THE ELIZABETH STREET MURDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 36

THE ELIZABETH STREET MURDER.

Great interest centres in the question, What will ba the Cabinet's action in regard to Willie Phillips, the murderer of the clerk Brady ? The weaker-kneed o£ $he clergy have been working vrp an agitation for his reprieve, and thousands of people, principally women, have flooked to sign the petitions. But a damaging fact fias just come out,- which, if it had been known at the trial, would have undoubtedly made matters blacker against Phillips. The suggestion for the defence was that Brady was blackmailing Phillips in accusing him of the peculation of £20 of the firm's— Cooper and Sons'— money, and that he wanted to frighten Phillips into paying the sum in order to provide himself with money to carry on his amours with women. Probability was lent to 4hif view of the case by the fact that a hasty audit by Cooper and Sons disclosed no shortages in cash. Bub a closer audit has now been made •which discloses two very important facts— first, that Brady (who was a most efcacb and methodical bookkeeper) had made entries from time to lime of shortages during the previous 12 months amounting in all to over £20 ; and second, that * a sum of money, at 1- ait "£3, and probably more, which had been taken by the firm after the bank closed on the day of the murder is 'mlsftieg. The significance of. -the first fact lies in this — that there were cash shortages, and consequently that Brady was not blackmailiDg. The Second tact raiies an altogether new aspect of the case— namely, that in addition to murder robbery was committed. .Tee murder was done in the evening about 8 o'clock. Brady's body was not found for possibly au hour afterwards. The safe was then open. Evidently the cash which had been in the safe, or at any rate in Brady's custody, was stolen. And the quettion is, By whom ? The general impression is that Phillips will not hang. It is not a hanging Cabinet by any means. Many people blamed them for respiting Qain.