Brutal Murders in Tasmania.

Otago Witness, Issue 1639, 21 April 1883, Page 11

Brutal Murders in Tasmania.

A Launceston cablegram received on Monday stated that two youths, named Ogden and Davis, had been committed for trial f w the wilful murder of two men, adding that the details of the crime were terribly atrocious, and tnat the murders had created much excitement. From our Hobart files to hand we extract the following details of the crimes :~* _, , Through the courtesy of Mr C. H. Grant we are enabled to publish the following particulars of a diabolical attack made upon the residence of a platelayer named Wilson, situated about half-way between Epping and Cleveland. It will 1)8 seen that Wilson was shot dead, that a female w«s also wounded, a robbery committed, and the house in which Wilson and his family resided burnt to tho ground. # < Wilson, who was a repairer on the line, ana worked in gang No. '28, had gone to bed about the usual hour on Monday night, and after being there sonic liLtlo time he wna aroused by (•loiKis thrown on tho house. The family, consisting of Mr and Mrs William Wilson' and four children, aged from 12 to (> years, and a visitor named Mrs Boram, were living in a slab hut with a small garden attached, situate about -10 yards from the rail-way-line, and 7iearlj r three miles from Eppingf Forest station, Campbell Town. They were aroused from bed at a quarter-past 9 last night, just after the mail train had passed, by » shower of stones thrown on the roof. Tho husband, William Wilson, wont outside to 809 the cause, and hud not gone far when the report of firearms was heard, and Wilson called out "I am shot." The inmates of the hut hoard a further noise and men calling for them to come out of the hut and they would shoot them all. In a terrible state of fear they remained inside, not daring to move*. After a little time it was discovered that the desperadoes had piled wood, &c. at the side of the hut, which was set fire to in three places, and commenced to burn rapidly. Mrs poram first ventured out, with a child, taking a trunk of clothes, and then holding up her hands, offered what money, &c. they had if their lives would be spared. She was in the act Of stooping when she was also shot and fell, the slugs entering her right side, shoulder, and groin. The family meantime were all forced outside by the rapidly-spreading flames, and one of the men caught hold of a girl aged 12 and dragged her towards the bush. Her screams attracted her mother, who rushed to her aid. The murderer then presented a, gun at and threatened to shoot both mother and girl, and the mother gave him 10s, praying him to Bpare her children. Her entreaties prevailed, and the men eventually made off in the direction of Epping station, threatening that they would return the following night and continue their deeds of bloodshed and destruction.

Two of Wilson's boys, who subsequently escaped, ran to Bpping station and reported the murder, and on help arriving, Wi n was found dead, having been shot in the head, breast, and groin, and must have expired namediately after calling out that he was Bhot. Mrs Boram is a middle-aged woman, who was on her way to Cleveland to take a situation, and was only staying at Wilson's for that night en route. She was brought to Campbell Town Hospital. Her injuries are not considered likely to be fatal. The murderers behaved in a very desperate manner, declaring themselves as Jim Kelly and Dan Riley. They had a bright-barrelled gun and a horse-pistol. Mrs Wilson has identified one of the murderers as a young fellow named Jim Ogden. and known in the neighbourhood, the other being similar in appearance, • with fair complexion and light whiskers. The deceased Wilson was a man aged' about 50 years, hard-working, steady, and inoffensive, and employed as a gangei on the railway. Wilson's hut was over a quarter of a mile from any other abode. The diabolical act is not attributed to the object of robbery, but rather to an insane desire for Kelly notoriety influencing a morbid mind. It is thought that several small robberies recently committed have been made by these men.

Wilson when shot was only clothed in. his shirt, but he had suspended from his neck a small bag, containing the sum of £7. This his murderers missed getting. After they had shot him they broke in the windows with an axe, and set fire to the cottage at both ends.

LATER PARTICULARS.

