AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDIES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8415, 14 January 1899, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDIES

♦- (Electric Telegraph— Copyright— United Presg Association.) Brisbane, Jan. 13. A settler at Toowoomba states that Burgess came to his house for food. He told him two women and a man had been murdered, and that the man was shot. Tin's statement was made before it was known the man had been shot. (Received Jan. 14, 9.45 a.m.) Burgess has admitted to the police that he camped on the night of the murder close to the waterhole where the discovery was made. His movements at the time of his arrest are being traced. (Rpccived Jan. 14, 9.30 a.m.) Melbourne, Jan. ]4. Radalske states she came from New Zealand. Her correct name is Ledebur. Her husband went to New Zealand a few years ago, hut subsequently left. (Received Jan. 14, 9.43 a.m.) Tlie Government analyst has completed an analysis, and found that there was not .sufficient arsenic in Ambrose's stomach to cause death. Dr Gaze states that he did not report the ease because he thought another doctor was attending. Referring to the Gatton tragedy the Brisbane Courier says:- It may be well here to put plainly before the public what the mistake at the outset was, and to note the effect of it. When Mr M'Neill— the brother-in-law of the murdered man and his sisters— discovered the tragedy he rode straight into Gatton to report it to the police. The news spread like wildfire. Acting-Sergeant Arrell, who was the only police officer in town, rode out at once to the scene to verify M'Neill's report. He was followed out by dozens of the townspeople, and country folk coming into town heard of the dreadful affair, and rode or drove at once to the spot where the victims were lying. The acting-sergeant put a guard of four persons in the place — people whom he could trust— not to prevent any persons going into the paddock, but to keep the crowd back from the spot where the corpses lay. He saw to the safe-keep-ing of the dead, and rode back to report the matter to the officer in charge of his district. The four failed to keep the spot clear and it was overrun. The murderers themselves could have devised no better plan for covering up their tracks. It is saul that the acting-sergeant should at all hazards have kept the spot clear, but it must be remembered that he was brought face to face with a tragedy of an appalling nature, and it is doubtful whether there are many of bis rank in the force would have acted under such stress of circumstances with better judgment. Yet the mistake was most serious in its results.