MURDER OF A NEW ZEALAND DIGGER IN VICTORIA.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 289, 4 July 1868, Page 3

MURDER OF A NEW ZEALAND DIGGER IN VICTORIA.

The Melbourne Herald of June 11th, says : — ■" A frightful murder, committed at Bullock Creek, near Sandhurst, is chronicled iD last night's Bendigo Evening News : —' The victim, whose name is Rooney, has lately returned from New Zealand, where he had been successful in mining, being possessed of some .£2OO or £3OO in deposit receipts. His supposed murderer, a man named Doolan, alias -Barker, appealed to him for charity, being very hard up, and the deceased took him into his tent and shared his'tucker' with him, permitting him also to sleep

there. Rooney had not been seen for a day or two, but no particular notice was taken until yesterday, when Boolan madehis appearanceata shanty and spent some few shillings. Dancing was going ou to the dulcet tones of a violin, and Boolan having run up a score of two or threel-.shillings, remarked to the fiddler that he must go to his by bank and get more. Being asked where his bank was, he replied ' a hollow log.' The. fiddler and another watched Where he Went, and found him go direct to Eooney's tent. When he came back, they proceeded with a lantern to the tent, on opeuing which they were almost overcome by the intolerable stench. They discovered the body of the Unfortunate man Eooney in an advanced stage of decomposition, with his skull smashed in and his brains scattered about. A stone-breaker's hammer was in the tent, which bore marks of being the weapon used in the perpetration of the deed. Information Was at once given to the police, and mounted -constable Nolan at once proceeded to the shanty, and apprehended Doolan on a 'charge of wilful murder. The deceased was lrst seen on Saturday, and judging from the decomposed state of the body, the murder must have been committed on Saturday night. Doolan for the last two nights must have slept by the corpse. It is Supposed the deceased had been showing his deposit-receipts to Doolan, who, Under the impression that they were negotiable, attacked Eooney with the stonebreaker's hammer in the middle of Saturday night, and murdered him while he slept. Great excitement has been caused by this foul deed.'" .