuted with regard to Losagb, an I if anything can bo discovered as to tho place at which he was last seen, n search will probably be made for him. Cue of the most melancholy features surrounding the disinterring of the body was tho large number of women who crowded as close to tho grave, as they could got. Many cf thorn acted with perfect inhumanity. The bringing of children to such a scene was

terriblo, but it would scarcely be credited that, there wore half a dozen babies in a r ms brought In full view of the body and in range of the tainted air arising from it. Yet it was so, and it was an instance of how far many will go to satisfy a morbid craving.