BRUTAL MURDER IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8757, 19 April 1890, Page 3

BRUTAL MURDER IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

A STRANGE AFFAIR.

MURDERER ATTEMPTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

An old man, a sexagenarian, was brutally by a foreigner on Monday afternoon, April 7, at Wagga, N.S.W., Suspicion rested on a man who on being apprehended, and while manacled, made two determined attempts to commit suicide. The body of the victim has been found with the head severed from the trunk. The supposed murderer, who is in the hospital, is believed to be mortally wounded, from the effects of tho attempts on his own life. The prisoner was unconscious', and-in an insensible state for some hours. The particulars of the tragedy are oE a purely circumstantial character. Between half- past 10 and 11 o'clock on Monday morning (April 7), last, two men, named John Young Taylor, aged 60, and Alfred Smith, a foreigner, believed to be a German by extraction, apparently 30 years old, left Kerr's Wagga Hotel in a waggonette drawn by two horses, ostensibly for the purpose of visiting Mr George King, at (Junningroo, about 12 miles from town. Both men had been in close companionship for some months, Smith having been employed to drive a dray for Taylor. Taylor partook of liquor pretty freely. On leaving the horses then left the main road and went along a branch road, which leads to Lake Albert, and a camp was made in the road, which is little used, and runs at bright angles with Lake Albert-road, and is parallel with Tarcutta-road, where a tent was pitched. This thoroughfare is about midway between tho Royal George Hotel anil the Farmers' Home Hotel. There are indications that Smith had slept there that night. On the following morning Smith drove to the lake at Wagga, and suspicions of the tragedy were first aroused by Mr Gideon Watson, who is engaged making a hridge for Ihe Wugga Borough Council. He noticed Smith rubbing blood marks off the vehicle, and covering over drops of blood which had fallen from the waggonette on the ground. He lost no time in informing the police, and constables were despatched to make investigation. As Smith did not give a satisfactory answer, he was arrested for being in possession of two horses and a waggonette reasonably sup posed to be stolen, and the property of John Young Taylor. Senior-constable Dixon handcuffed Smith. On the way back Smith tried to cut his throat with a penkniko or razor. He only succeeded in making a small wound about two inches in length directly under his chin. He also tried to shoot himself with a revolver. Mr Henry Baylis, P.M., put in an appearance later on, having gone on to meet Dixon. It was decided to keep Smith, who now was unconscious. Dr. Druitt shortly afterwards reached the hotel. After stitching the wound in his neck, Smith was brought into Wagga in a waggonette. A crowd of people assembled around the lockup eager to get a look at the self-wounded prisoner. He was placed on some boards and afterwards taken to the hospital. Round his body was found a belt which contained three pouches. The clothes were searched, and two purses containing four sovereigns, about 15s in silver, some coppers and coins of foreign nations were found in them, a pipe, pocket-book, and few articles of little value were also found. Smith and Taylor fell in with each other at Rushworth, a small town in Victoria, some months ago.