MELBOURNE MURDER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11129, 8 February 1922, Page 3

MELBOURNE MURDER

SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE STORY OF A GIRL IN A WINE SALOON. ACCUSED' SENT FOR TRIAL. The inquiry into the death of the little, girl, Alma Tirtsclike, who was found murdered and outraged in an allev in Melbourne on December 31st, orodueed some startling statements on the part of witnesses. Mrs Olive May Maddox stated that "ho knew the accused, Colin Cqnipbell Ross, and had been a freonent visitor to his wine saloon in the Eastern Arcade. At five minutes past 5 oil December Sfith she walked into the bar. and ordered drinks for herself and a woman friend. As she. was walking through to one of the parlours she oaw two men-and a young girl sitting in the far corner of another room. A bead curtain covered the entrance. There was no light in the room. The girl was sitting down, a,nd witness could not say exactly what she was like. Witness could say that the girl was wearing a white college hat. and had “gingpr-ooloqrcd” hair. At a glance she looked about 14 or 15. There, was a glass in front of her, but whether it contained anything witness could net say. On returning to the bar. witness saw Ross, and, replying to liis greeting, said: “That is a young titter'to be drinking there.’’ With a smile on Ms face, Ross replied. “Oh, well, if she wants it, she can hare it.” There was, added witness, nobody with tho girl in the room at the time. There were two men there, but they were not sitting vyith'her. Witness did not see the girl leave, and when she returned again at five minutes to G, the" girl was not in the room. She did not see Ross, either. The next witness saw of Ross was on the following Thursday night, at Jolimont. Ross said to her: “What do you think of this murder? You don’t want to toil the police anything. . The papers make out she’s a goody-goody. But that’s onlv for the public. She’s a .cheeky little devil.’’ A sensation was caused by the evidence of Ivy Matthews, a barmaid. She said she had been employed in Ross’s wine saloon as manageress until last November, when she left owing to a shooting affray in whioh the cafe figured. At 3 p.m. on December 30th she was standing at the door talking to Ross’s brother. Sh'e saw Colin Ros 3 come out of his private room and pour himself out a drink. While he was absent a girl of about 13 years old peeped through the curtain. The girl had hair similar in colour to that produced. After she had heard of the tragedy witness went to see Ross at the wine cafe. Ross came out to her, and she said to him: ‘ ‘Why did you do it ? I told you it would end like,this?” Ross replied: “I wouldn’t do a thing like that, not on your life.”

AN ALLEGED ADMISSION. In further witness declared Ross later said to her:—“The child came to the door and asked for a drink.' I gave her a drink, fully intending 6he should leave, but you know--how I lose my head in the presence of children. I did not tie a cord round her neck and choke her. I got her, and she was dead before I knew where she was. After she was dead I could have killed myself, too. I put the 'body in the blankets and went out to Foqtscray that night. I came back by motoroar early in the morning, removed the body from the wine cafe, and put it in the alley.”

Witness added that Ross always had a distaste for women. She liad worked with him, and knew his weakness. She had known Ross to have girls, perhaps not as young as “this one,’! but girls of tender years, in the wine shop. , Sidney John Harding a prisoner on remand in Melbourne Gaol, related a conversation he alleged he had had with Ross on January 23rd.

CONVERSATION IN GAOL. Witness said that after talking to Ross while in the remand yard, Reiss said: “Can a man trust you?’’ Witness replied: “Certainly, you can.” Ross then said that the girl walked down the Arcade, and when near the wine cafe he spoke to her. She took no notice of him. Then he told her he was the owner of the .place, and “you need not be afraid if you want to , come in and pit down.” He took her into a cubicle off the bar, and offered her a drink of sweet wine. At first she refused, but,, after persuasion, finally accepted it. Ross told witness he gave the girl three drinks altogether. After talking to a woman at the door, he went into the cubicle. The girl woe asleep. It was then 'closing time, and he shut the cafe. ■ Witness added .that Ross then told him that he could not resist the temptation, and did not know . what came over him. The girl woke up, and started to moan and cry. Ross said he put his hand over the girl’s mouth. She then appeared to faint, but soon after commenced to call out again. Ross said to witness that he then “done his block, and choked her.” Witness said to him: “You must have got excited?” Ross replied: “No; I became very cool.” Reiss then related, continued witurns, that he got a bucket of water, and washed blood from parts of Hie room. As one part looked cleaner than the other, he -then washed the whole place. Ross said his girl was at the cafe that night, witness ' added, hut wen* into another room, and did not see the body. He then went home to Footscray, and returned to the cafe on a push bicycle, and put the body in a coat or overcoat. After taking a walk round he took the body to the easement off Gun Alley. “Accused did not tell me not to squeak,” .said witness in reply to another question. “He was bursting to tell someone, and thought that I was in a position that I would not be able to squeak. ” WHAT ROSS TOLD THE’DETECTIVES. The activities of the police in their investigations were detailed by SeniorDetectves Piggott and Brophy. When spoken to at his wine saloon on the morning of the finding of the body Ross admitted, having seen a girl about, 14, and described the clothes she was wearing. He told Detective Piggott that he had seen the girl walking down the arcade, and was Earticularly attracted by her golden air. “What is the strength of No. 33 opposite P” asked the ctetcctivo, to which Ross replied that there might be something wrong there. He said be knew one of the men at No. 33, but there was another, a foreigner. “Do you think there is anything wrong?” asked the detective. “1 don’t think you’re far out,” replied Ross; “that fellow has young girls

there. He can catch them; I When Detective Piggott went to the saloon on the following Monday he found that the premises had been stripped since his visit the previous Saturday. The contents had been removed owing to the saloon having been delicensed on December 31st. On January stli detectives went to actii'jscd’s home in Ballarat road, Footscray, and, lifting up the end of a sofa, found two blankets. On one of these strands of golden hair were discovered. Ross said that he had the blankets in one of the rooms at the wine ealoon. THE CORONER'S FINDING. Detective Brophy told the coroner that Albert Henry White, who had seen Ross speaking to the girl in the arcade, had been subpoenaed, but failed to attend. An order was made for the issue of a warrant for his arrest. The coroner found that Colin Campbell Rnr« feloniously and wilfully strangled Alma Tirtschke in his wine saloon on December 31st-. Roes, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial on February 15th.