LONELY BUSH TRAGEDY

Otago Witness, Issue 3674, 12 August 1924, Page 21

LONELY BUSH TRAGEDY

MAN’S BODY FOUND IN POOL. SYDNEY, August 3. A bloodstained cap and hammer were found on the bank of a pool at Cessnock, a colliery district. Dragging was tried, and the body of a man was found in the water. His neclc was broken, apparently by a blow fcom a hammer. The details of the tragedy show that John Nelson, a miner, went on a shooting expedition, and was proceeding through the bush. When passing a stagnant pool he was horrified to find the body of a man floating in the centre. He immediately returned to Cessnock, and in-

formed the police, who with difficulty recovered the body. The corpse was fully clothed but hatless. The man’s age appeared to be about 45. A letter in a pocket was addressed to “C. Murphy.’’ On the right eye and the side of the head were discolourations, indicating that he had been struck with some blunt instrument. Although these facts alone wore insufficient to lead to the belief that death was caused by foul play, it is stated that two months ago school children who were returning home found lying in the Dush 3CO yards or 400 yards from the pool an ordinary carpenter’s hammer and a man's felt hat. Both articles were marked with dry bloodstains. An examination of the spot by the police disclosed the marks of a struggle and further bloodstains. The children s find also coincides with the time that the body is believed to have been thrown into the waterhole. The scene of the tragedy is a lonely part of the bush. The pool is hemmed in on all sides by dense undergrowth. The water is stagnant, and is a breeding ground for millions of mosqu/itos and kindred pests. The spot is seldom visited. August 5. The victim of the Cessnock tragedy has been identified at Patrick Murphy. It appears that about two months ago two tinkers visited houses in Cessnock looking for work. They were seen one evening not far from the spot where the body was found. They engaged in an argument, but as the quarrel seemed more angry than violent little notice was taken of the dispute. A man has been detained by the police in connection with the discovery of the body at Cessnock. Andrew Jones, who was detained by the police in connection with the Cessnock murder, was arrested and charged with the murder of Patrick Murphy.