A CRUEL CRIMINAL.

NZ Truth, Issue 60, 18 August 1906, Page 7

A CRUEL CRIMINAL.

For heartiessness, purposes of gain, and elusion of justice, no criminal m tbo recorda of Australian crime equalled Patrick Lynch, who paid the penalty of his misdeeds on the scaffold m Berrima gaol about 62 years ago. In all, Lynch, confessed to nine murders, but there were several mysteries connected with the disappearance of different men which have never been unravelled, and which were with good reason attributed to Lyncli.^ The fullest particulars of his career of crime were contained m his confossion, but it was subsequently found . that Lynch did not altogether make a clean breast of his murderous deeds. Enough was told, however, to stamp him as one of the worst criminals the century produced. Some 25 years ago, m sorting a collection of literary curios accumulated by an old school teacher, the writer discovered among them Lynch 's confession. A number of old residents of Mittagong, includ- [ ing old Captain Chalker, whose brother ! took part m the arrest of Lynch, were well acquainted with him, and the writer gained from them some particulars of a personal nature.

Lynch was a short, low-set, wiry-^ook-ing man, and at his best" weighed less than" ten stone. He : had a ■low'-''lore-head, sunken but. piercing eyes; and was remarkable for always walking with his head and eyes cast down towietrda the ground, and his hat drawn well down over his forehead.

HE CAME TO AUSTRALIA as a convict, but what his offence was the records conveyed no very clear [idea; neither did they cast any light upon his career m Ireland. Ib was believed that his offence was murder, and his victim his own father. His confession, however, contained no reference to this subject. Upon arrival m Australia, Lynch was. assigned to the owner of an estate close to Berrima. During the term of his assignment he was freely suspected of being m league with some lawless characters m connection with the theft of some of his master's cattle. His reticence and preservation of his own council, together with a natural propensity to evade detection, helped him to escape the consequences of the suspicion which attached to him. His subsequent confession, however, proved that the suspicions were well founded.- " '•■'.

After completing' his term of assign-! ment he was released on license, weffti to Sydney, and at Hyde' Ifark.Barrack-sj obtained hia ticket-of-leayei- From, thss! point his actual .confession -records hisj career.- He remained about Sydney for some daj'S, but as he had very little money he resolved upon immediate action. There was a man m the Berrima district whom Lynch ia bis days of assignment often ; i RENDERED VALUABLE ASSIST AN CB m the cattle-duffing business. He decided to return to Berrima, hunt up his old confederate, and find what substantial acknowledgment he would make of past valuable services. On his way to Berrima he met a team near the. Stone Quarry (now Picton) owned by a man named Cooper residing at Liverpool.' The waggon was loaded with produce, including a lot of bacon;' and was m charge of a man named -Ireland and a black boy. If he had already notions of murder, it was on meeting these men that he determined to give effect to them. He told Ireland that he would abandon the idea of going to Berrima to. look for work, and decided .to accompany him and the black boy back to Sydney. The teamsters camped for the night at Razor Back. During the night Lynch expressed anxiety for the safety of the bullocks, and on this score he got the black boy to to accompany him to where, the bullocks were grazing. Before startling Lynch went to; the waggon and secretly armed himself with a tomahawk. Both started away, and when out of --sight of the waggon, Lynch dropped a pace or two behind the black boy and dealt him one fatal blow on the head with the tomahawk. He then returned to the waggon, told Ireland that the black boy would return shortly as he had gone some distance away to inspect a fence. Lynch felt that there Was no time to be lost m dealing with Ireland, and if he allowed an undue length of time to elapse suspicion might arise m Ireland's mind. He bad the tomahawk hidden under his coat, and tn i mil hi mi im mi imii nnm» i m mum ■ ■iiiumi nniimii

tween twenty and thirty spoke. Five or six opposed with t great violence. But m the end, after much palaver," the treaty was agreed to, and signed by Hobson, and by the assembled chiefs, and attested as "Done at Waitangi, this 6th day of February, m the year 'of our<Lord, 1840." ; An immense flagstaff was erected, and the

FLAG OF OLD ENGLAND run up amidst much applause, the same flagstaff which Hone Heki, some few years afterwards, cut down and hurled defiance at the flag.