Unhappily, the tale of outrage does not end with the above; horrors on horrors have accumulated during the past 24 hours, and another inoffensive person has fallen a victim to the miscreants who, for a brief interval, have kept the whole country side in a state of terror. The great consolation is that, thanks to the pluck and energy of the police and residents, they have been captured, and are now in safe keeping. It appears that two tramps answering ths description of Ogden and his companion passed through Perth on Sunday last, and they are suspected of stealing goods from a dwelling at Symmons Plain. Thence they apparently made their way by a devious route to Epping Forest, and waited until night before attacking Wilson's residence. Having committed murder there, set fire to the house, and wantonly wounded a helpless woman, they took to the bush at no great distance from the railwayline, and waited for further victims. Before leaving Wilson's place they avowed their intention of attacking other residents in the neighbourhood. No one came to the assistance of the Wilson family during the time the attack was made. Mrs Wilson, it is said, ran to a neighbour's house, about a quarter of, a mile distant, and implored assistance, either to capture the murderers, or help to' save a few of her household belongings from the burning cottage, but the men called upon declined to leave the female inmates of their own dwelling unprotected. Thus it happened that the entire premises of the Wilson family were destroyed, and it was not until daylight that the corpse of the murdered husband was removed from the place where he hadfallen a victim to the fire of his relentless .assailants. What happened afterwards will be gleaned from the following telegrams from our correspondents :—: —

Epping Fobest, Wednesday, Another man, a traveller, well dressed; and apparently very respectable, was seen lying on the roadside by Mr Archer. Information having been brought to Epping Forest by that gentleman, the police started to the soot, which is about two miles from Epping Forest, and after search found the man planted under a log, having been dragged some hundred yards from the spot where he was seen by Mr Archer, He wan dreadfully wounded about the head, and had his scalp cut off. Ogden and Davis, the murderers, were seen near the place by an old tracker and repairer, who heard two reports of a gun coming from the direction where the man was found. Ogden and Davis have threatened to shoot Ganger Bovrley.

Campbell Town, Wednesday. The jury had just been sworn in for the in* quiry as to the death of W. Wilson, when a telegram arrived stating that Tom Bowley, of the railway, was shot in the foreal. Thissubsequently proved incorrect. The inquest was instantly adjourned, a,)jd tbe warden, the poliqq auq

volunteera^and' the doctor all turned out to attempt ,the capture of the murderers, who are believed. to be in the forest. All Campbell Tov/n is in great alarm. . The Epping murderers, James Ogden and James • Mahqney, alias Sutherland, were captured this afternoon at 4 o'clock by Constable Phillips, James Smith, and Edward Curran. They had murdered Alfred Holman, formerly driver of Page's mail coach, whom they shot dead, this afternoon without any warning as he was driving M'Kenzie's lemonade-care to Campbell Town. Prisoners, when captured, made their boast that they could have shot Sub-inspector Palmer and Conatablo Phillips, whom they had covered with their guns in the dark last night while fchey (the polico) were patrolling the forest. The> prisoners do not seem much concerned at present. They are singing Kelly songs in the tock-up here. Phillips and Palmer were out all night, and this afternoon nearly every man in the town turned out to attempt to capture the murderers.

Cleveland. Alfred Holman was murdered in cold blood. He was driving a lemonade- cart from Launceston, and waa shot while passing between Snake Banks and Epping. After shooting him the murderers took the cart into the bush. The police found his body covered up by a log. He was not quite dead at the time, but expired soon after. His lemonade-cart was traced into the bush, which led to the arrest of the murderers. They were freely helping themselves to the contents at the time. On the police coming up the murderers ran. Tho police followed and fired two shots, but without hitting them. The two murderers then surrendered. Holman's head was terribly smashed. It was 1 o'clock when he was found. He wa3 alive, but unconscious, and died shortly before 2 o'clock. The ground bore the appearance of a severe, struggle having taken place. Holman was 35 years old, and at one time kept a publichouse at Hobart, and latterly a lodging-house in the Quadrant, Launceston. He was a most steady and industrious man. He leaves a wife and, three children. Oatlands Station, Thursday. Both murderers were within 200 yards of lipping Forest Hotel yesterday, and evidently were, lurking in the vicinity all day. When discovered they were chased by Phillips and others. Phillips, being the fastest runner, came up first, and called on them to throw down their. weapons, which they did without resistance.

