A REMARKABLE CRIME. (From Our Our Correspondent.) Melbourne, January 21.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 11

A REMARKABLE CRIME. (From Our Our Correspondent.) Melbourne, January 21.

The murder of William Brady, accountant to Cooper and Sons, ironmongers, of Elizabeth street, is very remarkable in several points. At first the police were iuclined to think it was a case of suicide ; and there vrai the peculiar fact that Brady'* friends regarded him as a man not unlikely to commit such a deed. He was" a man with a history. He had suffered from domestic trouble. His wife had been unfaithful to him, and he had divorced her. This had occurred only two years ago. He had been greatly troubled over the affair, and apparently to escapa hit own thoughts gave way to excesses with women. His office dtawer was found fall of notes and letters from " Claras " and "Sissies," and he had gone the pace as an irresponsible man in a big city can do, and' he constantly carried a revolver ; indeed, it- was found on him, though it was not the one with whioh the deed had been done. Consequently, although his friends did not expect suicide, they were not greatly surprised to hear of it. The medical examination, however, upset the suicide theory. Brady had two revolver shots in the head, and his throat was cut. Prima facie, this is not conclusive evidence against suicide. Hen with ballets in their brains have lived and moved, about for considerable times. Quinu, the Dunedin youth who sh,ot his wife at . Middle .Park, is a case in point. He shot himi self in the head immediately afterwards, yet walked several hundred yards and gave himself up to » policeman, and he still lives. Another extraordinary case occurred in one of the Melbourne suburbs a couple of years ago, in which a man had the ramrod of * gun .>hot through j his brain, and he still lives ; and Dr Charles ; Ryan keeps the ramrod as a curiosity and a memento of a most singular case. Therefore it was not an impossibility that Brady should I have shot himself twice and afterwards cut his ' throat. But Dr Mollison fhowed from the j position of the bullet wounds that they were I not self-inflioted ; and then there was the additional fact that after bis throat was cut ,Br»dy had been dragged along the floor further back into the shop, a distance of 10 yards or so. Thus the complete examination of the circumstances proved that murder had bceu committed. In the case of a man with a history like Brady tbere were all kinds of possibilities to account for the deed. Some cf his divorced wife's relatives might have borne a grudge against him ; some of his ferns le acquaintances might have been angered against him ; or a jealous lover or husband might have sought him out to kill him. There was a big field for tHe police, but they noon got on the right track, an^d a very narrow and straight one it proved to b«. The murder took place in Cooper and Bon's office B>mo time after half-past 7 in the evening. Brady was in the habit of returning to the office to overtake back work. Amongst his lady friends was one in Albert Park, to whom he is said to bJr>e been engaged. She told the police that on the evening of the murder Brady whs to meet a former olerk with the firm, William Myles Phillips, at the office. The police had known this before, but attached no particular importance to the fact, for he was only a boy of 19. But the young lady added an important faot. Brady was to meet the youth to arrange with him for the repayment of some money he had embezzled ; and there was the further fact that the firm did not know anything of the embezzlement. Brady had hushed it up. Here, therefore, came in the first evidence of motive. The' police, despite the unlikelihood of such a thing, quickly saw enough to assure them that Phillips was the murdsresr. Nothing could well have been more unlikely. The youth was "Willie" Phillips, a boy 19 years old only ; a small, effeminate, mildmannered youngster. His portrait in his robes as a chorister is in this week's Australasian, and it would be scarcely po.«sible to imagine anyone less like a murderer. He had been in Cooper's since he left school at 14-, but had been dismissed a short time before for inattention to his duties. He told a plausible story enough about the evening of the murder. He admitted the appointment with Brady, but said that when he went to keep it Brady was not there, and he telephoned later on from his father's place (his father is caretaker of a town office'), and he was still not there. He was perfectly cool and collected, and his demeanour would almost have assured his innocence. But there were several facts that damned him. First, he had bought a revolver and cartridges only a day or two before. His story was that he had bought the weapon for a brother in Gippsland, and he had sent it by post (the day after the murder) to the brother. But he could only account for his determination te make the brother such a present by saying that he was "hard up." Then there were blood stains on his clothes, and his statements about his doings on the night of the murder would not bear investigation. The detectives soon had him under arrest and ceased to look elsewhere, for the criminal. A very remarkable feature of the case was the complete coolness and self possession of the lad. Before he was arrested he discussed the murder with his acquaintances, and ventured the opinion from the first that it could not bs a * case of suicide. How could a man. shoot him-