There was yet another flag raised which must be considered as historic, and to which some romance is attached. It was m the year 1838 that one Langlois, inasber of a French whaler, arranged with certain chiefs to purchase the "whole of Bank's Peninsula, with the exception of the Bay of Hikuraki and Oihoa." The money to be paid down was 150 francs, or their value m old clothes. Langlois was to pay afterwards m guns, sabres, gunpowder, clothes, wine, a tambour, and' other articles. Langlois returned m August, 1840, m the Conite de Paris (whaler) with 57 settlers, leaving others to follow. His wares ho valued, at £200, and then only was a formal document signed. In January, 1840, Governor Gipps, by proclamation, declared all such bargains invalid. -Captain Hobson had asserted

THE QUEEN'S SOVEREIGNTY, and many Maoris at' Akaro denied the purchase by Langlois. Tuhaiwaki, the leading chief, laughed at the alleged contract. * * #

When Langlois, with his French emigrant settlers, arrived at Akaroa, he found a substantial flagstaff, and the British flag flying from it, and a court of petty sessions, with nothing to do, established. Captain Hobson sent this flag under peculiar circumstances. One version of the affair is that the Comte de Paris called m at Port Jack son, where lay at anchor H.M.S. Buffalo. The

FRENCHMEN AND ENGLISHMEN fraternised, and the latter ascertained that the passengers on board the French vessel were intending settlers destined for Akaros. An active officer commuuicated tho news to his captain, who, m turn, told Gipps. That Same night the Buffalo weighed anchor, and set sail for the Bay of Islands, where lay tho- Britomart, Captain Stanley. The French frigate L'Aube was also at fcho Bay of Islands, her officers being on visiting ferms with Captain Hobson. The news of the attempted French settlement at Akaroa roused Hobson to action, and Stanley was at once despatched to raise the flag. The Britomart encountered stormy weather, a stern boat was washed away, another boat was destroyed, but obstacles notwithstanding Stanley brought his vessel to anchor on August 10. Tho French man-o'-war was detained two or three days oft' the point. When on the 15th the French man-o ? -war did anchor, the British Hag had been flying four days. The story of tho attempted French settlement may be told another time.

Pat Lynch's Career of Crime.

CONFESSES TO NINE MURDERS.

Dark Deeds m the Bad Old Days.

the moment the opportunity offered he dealt Ireland a blow on the head, With instant fatal results.

HE THES GOT BOTH BODIES { and hid them m a deep crevice m the rocks. He had now executed the beginning of his quickly developed plansVery early next morning Lynch got the team together and made a start. He j mot several people between Razor Back i and CampbeHtown, but none of them, j scorned to display any suspicion, though they knew the team and that Ireland was l usually m charge of it. Lynch's intention was to get tog^ Sydney, sell the team, and then get tl&hy. Cooper, however, was expecting his team, and catno out some distance from Liverpool to meet it. He was surprised to find Lynch m charge, but the latter explained to Cooper's satisfaction that Ireland and the black boy had decided to get other work and entrusted him with the team.' An arrangement was arrived at between. Cooper and : Lynch as to the date the team would arrive m Sydney, so that. . Cooper could ■be present to transact business connected with the loading. petermined to deceive Cooper .and carry but his own plans, Lynch asked for a much longer time than the journey really : took to complete, his excuse being that the team was weary and he Wanted to* nurse , therm for the back trip. ' Cooper... accepted the date nominated by Lynch, and worried no further about the team. Lynch, however, drove day and night, and arrived m Sydney long before the date agreed upon. He lost no time m disposing on his own account of the load and the team, and iror mediately

SET OUT FOR CAMPBELLTOWN Later, Cooper realised what had happened; but it is not related that any steps wiere taken to call Lynch to account". Upon arrival m Campbelltown ho purchased a team and a dray with the proceeds of the sale of Cooper's property, secured some loading and set out on the road for the South. Nothing transpired, according ,to the confession, until . he arrived at Bargo Brush. The roads through the bush' were very bad, and a teamster named Frazer and his son were camped there with a load of merchandise waiting for tho roads to dry. Lynch camped with them' for a few days, all the t£me evidently conjuring up thoughts of murder. The night before -a start was to be made Lynch;-,, once more raised the question as to ijiß safety of the bullocks* Yo\mg Frazer accompanied him to a back paddock, the old man remaining m bed under tiie dray; Lynch embraced the first opportunity and dealt young Frazer a fatal blow and hid his body under some bushes. On his return he informed the old man that his son had gone some distance to look after the bullocks: As the young man's absence became protracted the father,, grew uneasy; to use Lynch's own words, "He was tossing about m bed all night and

