MURDER OF MISS KELLY

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 32

MURDER OF MISS KELLY

CASEY BEFORE THE COURT. SYDNEY, April 29. Henry Casey, charged with the murder of Johanna Kelly afc Armidaleon December 3, 1908, persisted in pleading " Guilty," against the advice of his counsel. After the judge had carefully explained the position to him, and after further consultation with his .counsel, Casey agreed to withdraw his plea The judge then postponed the trial to enable the experts on sanity to examine the accused. The case against Henry Casey, remanded from Grenfell to Armidale in connection with the Central Hotel murder in December, 1908, was commenced on January. 7, before Mr C. Atkin, police magistrate. The courthouse was crowded, and numbers were refused admittance. Casey appeared unconcerned, and was smiling while hie confession was being read. Accused was charged with maliciously and feloniously murdering Johanna Kelly on December 13, 1908. He was not asked to plead. THE CONFESSION. Casey, in his confession, stated that he was a labourer, travelling about the country, and wished to- make a statement. He was at Armidale about three weeks before Christmas in 1908, and was wood-cutting there for a man named, he thought, George Clark. He was cutting wood for him for three days before he committed the murder. He worked for him for five days after he committed the murder. The first three days that he worked for him ended on a Saturday. After leaving off work about 7 p.m. he went into Armidale. He got into Armidale about a quarter to 8, and walked round a bit. Then- he bought a flask of whisky. He did not.know the name of the hotel or the publican, but it w.as the first hotel coming in on the Guyra road. After he purchased the whisky he went and lay down in the reserve for about four hours. After that he went back to the town. All the hotels were then closed. He went to the one he bought the whisky at and tried to get a drink, but it was'tod early. It was then getting on towards 4 o'clock in the morning. He then went to about three other hotels, and could not get a drink. He went to an hotel at the corner of two streets. The front door leading to a passage was open. ' He went into the passage, and from the passage' upstairs on to a balcony, and when he got to the balcony he saw a woman there. She went into a room off the balcony. He lay on the floor of the balcony for about 20 minutes, then got up, and went into the room- where he saw the woman go: He saw the woman lying on a bed. He had a razor in bis pocket, which he took out, and walked over to. the bedside. The woman was lying on her side. There was w faint light through the window. He drew the razor across the woman's throat. She turned over on her other side. She did not call out, but he saw. her throw up her hands. He could see blcod spouting from her throat all over her and the blankets. There was another bed' in the same room under the window. He put his two hands on the bottom of the window and his boot en the bed. > Then he put his leg through -the. windowvand. slipped down. on- to the ,ground-,,i».the.jback-. yard.. He went out into..the street .and,back .to where he was working. About two and a-ha-lf hours'afterwards he had'breakfast! When he saw the woman on the balcony she had" only a nightdress on. He did not know the woman, but when he saw her on the balcony he thought she was a woman he

saw in Queensland. He did not know the woman's name, but she took some money from him at a hotel in Queensland, when be> was drunk. He saw her taking it out of his pocket, and that is why he> murdered the woman at Armidale. He did not think there was anyone in the other bed in the room where he murdered the woman. After detailing his subsequent movements, Caeey said he wished to give himself up to the police for committing the murder because it was troubling him. He was born at Burrawa Station, 15 miles from Narromine, and was 27 years old. His mother was a half-caste aborigine. The razor that he cut the woman's throat with, he thought, he lost where he camped about three miles from Narromine on the Dubbo side. The window he got out through after cutting the woman's throat was about 18in open, more or less. He got out easily. From the window to the ground the distance was about six or seven feet. There were two single beds in the room. No threat or promise had induced him to make a confession. He did it of his own free will. The document was signed: Henry Casey—by his mark. Ernest Clark, farmer, residing near Armidale, gave evidence as to Caeey working on his farm in December, 1908, for about nine day*. Witness could not say whether Casey was in Armidale on the night of the murder or not, but the newspaper report of tha murder was read out by his wife in Casey's hearing. Accused always seemed quiet, and had not much to say. Witness did not notice any difference in him after the murder. Richard Andrews, licensee ot the Albion Hotel, said he had seen accused before, but could not say whether'he visited his hotel in December, 1908. Casey, when asked, smilingly replied that he had nothing to say, and would reserve 1 his defence. The Magistrate said there was nothing | against the accused but his confession, but, under the circumstances he would .commit him for trial at the Circuit Court, Armidale, in April. If not guilty Casey was not fit to be at large. In reply to the magistrate, Sergeant Rank said that accused had been examined, but the doctor was not prepared to give a dfefii nite opinion as to his sanity.