TERRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3064, 22 April 1881, Page 4

TERRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.

(From the Brisbane Courier, March 28.) About 9 o'clock on last Saturday morning a report spread throughout the city tbat a murder and suicide had been committed at South Brisbane. The following are the particulars of this very shocking affair:—Most of our readers know Stanley-steet, South Brisbane, and the block of brick shops formerly destroyed by fire about two years ago, and are now partly rebuilt and occupied by Mr Adams, the ironmonger. Ju»t past these buildings and opposite Mr Moffatt's chemist shop are some old looking cottuges, separated from the road by a strip of garden ground. One of Ihese cottages was o«..' 'Jxi£c& by « *nan named O'Donnell, a carter, employed, we believe, by Messrs Hoffnungand Co. He left behind him this morning when he went out for Lis day s work a wife, a comparatively young woman, with ber baby and three young children, the eldest being a boy of seven years old. There was also in the house his unmarried sister, Bridget O'Donnell, aged 23 years, a strong, well grown young woman. Nothing had occurred so far as we can learn, to lead him to suspect that anything was likely to go wrong, much less that such a fearful tragedy would be acted in his house so soon after bis back bai been turned. Bis Bister was an excitable young woman, but nothing transpired to show that anything" had gone wrong with her in her brother's home. It is said that some angry words were heard early in the morning, but they do not seem to have left any impression on Mrs O'Donnell, who went to Waimsley i_e butchers shop to buy meat for breakfast, and appeared in fine spirits. She returned to her cottage. What transpired then is not exactly known, but in about a quarter of an hour, and somewhere near 8 o'clock, loud shrieks from the cottage terrified the neighbours, and Mrs O'Donneii's little boy ran out. crying, " Aunty's killing mother." The neighbors ran up —Mr Comley, Mr Adams, Mr Russell, and others — but the screams had ceased before they reached the house. The door was closed, and they burst it open. On the floor Mrs O'Donnell lay stretched, her throat cut in such a maoner that it seemed as if her head had almost been severed from the body; beside her was ber sister-in-law, also with a bleeding wound in her neck, and in her hand an old thin table knife, exceedingly sharp. The furniture was all in disorder, and the floor of the little room was literally covered with the life-blood of its unhappy mistress. The irjeomers took the knife from the wretched girl, who seems not to have made any resistance, and leaving her victim, who was evidently past help, they endeavored to stanch the wounds in her neck. Dr. Joseph soon arrived, followed speedily by Dr. Purcell. The wound in the neck of the living girl was sewn up, and she was sent in a van to the hospital. The body of the dead woman was left very nearly where it had fallen, and tbe knife, which in the first hurry and excitement had beeD laid aside, was found beneath a pillow which had been placed under Mrs O'Donneii's head. The appearance of the cottage was most sickening, and in the street and round the house excited crowds were discussing the horrible occurrence. It appears that the sifter had arrived at O'Donneii's house during tbe present week, and it was said had come from the Logan. On Th rsday last she ordered a riding-habit from Mr Hobbs, a tailor, in Stanley-street, and paid £2 deposit on it. She also spoke about getting a ridingsaddle. The neighbors who had spoken to her say that she appeared to be of a very excitable disposition. Sbe is the youngest of her family, aud hud come up from the Logan three days ago, and was to Save returned by the coach on Saturday last. Sbe had a sister Norah, who has disgraced herself, and is only too well known in Brisbane.

On sending to the hospital "later on in tbe day to ascertain the condition of the unhappy girl, Bridget O'Donnell, we learned that sbe died at 11 a.m., two hours after arrival here. Although the wouud did not seem extremely dangerous to tbe doctor who first examined her, it appears that she was ultimately choked by an internal flow of blood. Her death is the best thing that, under the circumstances could have happened. A magisterial inquiry into this dread sul business will, we presume, be immediately held, though of course the result may easily be anticipated. The following is the purport of a letter written to her brother, apparently a short time before the murder, and since discovered.

"Dear Tim,—l can't die alone, I want company; we died happy. Get Father. Scortchetini to say a private mass for us. Remember me to Father Woods. I forgive all. I die happy." Evidently the wretched girl was utterly insane when the deed was committed. There is anotber sister of hers at present in Woogaroo Asylum.