It is stated that the murderers slept last night in Bowley's house, where they intended to murder Bowley and family, who, however, had warning and escaped ; also, that they played cards with Holman's pack after shooting him. Great indignation prevails among the people, who wanted to lynch the prisoners. It is ,not 'correct that any man's life waa lost in capturing the murderers, who ran away when they saw the policeman, and were purBued by him and others, who fired two shots over the murderera' head, when they surrendered. Both the prisoners appear to be under' twenty years of age. Sutherland is a Launceston larrikin, and a stranger at Epping Forest. ' .' The place where the murder of Holman was committed is about two miles north of Epping, and a tramp stated that the men Ogden and Sutherland gave him 5s to say he had not seen them. ..They. told him they had plenty of money, and only wanted a meal of tucker." The'm'urderers had drunk, or otherwise disposed of,"10 dozen bottles of ginger beer and a small keg of ginger wine, and eaten a considerable quanity of biscuits. The murder took place .between 11 and 12 o'clock in the forenoon,' and the murderers, after their capture, were .driven to Campbell Town by Mr Page in "his" brake. They were in danger of being lynched on the way by the infuriated settlers, who had spent the whole of the previous', night, under arms and momentarily expecting an attack, knowing that Ogden and his associates were still' in the district, as they had been seen and recognised there after the Wilspn, murder. The-widbw (Mrs Wilson) and her family, consisting of . three boys' and a girl, are now stopping at Cleveland. The"murderers seena quite callous as to their position. \ Ogden is insensible to everything, and Sutherland perfectly ' reckless, "having laughed when told that Hanging was far too good for him. Among other rumours current last night was a statement that Mr W. Findlay, traveller for Mr ,E. Bairies, of Little Collins street, Melbourn6, had been shot by the assassins. Mr Findlay arrived in town by the express train last evening, and his presence in the flesh gave the best possible contradiction to this rumour. • • » •- - « ogdbn's history.

Jim Ogden, the murderer of the ganger Wilson, -is identical with a former inmate of the Boys"' Home, and was then known as Robert Ogden. From inquiries made amongst people' who knew him in his boyhood, it appears that he evinced signs of a brutal disposition ,a£ l 'an 'early ' period of his life. Robert Ogelen'is'the youngest son of Thomas and Ann, who/ from all accounts, always bore a bad character.' ,' Both mother and father were natives of Ireland. ' The former arrived in this Colony, Mii 1 . the 'ship Elizabeth and Henry, and Hhe" latter' in the Moffatt. Soon after setting- foot in Tasmania the Ogdens started Jto earn a ■ livelihood by travelling through? the - country and disposing' of small articles of dress, lace, &c. The father was'V'man l of weak intellect, and the mother has ttie '"'name of being half-witted. Between the years 1866 and 1872 Ogden, senior, served six sentences in the Campbell street Gaol, amounting to two years one month and seven days, for suffering his children to go begging. Mrs Ogden was sentenced to seven days y imprisonment in 1868 for disturbing the peace. In 1872 'Ogden, senior, was admitted into the Lunatic ABy him at New Norfolk. He remained- an inmate of that institution till his death, which is said to have taken place during the latter part of the year 1879. On the 16th of February, 1875, the governors of the Boys' Home— Sir J. M. Wilson, Mr A. H. Boyd, and Mr J. Foster — apprenticed the subject of thia notice to James Hull, boatinati^of" Battery ' Point, for a term of four yearn; to learn the business of a boatman. He- remained with the Hull family about 12 months. ' From the day he became their sorvant^till his abrupt leaving, ho showed himself i)W3es£>ed"of a brutish temper, and was in the habijb', of' flying into a passion without provocation', 1 ""As a boy he was very bad in every conceivable respect, and is described as a thorough low blackguard. He was small for his years, of afftir complexion, with light hair. In temper 'he was extremely violent ; in character perfectly untrustworthy, and greatly addicted to robbery • and thieving. To the Hulls he proved a very dangerous servant, and was constantly placing the whole family in great terror by his wildness of disposition. It was a commoa practice for him, when told to perform some little work in connection with the household, to pick up a brick and shy it straight at the person speaking to him. On several uccasions he was sent up the town with money to purchase articles of food for his master, but perer came back except iv the custody of a

police officer. Once, by the merest accident, Hull saved his little daughter from being hit on the head by a brick which Ogden had hurled at her. Whilst with the Hulls, young Ogden frequently told them that his father had killed one uf his own children, and after tying it up in a bag concealed it in a waterhole at Bream Creek some 15 years sihee. On the 18th August, 1879, Robert Ogden bolted from the Hulls and went to Launceston, where he changed his Christian name to James. About a year and a-half ago the young rowdy returned to Mr Hull, and requested to be allowed to resume his former work, but thia his old employer would not consent to. As a youngster, when travelling with his parents over the island, he was in the common habit of perpetrating robberies on people. The police arrested him for sleeping out in the sheds in the country, and he was sent to the Boys' Reformatory for four years. Robert Ogden is now about 22 years of age.