THE LATE MR DAVID M'KELLAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2010, 1 September 1892, Page 20

THE LATE MR DAVID M'KELLAR.

As tending to throw some light on the murder of Mr David M'Kellar (late of Brooksdale) iv Mexico, we have been permitted to make the following extract from a letter written about three weeks before his death to his nephew (Mr A. M'Kellar, of Longridge), which will be of interest to the many friends of the deceased gentleman: —

Naciminto, Coahuila, Mexico, 9th July 1892. I have been very much occupied since coming here, having to build up, I may say a new station, houses, fencing, and yards. There were about from 20,000 to 39,000 head of cattle and horses running on my property, and having been here for years, I found it impossible to remove them or work my own satisfactorily amongst them, so I was compelled to fence in over 100,000 acre 3 with a substantial four-barbed wire fence ; plain wire is subject to a duty of 5 cents per lb, while barbed is free, which seems rather absurd. I tried impounding before fencing in my own yards, and as it was the first time done in this country it created a great sensation, and everybody said I would be shot. The case was new to the judges, but after great delay I got judgment in ray favour, and now impounding is an acknowledged fact. My fencing was cut a little at first, but I went in for such heavy damages then against the owners of cattle found inside, and the Governor of the State backed me up, and I got authority to shoot anyone cutting a fence, so they gave it up, and now I am getting on firstrate with all my neighbours. My cattle are doing well. I have about 400 horses that I had to take with the cattle, and although a fair lot, yet they do not pay half so well as cattle. I have Ernest Black here now, and I find him and Skene (son of deceased) very useful. Snene is becoming a very good " cowboy," and can lasso wonderfully well. I put up very good and substantial yards, so that there is not much lassoing required.