MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN SYDNEY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8641, 29 November 1889, Page 2

MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN SYDNEY.

A Murder, which, for deliberateness of purpose, seems to have been unparalleled in the annals of Sydney, was perpetrated on Saturday, November 16. It appears that shortly after 11 o'clock on Saturday night a man named Henry Blackburn, a labourer, was stabbed in the left breast by some person who subsequently escaped. Blackburn, at the time the deed was committed, was standing at the corner of Riley and Devonshire-streets, Surrey HiDs, opposite the Royal Arms Hotel, and he expired a few minutes after he was stabbed. He wob heard to call out, " Mick, I am stabbed that man has stabbed me," at the same time pointing to one of two men who were beating a precipitate retreat. Deceased then endeavored to follow the men, who ran in the direction of the Carrington Ground, but after going about a hundred yards he became exhausted and fell to the ground and almost immediately expired. The weapon with which the deed was done is a butcher's knife, about seven inches and three-quarters long. The knife was driven into the deceased's body up to the hilt. The ugly weapon is now in the possession of the police at Xo. 2 station. It has since been indentified by a Mr Vaux, a butcher, carrying on business in Devon-shire-street. _ He states that he did not miss the knife on Saturday night, and cannot account for its being taken without his knowledge. It is also stated that a man was seen to take the knife from Vaux's shop. Later on he was seen in company with another man to come out of a lane opposite to where Blackburn was standing with a knife behind him. He said, " You are one of that push ; take that," and he then stabbed deceased. Dr Philip, of Crown-street, examined the body of deceased shortly after the affray, and pronounced lif uto be extinct. Deceased was a single man, 23 years of age, and resided at the Quatre Bras Tannery, Waterloo. It ■would apperr that deceased earlier in the evening met with a bricklayer, whose name is known, and went round to his house. This man and the deceased later in the evening went out together. About halfpast 10 o'clock a dispute occurred between some men opposite Mr Stewart's shop, Devonshire-street. A man rushed into Mr Stewart's house and closed the door, calling loudly for protection. Mr Stewart, thinking that it might be a dodge on the part of the men to get at his cash-box, which was in the shop, ordered them out. They then left, and Mr Stewart ordered the man who had asked for protection to leave also, which he did. A quarter of an hour later Stewart heard of the news cf the stabbing. Mr O'Hea, the landlord of the Royal Arms Hotel, heard the deceased call out something, but could not tell what it was, and he also saw two men running away.