self twice and then out hit throat? When he received the message from the deteotivei to meet them at Cooper'i shop, he said ha supposed as he used to ba in the employment they expected he might know something of Brady's i habits. At Cooper's ihop he was perfectly colj leoted. In the Police Court he was the same, and he actually asked to be allowed to see ' ' Poor old Brady's " body at the morgue, and when he saw it ho said " Poor, dear old Brady. He does not look very well now. Isn't it rather a wonder he has kept so long." The latest sensation in the case is " Willies " confesiion. It is a lengthy document — a couple or three newspaper columns long. And it is unquestionably a very 'cute production. On the face of it, it was never written by Phillips. His lawyer has composed it, and the evident suggestion is that the murderer wai not in his right mind. He begins with his entry into Cooper's shop at the age of 14 — "a bright intelligent boy of happy nature and thought." He describes how, being under Brady, he heard stories of female conquests, and traces his progression onwards till, though a boy in yearn, he became a roue in vice and | fast living. " Brady made me his confidant ta his adventures with women, and I returned his confidences and sought his advice and guidance in all my dealings with woman." He was attacked by disease, and, according to his own account, before he had reaohed the age of 19 was worn oub by excesses. No doubt the whole story is exaggerated, but it is one eminently calculated to work upon the feelings of a jury — the only fear being that it is overdone from this point of view. He admits robbiDg the firm, but only of £1 or so ; and the suggestion is that the '£20 embezzled was taken by Brady, who desired to fasten the guilt on Phillips to screen ■ 'himself. He carefully denies that he had formed Any plan to murder Brady. The confession then proceeds to d<tail thy aotual commission of the crime. "On the Tuesday evening, after business hourt, I stopped talking with two employees of Messrs Cooper and Son* at the factory until I suddenly remembered my appointment with Brady. I then hurried down to the office — about five minutes' walk from the factory — and found that Brady was out. It was about 7 o'olock when I reached there, and I waited outside for Brady's return. He came back about a quarter-past 7. We went inside, he leading the way. He said, in a very cross manner, ' Oh, good evening ; I thought you weren't going to turn up.' He was evidently very vexed about something. However, when we got into *;he office he began talking in a more frieudly tone, and very toon we were chatting in the usual frieudly and confidential style, and or the usual subject of women. He said he had been having a lot of trouble with one — to get rid of her. I also sp'okc to him of a woman jwith whom J had had a recent experience. From this we began to talk about the shortage in cash. He becune in a very ill-humour again, and* was very sneetipg and caustic in what he said. He said I would have to pay him the £20 <\t onoe. I said I didn't owe more than £1. He said I would have to get the £20 somewhere, from my father. I said I couldn't do so, and didn't owe it. He became more sarcastic and offensive in his manner, and said,- very hotly, I would have to get it or he would put it into the hands of the police. I was roused to an excited state at this, and swore I wouldn't pay it, as I didn't owe it. I said it was unfair and unjust. He then said, in as calm a manner at ha was hot befoie, and in a fearfully sneering and sarcastic wayj thai I .would have to find the money at once or go to gaol. I was stung into a most violent passion by his words and manner, and so shocked at the fearful alternative he placed before me that I lost all control over myself. A mad impulse seized me, and plunging my baud into my coat pocket, where, unfortunately, the loaded revolver was lying, I pulled it out and instantly fired at him.' He was shot in the head and fell. The whole occurrence occupied only a moment from the time of the mad impulse seining me and my firing. Even if the revolver had beea one requiring cocking, the short delay in having to cock it might have saved me. I was overcome with horror and apprehension at what ,1 had done, and immediately started to run out of the shop, When I had got as f&r as the front door I heard the office door open, and Brady rushed out arid made towards the front door. The fearful consequeDcoa of my acfc then burst on me with fullest- force, arid I became desperate. I rushed towards him frantically, and fired again, and he fell. He wa« in full view of anyone pasting in the street, and in a frenzy of horror and partial madness I dragged him further into the shop. He was still alive, and breathing hard. I was mad with horror, fear, and apprehension lest he should revive, and my Ciye lighting upon a paokot of knives, with one outside shining, I rushed madly across to it, and pulled it out of the packet and out his throat with it." It will be ceen that the entire confession is designed to show that Phillips became so debauched and mentally unstrung — as the result of his connection with and tutelage in vice by Brady— that he was an irresponsible porson. But, until the confession saw tbe light of day, every aot and statement of the youth was calculated to encourage just the contrary impression — that it was a coolly planned, determined, and diabolioal murder.