A MYSTERIOUS CASE.

Otago Witness, Issue 712, 21 July 1865, Page 8

A MYSTERIOUS CASE.

Writing; from Goondiwindi, on the 12th June, 1865, the correspondent of the Queensland Guardian gives the following : — In my last, I alluded to a mysterious occurrence which had taken place during the past month, at Winton station, about thirty miles from this, namely, the disappearance of one of the shepherds, and the subsequent discovery of a body in a waterhole, which afterwards disappeared altogether, the debris of a skeleton found in •the bush about four miles from the waterhole, and the arrest of Mr George L. Smith, the superintendent, on suspicion of having murdered the missing man, whose name was Thomas Warren. On Weduesday, the 7th instant., Smith was brought up on remand warrant, before Jacob Low and E. K. Wilson, E?qrs., in "the court house here. No fewer than eight •witnesses were examined, and the examination lasted from ten a.m. till eight in the evening, to the great trial of the powers of endurance both of the magistrates and the C.P.S. The first witness called was the sub-inspector of police, Mr Fogarty, who seems to have exhibited considerable zeal and assiduity in endeavoring to unravel the affair. He stated that having received information from a herder on the station, who came in for the purpose, that a body was seen by a German shepherd, in a waterhole at some distance from the head station, he started off for Winton, and on arriving there inquired if any was missing. He then learned that a man named Warren had disappeared suddenly, and Had not been heard of for three weeks. Mr Fogarty searched the hush for three days, in order to ascertain whether the body had been removed, and found that it had been dragged for some distance. Some blacks who were assisting Mr Fogarty directed his attention to where a horse had been hung to a sapling ; and tracks of a horse were perceptible for some distance leading into a bush; all along the track leading from the -waterhole to the place where the horse's footmarks were first perceptible. The blacks picked up grey hairs, which they handed to Mr Fogarty, and which it was proved resembled the color of the missing man's hair, and was identical with those previously picked up at the waterhole. The police then continued their searching for two days more, and at last came to part of the bush where an old sheep yard had been, which was found almost totally consumed by fire being,- in lact, when they ■arrived there, still burning. Here one of

the black gins discovered some hones, which, on examination, appeared to belong to a human skeleton, and which had been exposed to the action of the fire, and partially destroyed. These the police took charge of. Previous to this, from a variet)' of suspicious circumstances tending to criminate the supcrin'endent, he was apprehended and forwarded to this town in charge of one of the constables. In his possession was found a gun and other property of the missing man. The next witness was Christian Honsel, the German shipherd, who saw the body in the waterhole. He described the appearance of the body, which was much swollen, and which, though covered with mud, he believed to be the body of Warren. He saw, he stated, no blood upon the bod}', but he saw blood in the water, as if coming from the body. Six other witnesses were examined, but it would perhaps intrude too much on your space to give lull particulars of the evidence, and to give the testimon}' of one without the whole would beuse!e3->, as they supplied successive links respectively in the circumstantial evidence against Smith, who, after a painful and unwearied investigation by the magistrates, was committed to take his trial at the Toowoomba assises on the 17th of next month. Suspicion was first directed against Smith, from the fact that when told of the body having been in the water hole, he said that both he and Mr Wyndham knew of its being there, and it was known that it was very unlikely the latter would know it without taking some steps in the matter. (Mr Wyntlham contradicted, in his cvi- ! dence, this statement of Smith.) Another point against Smith was, that when at last he did go to the water-hole, as he said, to see about it, he said on his rtturn tbat there was a body ; but it was that of a calf. This he said to one, to another he said it was a native dog. Perhaps it may be premature to state all the circumstances which fix suspicion on Mr Smith, as tht j trial is close at hand, when you will have an opportunity of receiving all the evidence in extenso.