DREADFUL MURDER IN SYDNEY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8769, 3 May 1890, Page 3

DREADFUL MURDER IN SYDNEY.

MAN STABBED AND THROWN INTO

HARBOUR.

A FIERCE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. The Sydney water police on Friday morning, April 25th, on being informed that the body of a man Avas lying on the rocks on the Avestside of Woolloomooloo Bay, at once proceeded to the spot and found the corpse lin the hollow of a rock. An examination of the body showed beyond doubt that the man had been brutally murdered. The head, neck, and arms, as seen at the morgue, presented a truly horrible appearance, the man having evidently battled hard for his life. He had used his left arm to Avard off the blows of the knife of his assailant, as on the left forearm were found tAvo deep Avounds and one on the Avrist. Tho right hand and arm had been more hardly used, having received altogether five wounds, four on the arm. All the fingers on the hand Avero deeply scored on the inside, and the thumb had been almost severed from the hand by a cut about two inches in length, and completely dividing the tendons and bloodvessels betAveen it and the forefinger, as though the murdered man, seeing a knife coming towards him had grasped it. The Aveapon had then probably been quickly draAvn back by the murderer, thus inflicting the Avounds. There Avero eight stabs on the face, and these also bore evidence of the fearful struggle that must have taken place. A Avouncl under the right eye and one over the left Avere severe, but two on either side of tho mouth Avere still more severe — one going right through the flesh and extending half-Avay to the ear. The other Avas a little longer, but in this the knife had not cut quite so deep. Weak from loss of blood, the murdered man Avas (lien probably knocked cloavii, and the assailant put tho fatal stroke to his dastardly deed. The throat Avas cut- from the windpipe round the right side of the ncok to the vertebra?. The Avound Avas about four inches deep, and the jugular vein Avas completely severed. In the afternoon Dr Eichler made a post mortem examination. Death had taken place about 12 or 14 hours previously, and was due to the excessive loss of blood. In the heart not a drop of blood was found. Tho man must have died Avithin five minutes after the Avound in the neck Avas received, and the doctor is of opinion that it Avas inflicted Avith a strong, sharp-pointed knife. The wounds Avere certainly not self-inflicted. Soon after the discovery of the body, Inspectors Bremner, Camphin, and Hyam, together Avith some police, examined the rocks about the bay. About 100 yards from Avhere the body Avas found blood stains were discovered. About this part of the Domain there are two Avalks, nearly 40 yards apart, one being to the chair and the other to the rocks, nnd between the two there is a steep rise. Following up the blood stains, the officers tracked them up the hill till the lower path Avas reached, and across the hill there were found two almost parallel markings in the dust. No more blood was found till the top path had almost been attained, and i then two large pools of blood about four feet apart were discovered in the grase, Avhich is of the kind known as buffalo, being about 4in. in height. There were no signs of a struggle on the grass, but this could be accounted for by the fact that, unless the grass were actually kicked up, it would not appear disturbed, OAving to its elastic nature. The theory of the police is that after fatally stabbing his man, the murderer let him lie on the grass till he bled to death. When dead he was carried some distance, but finding him too heavy, the murderer caught hold of his victim by the shoulders, and dragged him along, Avith his feet on the ground. Phis is supposed to have been the cause of the parallel marks on the path. Having been thrown into the water he Avas carried by the flood tide further up the bay to the spot where ho was found. The body of the man has been identified as that of Dennis O'Connel, avlio was knoAvn to be in possession of a fair amount of money.