THE TATURA MURDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 27

THE TATURA MURDER.

MELBOURNE, May 15. Ecfcrards-, -when arrested near Benalla for the Tatura murder, submitted quietly. Though definitely identified, he gave his name* as Robinson. Edwards was charged at Benalla with the murder of Skinner. He contended that hi 4 name was Robinson, but on returning to his cell admitted he was Edwards, and confessed to the murder. He stated that t be anu Skinner were travelling together. Skinner returned from a " hazard " school in a bad 'temper owing to losing money. Edwards chaffed Skinner, who in a rage seized a shorel and tried to strike Ed»j wards. The latter snatched an axe, and with one blow split Skinner's skull. He cut up the body, and went on a drinking bout. He then sold Skinner's horse and cart. May 17. Edwards, who has confessed to the murder of Skinner at Tatura, says that he never tried to hide. He just went about carrying a swag looking for work, the same as he had done for years. He attributed his position to drink. i Under date May 9 our Melbourne correspondent writes: "The police are experiencing- quite unexpected difficulty in tracing the man. James Edwards, who is wanted in connection with the Girgaree murder. It is felt that' they will be very- near a solution of the mystery if they can lay hands on -Edwards. The steps so far taken are very interesting. In the first place the police found that the man who sold Skinner's (the victim's) dray sent a post office order from Murchison to Germanton. The police, instead of going straight to Germanton, went to the border towns •of Tocmrrwa.al «j.nd Strathmerton to make some inquiries to v strengthen their case. As they found too late that he had been at Germanton on March 15, that on the 17th and 18th he had attended the Culcairn races. Then he seems to have come back into "Victoria, and started work on a vineyard near Rutherglen. Here he was known as Evans, though, strangely enough, a. fellow workman named Baker knew him to be James Edwards. The murder had not been discovered at this time, and Baker took no notice of the alias. On April 14 Baker asked ' Evans ' to bring a, paper out from Rirfherglen. Evans did so, and Baker opened it in Evans's presence. ' Hello ! ' he said, ' I see therete been a murder,' and he told briefly the story of the finding of Skinner's body. Evans was clearly interested. He read the account himself. Next day he shaved off his beard, and though he had made arrangements to leave with a mate in a few days he took his departure quietly at onoe. From that day to this the police ha-w^ not been able to find any trace of his movements, except that on April 16 he called at a station near Kerrigan, New South Wales. He was then making in the direction of Corowa and the Murray River."