MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT MELBOURNE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8557, 27 July 1889, Page 4

MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT MELBOURNE

About 8 o'clock on the night of the 17th nst.a young woman, named Annie Thornton, alzas Garry, alia, Wilson, was fcmnd in her res.denoe, Somerset place, a small lane her Th 1 ?T °Dd Street ' Carlton. ™* her throat cut from ear to ear. The surroundings of the case clearly show it to be s&swa Sd^ e ~ house in which the murder was committed il a small two-roomed weatherboard place and surrounded on all sides by similar small residences. It was held on lease by Mr Williams, licensee of the hotel, and he, through his agent let it about six months ago to the murdered woman and a man with whom she was living, who was understood to be her husband The reputed husband, who had described himself at different times as an employe of the Victorian railways, a blacksmith and a bootmaker, suffered very much from rheumatic gout, and was a good deal confined to the house. For the last two or three weeks the man has not Snf!?" a^. ou\ and *c woman vouchsafed the information to a small shopkeeper in the neighbourhood that he had gone on a visit to his mother, who resided at Ballarat, and that it was probable he would go thence into the country till the shearing season was over. Bent day fell on a Wednesday, and^on the 10th inst. the agent called at the cottage, but found the place all locked up. He visited it two or three times afterwards, but was unable tb obtain admission. He inquired of the neighbours, and learnt that neither of the, occupants of the house had been seen about, bu u that, as far as they knew, the furniture had not been taken away As. he was not inclined to allow matters to proceed in this unsatisfactory way, heforthwith fixed an ejectment notice on the front door. In the evening some of the ne^hbours told Mrs Williams, the wife of the lessee of the hotel, that they noticed abad smell coming from the house, and she communicated with the police. Constables Caulneld and Frawlew were sent down. They lifted a boy named Hugh Paterson ?k t, t^ eof th6SmaU rard on to which the back door of the house opened. He then released the bolt and admitted them Ther then smashed a pane of glass in the back window and obtained entrance. At the foot of the bed, lying on the flood-, they found the murdered woman. She had evidently been dead some time, and the features were almost unrecognisable. Her head lay close to^the dressing table, on which was spread out conspicuously a certificate of marriage celebrated before the registrar of marriage* at North Melbourne on July 1886 between, Htnry Thornton, a blacksmith, aged 26 and; Annie Gorrie, aged 22. At the side of th* body was found the wedding riog, which shehad evidently worn. It had been" removed? fromJier finger and placed on the floor, under the head. There was a large pool of dried blood and in a corner a large-sized towel, which had .been completely saturated with Mood. An examination- of the place was then made, to see if any instruments could be discovered, but without success. The basin on the waslistand was half full of blood-stained water, showing the murderer had carefully washed his hands before leaving tho place. On the handle of the front door, however, small blood-stains were found which would seem to indicate that the murderer had gone out this way. and failed in, bis intention to remove all traces of tha crime. There were no signs of a struggle in . the room.and none of theneighbourshad heard any screams coming from the house at any time. Sub-inspector Thomas and DetectiveSergeants Whitney and O'Donnell afterwards, visited the place in company with Dr O'Brieß who was called in. From the cursory ex* animation the doctor made of the body he - gave it as his opinion that murder had unquestionably been committed. There were live or six wounds on either side of the neck any one of which would have been sufficient to cause death. They had been done with a. sharp instrument, and could possibly havebeen inflicted with a keen penknife From the direction in which the blood seemed ti have spurted, he was led to believe that the murderer had knelt upon the woman's chest while he.cut her throat. Until a further and more careful examination of tha body waa made it is impossible to say if the victim was stunned in the first lnwf Ce hl a blow on the head. o| whether she was under the infmenea of drink, awo empty bottles were fauna m the room and some glasses still containing beer. Various- artioles in the place "ere.¥. t ( f a°% to the same position asthat i he? ere fOUDd- The detectives,- ---| carefully examined the whole place, tinfi there was nothing found to give the. slightest clue as to who had committed the mwder' T^ ™m£ n was weU known *° 'hem' The man Thornton had also come under their noh^i Hhey have no evideD<* that he was actually the man living with the murdered woman and even should this be discovered they will have still greater difficulty in proving he was near the house when the murderwas committed. The deceased, who had fockev m■ * thl sister °f * ™llknown jockej. [The-cable has since informed ua that a man named Costellohas confessed to tne crime.