Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 25 January 1858, page 5


MURDER AT LONG GULLY.

CORONER'S INQUEST ON THE BODY.

The Coroner for the district held an inquest yesterday at the Union Hotel, Long Gully, on the body of John Armstrong. The following gentlemen were sworn as a jury:—John Hilson, (foreman,) Isaac Griffin, John Murray, James Carr. Thomas Rowe,

John Hall, David Williams, Henry Spurrier,William Barman,John Newhouse,James Clellan, and Michael Grace.

Having viewed the body, and the locality where the deceased was found, the following evidence was taken :-

Richard Kirby, a miner, deposed that on Wednesday, about 20 minutes past 6, he was

preparing his tea at the fireplace in front of

his tent. He saw two men pass, each had a

dark pair of trousers and a blue shirt on, and

carried swags on their backs. One of the swags was tied with a red comforter. Was about 200 yards from the men. Could not recognise their features. To the best of his belief the comforter produced is the one he

saw. The swag it was tied round was covered with a blue blanket. The other swag was white. The man who carried it wore long boots. The two men were going in a direction which would have taken them to the spot where the swags were found.

Edward Simmonds deposed that he was a miner. On Wednesday evening, about an hour before sundown, he saw two men pass the end of the road leading to the machine at which he was at work. They each carried a swag. One of the swags seemed to consist of

a tent. The other seemed to be bedding. They were within 20 yards of him when he noticed them. One of the men was about 5 feet 10 inches in height, and wore dark clothing. He wore a brown felt hat. The hat produced is very like it. He did not observe that he wore any whiskers. The other

man was about 5 feet 6 inches in height.

He had on moleskin trousers, and a sleeve waistcoat, the fronts of which were dark. He had a pair of bushy whiskers, cropped short. One of the men carried a billy, like the one produced. Could not say which carried it. witness could not identify the deceased as one of the two men whom he had seen on Wed-

nesday evening.

Elizabeth Rowe, the wife of Thomas Rowe, miner, deposed that on Wednesday, between 4 and 5 o'clock, she saw two men come from the direction of the Butcher's Arms. Each carried a swag. One man seemed taller than the other. They laid down their swags about 20 yards from her tent. One man sat down, and the other came towards her tent with a tin pot, similar to the one pro-duced. He was the shorter of the two men. He wore dirty moleskin trousers, and a blue shirt, and wore a black wideawake. His whiskers were dark and cut short. His fea-tures were rough looking. She did not hear him speak. About 6 o'clock she saw the two men go over the hill opposite her tent, and in the direction of the swag (pointed out to the jury.) The swags seemed dirty look-ing. Witness could not identify the deceased as one of the two men she had seen on Wed-nesday evening.

William Roberts deposed that he was a storekeeper. On last Wednesday evening about 5 o'clock, the deceased came to his store, he was sober, he bought a loaf and some butter. Witness asked him if he was a new chum? He replied "No," that he had just come up from Melbourne. The deceased asked if witness could recommend him where he could get a job of work. Witness replied that he did not think he could do so at that time. The next time he saw the deceased was when some men were carrying him across the gully to the Union Hotel. The deceased was alone. On coming to witness's store he wore a hat like the one produced, and was dressed in dark clothing, and had on long boots. From his store deceased went in the direction

of Mrs. Rowe's tent.

Frederic Strong, a miner, deposed that about a quarter past 6 on Wednesday evening he saw a man lighting a fire by the side of the log pointed out to the jury. He also saw the swag pointed out to them. The man who was lighting the fire was alone, his dress co-sisted of a black cloth cap, similar to the one produced. He had dark trousers, and either a monkey jacket or dark sleeve waistcoat. His

height was about 5 feet 7 inches, and he wore short black whiskers. From his general ap-pearance witness believed him to be an

Italian.

John Bowe, a miner, deposed that on Wed-nesday night, about 9 o'clock, he was walk-ing on the main road, between Roberts' store

and the Cape Clear Inn, when he heard a cry of murder from the opposite side of the gully, he then heard " Oh, come here," from the same direction. He ran across in the direction the cries, and found the deceased lying on the ground on his right side. He was bleeding very much from his neck. On asking deceased what was the matter, he replied that "an Italian had stabbed him.", Witness then called out for a light, and assisted the de-ceased to rise ; a lot of men then came up. Witness left the deceased in charge of the men and having procured a horse rode off and gave information to the police. On return in about 20 minutes, he found the deceased dead. The following morning, in company with the police, he found the swag produced It was distant 107 yards from where the ceased was lying when he came up to hi Could trace the blood nearly the whole way Did not see any one near the deceased,

man might be a short distance off, and

did not see him.

Alexander Martin, a miner, deposed to

having been at the Union Hotel about 9 o'clock, and on hearing the cry of " Murder,"

he ran over the gully, and assisted in carry-ing the deceased to the hotel. Wh en they had got deceased into bed he could see that I he had blood on his face, and was stabbed on I both Bides of his neck. He asked the de-

ceased if he was an Italian. Deceased said "No." He said he was an Irishman, from West-meath, Ireland. On asking deceased who had stabbed him, he replied several times, " an Italian." Witness asked him what was his mate's name but could not understand his reply. Witness then asked him where

his mate stopped, and all he could get out of him was " Derwent." The deceased died io

about 10 minutes after he was brought into

the Union Hotel.

