THE WESTPORT MURDER CASE,

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 316, 1 October 1908, Page 6

THE WESTPORT MURDER CASE,

The conviction of the man Connolly on a charge of perjury, and his subsequent confession of guilt in connection with the murder of Ernest John Bourke at Westport in May last, will probably be received with mixed feelings by the public. Connolly was the principal witness against two Norwegians named Halinen and Anderson at the trial of these men for the murder of Bourke. It was mainly on his evidence that they were convictcd of manslaughter and sentenced to a term of seven years' imprisonment. The perjury charge recently brought against him arose out of the evidence which he . gave at the murder trial and concerning which he was severely cross-examined by prosecuting counsel, Mr. Herdman, in answer to whom he admitted having lied in a number of details. His confession later that lis alono was responsible for the murder of Bourke appears to convcrt into certainty the suspicion which has existed that a grave miscarriage of justice had occurred in connection with the conviction of the two men who are now serving sentences for a crime of which, apparently, they are innocent. Connolly's evidence has proved so utterly unyeliable that there appears to be an inclination to even view with doubt his confession of murder. The circumstantial story of tho crime told by him to Detective M'llveney, however, ,scoms to leave little room for disbelief on tho point. ( No doubt it will be ncccssary to make proper investigation before taking the story for granted; but there should be 110 delay in the matter. If the confession is true, as seems probable, grave injustice has been done the men Halinen and Anderson, and that injustice should not bo allowed to 'continuo 0110 itioiunnt longer tliau is naaimary.