COULD NOT SLEEPS Lynch contemplated the old man's destruction at the camp, but evidently thought the risk too great. He (Lynch) swent out early next morning, Md some of Frazer's bullocks and brought the rest to the camp.. . He, explained that young Frazer .and he agreed that a team should be made up of the remnant of Frazer's team and Lynch's, and that part of Frazer's loading was to be transferred to Lynch's dray and a start made, young Frazer following on when he found the ' bullocks. The old man, Lynch said, was suspicious-looking, but consented eventually to the proposition. The two travelled together, Frazer every day exhibixing outward signs of suspicion, until Lynch became satisfied that "further delay m disposing of him meant increased chances of detection.; While camped one night at "Cut Away Hill," between Mittagong and Berrima, he murdered Frazer and hid hia body away m the bush,After this Lynch made two trips to Sydney and back; but all this time suspicion did not seem to connect him with the disappearance of the Frasers, and he was evidently unknown m connection with the; sale of Cooper's team and loading. The confession was not clear on the point,' but it would appear that on his third trip to Berrixna he planned and j carried out the murder of all the flasm- ! bers of the Mulligan family. Mulligan occupied a farm near Berrkna owned by the licensee of the Angel Hotel, near Liverpool-. With him lived his wife, one son, aged about 20, and a girl, 14 years of age. They became acquainted while Lynch was serving his assignment; Lynch appears now to have formed a determination to settle down to farming. On bis way to Berrima with loading he camyed at Mulligan's and :

,HAD TJBA WITH, THEM.Some conversation ensueid during the evening over a suggestion by Lynch to illictly dispose of part of the load to Mulligan.: The proposition does not appear to have been satisfactorily entertained; at any rate, 'no business was transacted. Whether Lynch suspected that Mulligan, might talk abou^ the matter and put the police on the alert, is not clear, but that night he determined on and carried out the destruction ol the whole family. The evening Was very cold, and it was agreed, on the suggestion of Lynch that young Mulligan and he should go and get some firewood.: Lynch was attired m a heavy frieze coat, and before starting out for the firewood made an excuso to go to. the dray on the pretence that ho desired to tie up his dog. His real purpose was to arm himself with the tomahawk, ' which he hid m the sleeve of his coat. Young Mulligan took an «xc with him, and after going some distance from the house came up to some timber and began to ( chop it. On the pretext of picking up the wood, Lynch come up behind, his intended victim, and struck him a deadly blow, while the unfortunate man was stooping to pick up a piece of. wood. Lynch hid the body under some bushes, , and returned to the house with' the firewood, He explained to the father and mother that their son went over to a distant paddock, as he thought some horses , were trespassing there. The explanation held good only for a short time. Mulligan, and his wife- soon got anxious at tlieir son's absence, and began questioning Lynch to the extent of making him uneasy. The old man suggested firing off a gun,

BUT LYNCH OBJECTED on the score- that if they were to do any business m regard to the sale of goods a gun report might attract the police and make the transaction of business impos.sible. . To \ise his own words, ho never liked Mrs. Mulligan ; she "tossed cups," he said, "and told fortunes with cJards." As the evening wore on, and the young man did not return, his mother determined to go and search for him. When she went out Lynch was fearful that she would discover the body of her son, and he immediately volunteered to assist m the search. He followed the track takon by Mrs. Mulligan, but had not gone far before his wo rat fears were realised — she had discovered the body of j her son. -.She had just climbed over a fence and was running excitedly towards the house. Lynch accosted her, asked her what, was the matter, but she essay- ; etl no reply, and continued to rush past j him. As she was running past he put i out Ins foot ftpd tripped her, o.nd while : she was m the act of falling he struck ■ . Iht one blow with the tomahawk which ' [killed her instantly. He returned to the house, told Mulligan that he had not seen his wife or sou, and decided to , waste no time m explanations or theor- . ies. Mulligan was pacing up mid down m fear; and anxiety, Tha firss chaaca

Lynch saw lie rushed up behind him and dealt him

A FATAL KLOW WITH THE TOMAHAWK. Now only the young girl remained. Lynch m his confession said it fillad him "with horror to think of killing her, but on the principle that dead people told no tales, her death had to be encompassed, otherwise she would bo tha means of exposing his crimes. She wa9 concealed m the kitchen, and when Lynch entered he found her armed with a butcher's knife. Yielding to strong suspicion, the mother, before she went on her fatal errand, told the girl to arm ! herself ia case she was attacked. He disarmed her of the knife, made her kneel dowu and say her prayers, aud, shock- | ing to relate, outraged her before murdering her.