Peter Ritchie deposed that he was par proprietor of the Union Hotel. On Wednes day evening, about 9 o'olock, he wa sitting under the verandah in front of the house, and heard a man cry out, "Come here." He seemed to be in pain. Some men left the house, and ran in the direction of the voice. They then cried out for a light. Wit-ness got them one. About 5 minutes after-wards the deceased was carried into this house and placed in bed. Was about sending for doctor, and to give information to the police but was informed that a man had already gone. On going into the bedroom, witness heard the deceased tell Alexander Martin that his name was John Armstrong, from the county of Westmeath, in Ireland, and that the man who stabbed him was an Italian and as near as he could tell said his name was " Ned Cardana." The deceased died in about 10 minutes after being brought into the hotel. A man named Gordon gave me the bowie knife. The handle was broken, and

was covered with blood.

John Gordon, a miner, deposed that Wedesday evening, about 9 o'clock, he w Bitting under the verandah of the Union Hotel Long Gully, with some other men. He heard the cry of a man in distress coming from the opposite of the gully. He then, with the other men, ran across the gulley in the direction the cry. He then saw the deceased lying on the ground. He found the knife produced large bowie knife, which was covered with blood, lying by the aide of the deceased,

assisted to carry the deceased to the Union

Hotel, and gave the knife to Mr. Ritchie, the

landlord of the Union.

James Babington deposed that he was sergeant of police, stationed at Sandhurst On the night of, Wednesday, 20th instant about half-past 9, from information

received he went to the head of Long Gully in company with Constable Weiss, a another constable. Found the deceased the Union Hotel lying dead. The knife produced was handed over to him, On

following morning he searched the deceai and found in his bosom a chamois bag taining five £5 and three £1 notes. In left-hand pocket found half-a-sovereign and 4s..6d., a portion of a broken comb with hole drilled through, and a string attached. Near where the swag was found he found sheath of a bowie knife. It corresponded

with the bowie knife.

Hugh Smith deposed that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and a licen-tiate of the Victorian Medical Board. He had examined the body of the deceased, dress consisted of a blue under shirt, an out-side shirt, also blue, dark colored moleskin trousers, one woollen and one worsted s one blue and the other white. They appered worn, as if from travelling. Witness noticed an incised wound over the palm of deceased's left hand. There was a tatoo-mark

on the inside of his left fore arm (J. A.) There were three penetrating wounds on the right side of his body, one over the region of the liver, one over the cartilage of the ribs oa the right side ; the third was above the crest of the ilium on that side. There was an in-cised wound over the shin-hone of the right leg. All these wounds appeared to have been caused by an edged instrument ; they varied from an inch-and-a half to half an inch in length. The body of the deceased measured 5 feet 8 inches. A crucifix stained red and blue was tatooed on his right forearm. His hair was light brown, no whiskers ; had light blue eyes. There was a contusion over the right upper cheek-bone ; a lacerated wound over the right orbit, and a compound fracture of the bone over the orbit ; an irregular incised wound in the light side of the neck about 5 inches in length, whioh appeared to have been caused by ah edged or cutting instrument; at irregular, incised, penetrating wound below the left ear, extending about 3 inohes in length and communicating on the opposite side of the neck, behind the right jaw-bone. The wound was one and a half inch in length There was a fraoture of the lower jaw bom on the right side. The right carotid artery was partially divided, and two of its branches cut across. The hyoid bone was completely separated from the larynx. On opening thi cavity of the abdomen found a penetration wound of tun liver corresponding with the external wound; the wound had penetrated the liver about four inches; there was

second penetrating wound on the liver, about half an inch in length. The cavity of the abdomen contained about a quart of extra-vasated blood and serum. Examined the thorax and traced the penetrating wound already described over the the cartilage of the ribs from below upwards, penetrating and wounding the right lung : there was about a quart of extravasated blood as serum in the right pleura. On opening the bead found that the compound fracture over the right orbit did not extend to the brain. It was only cotlaed to the external table of the skull. The brain was healthy be was of opinion that it was possible to have caused the incised wounds described

with the bowie knife then produced. The fracture of the skull over the right orbit, and the fracture of the jaw must have been caused

by some blunt heavy instrument, used with violence. A stone had been shown to the witness, which appeared to be stained with blood, weighing about half a hundred weight. A blow from that stone would in his opinion be likely to produce the fracture described. It was witness's opinion that the deceased's death was caused from the wounds he re-ceived. The wound of deceased's lungs he considered the immediate cause of his death. It was not possible that these wounds could

have been inflicted by the deceased. He was of opinion that the deceased's jaw and orbit were fractured. Ho was lying down at the

time.

The coroner then summed up to the jury,

giving the salient points of the evidence, and stating that in consequence of a memoran-dum book having been found which con tained the address of the deceased's brother at Nine Mile Creek, Snake Valley, Beech-worth, Detective O'Neil by his instructions had communicated with him by Telegraph, and bad received the following answer: -"That the deceased had left him (the brother) twenty seven days ago and gone to Mel-bourne with the intention of going to Cali-fornia ; on his arrival in town deceased changed his mind, having fallen in with an Italian named Edward Cordana, at the Yarra Yarra Dining Rooms, who had told him that ho knew Bendigo well. He left Melbourne with him at that time having £36 10s. in his pos-session. The brother further stated in his message that he himself did not know the Italian. After remarking on the coincidence between that statement and the evidence, the Coroner left it for their consideration.

After a short consultation, the jury returned the following verdict :?-" That the deceased, John Armstrong, come by his death from a wound of his right lung, and severe injuries inflicted on his person by the hands of one Edward Cordana. We consider the said Ed-ward Cnrdana guilty of the wilful murder of the deceased John Aarmstrong."

Tho hotel and the locality was densely crowded during the investigation, and an in-tense feeling of horror and indignation ap-peared to prevail against the perpetrator ol this brutal murder.—From the Bendigo Adver-

tiser.