Having finished this part of his gruesome work, Lynch next collected the four I bodies into one heap, brought a quantity j.of wood m, .stacked it over the bodies, set fire to it, and reduced them almost to dust. He then scattered the remains over part of the garden, and when lie wiis subsequently arrested' it was found I that he was growing potatoes m the ground manured by the remains of his I victims. To cover up his tracks he imj mediately communicated with the owner I of the farm at Liverpool, explaining that ho bad purchased the lease from Mulligan, who, with his family, had left the district, and asking to have the lease j tranferred to him. The owner, appears to have made no inquiries, but acceded to the request, his conduct afterwards being responsible for

THE CANCELLATION OF HIS LICENSE. Lynch had yet another murder added to his already long list before the hand* of the law wore laid upon him. Soni« time after he was installed m possession of the farm Lynch made a trip with his team to Campbelltown. Upon his return he met a man named Landrigan near Stone Quarry (Picton), and entered into conversation wlith him. Landrigan wa3 la search of work, and upon informing Lynch that he was a good general farm hand Lynch 1 employed him. When passing an hotel m the town Landrigan lay, down m the dray,- and on being ques-i tioned by Lynch as to his reasons foe doing 80/ ho explained . that he and the publican had some words over money and he did not wish the publican tb see him</ The explanation, Lynch said* did not im* press him favorably, and all the way oni the journey, he could not help thinking that Landrigsta would be a danger to on» ■ who had so much to hide, and which, it revealed, meant certain death. He afconce made up his mind to kill Landrw gan.- They camped one night on the bank., of a creek, just outside Mittagong and close beside where stood. the hospital foR.: infirm children,- which was recently des-4 troyed by fire. To this day the structurespanning this creek is known as "Mux* derer's Bridge/ 1 , Lynch related m hi* confession how he and his victim war* sitting on a log, LANDRIGAN SMOKING. They discussed many things, Landrigan: stating that he never knew the man who - could beat him wrestling.: Und^sr somepretence, foreign to . the real one, Lynch; got up, walked behind Landrigan .andrdealt him a blow on the head; Af ten-' knocking down he struck Mm a se-* cond time, giving as a reason Landrw; gan's expressed prowess of his wrestling abilities* Lynch stated that Landrigaa was the only one of his victims to whom he dealt a second blow. Those who knewvLynch said he was an expert with a*. tomahawk; that he would enter a yar(s with a wild bullock,- and, armed onljti with his favorite implement, succeed ii killing the bullock. Nemesis, -however, had overtaken hiia immediately after the murder of Landri-

gan* The suspicion he long eluded now, began to hang over him. Lynch took his victim's clothes/ and, possibly through being emboldened by success, he actually wore one o£ Landrigan's collars bearing bis name. THIS DEVELOPED SUSPICION INTO GUILT, and the police, whose headquarters were at Campbelltown, were apprised ol the fact that Lynch possessed some of

Landrigan's clothes* instant action was taken. The inspector of police hurried ta Mittagong, where he was joined by tho late John Chalker, a brother to Ned and Dan, who held heavy and light weight fighting championships respectively over sixty years ago. Upon arrival at Lynch'a house the inspector and Chalker found

him on the roof making some repairs. Strange to say, he had a tomahawk m his hand. Chalker, who was a powerful man, mounted the roof, entered into com versation with Lynch, and immediatels

pounced upon him and secured himv Lynch was tried at Berrima for the mup der of Landrigan.' The evidence against him was unanswerable, and he was found guilty and aenteaced to death. It was while aiwaiting execution that he mad« the confession from w.hich the foregoing . facts wore taken. Lynch died without any seeming repentance for his awful crimes* ' .