THE ROEBOURNE MURDERS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1201, 6 March 1885, Page 4

THE ROEBOURNE MURDERS.

The Perth correspondent of the J rgua writes : —“ The occurrence of ■ch'mf, hot tragic, interest since I last wrote, is the horrible murder of Messrs A nkeitll and Burrup, of the Union Bank at Roebourne. Information of this terrible -event first reached us on ’Wednesday, the 21st nit., and caused profound regr t and consternation. Mr AaketeTl, the manager of the Roe* bourne branch of the Union bank, was scarcely known in Perth, except by repute, but at the North-West tnis young Victorian was a general favorite having made for himself troops oi ii-iwids, ar J. so far as is known, not a single enemy. Young Bim-up, his clerk, a small, delicate lad, son of a Gloucester solicitor, was for some little time stationed at the Perth office of she hj;., z, and was much liked in the society of the capital, his gentle man» r.e. s and cjuiet humor having won the hearts < i ail with whom he was brought in coijt.ct. come months ago he j-'ined Mr Anketell at Roebourne, v/h.-re the two young men boarded

■vii.li he Government Resident, Mr E. B J.'itr'-noe, sleeping and working ■jury on the batik premises. These coi sist of a small cottage, having two main norms, used for business purposes, ?. verandah in front and a verandah at the back, each end of the latter [ ■ ing boarded up so as to foim a small bedroom in one of theses back veiv.nuuh looms young Burrup was in the habit of sleeping, while Mr / . • eteli, as a rule, on account of the heat, slung his hammock in it.fe Irons verandah. The bank is not in a lime’y position, nearly opposite !.ei.-ig Uocbum Hotel and the - I Wnco of Mr M‘Bae, member for Jit - :-M "'bile clo-e by and on each -i.l -iso weie inhabited houses. Ail h- "fenoiiticu we nave respecting the u,ui '• -s yet is by telegram sent overi i i' jfeburn to the northernmost i vrting station on the line, now in process of construction from (GmvrviTi to Cossack, and subse* qn’.!> by ves el to the frascoyne. It npi.i, -baton the morning of the l.'ith r.it. a woman who does th« nous - v/rk at i he bank, reaching the ureuii'os u the usual early hour, found 4bi- front verandah covered with blood ? Mr Anketell lying dead, either on j bo Me or in his hammock, it is i •; yut edear which. She at once ;aired the alarm, and brought the ■Vbnor; to the spot, when Mr Anke . "s .skull was found to have been an./ckf-d ia over the right and left ■ye, vju.c sharp instrument appeared ;o have been used, and death must, is said, have been instantaneous. At he back, in his verandah loun, poor ■ ; ; nip was a ! so found dead, hia •-•fmains presenting a shocking spectacle. The. drat account merely states that the lad’s skull, also, was knocked i, V-ut a subsequent telegram says :h.ir. twenty gashes were found upon bis body, inflicted apparently by a sharp pick, while his brains were scat-

te ed all over the room. It is pro*' Burned, of course, that the object ot the murderers was to rob the bank, and the business part of the promises had been entered by one of the windows, but the miscreants had been unable to find the keys of the safe, one of which was always kept in the residency, and nothing was disturbed. Two tracks supposed to be of whites, were found near the building, but owing to the stony rodghness of the ground it was impossible to follow them up, and for some little time after the murder no clue whatever to its perpetrators could bo obtained, and the alia ir remained wrapped in mystery. It was indeed,thought that Chinaman, several of whom reside in Koebourne, might have been concerned in it, but no suspicion rested upon any one in particular. From information since received, however, it would appear that within a week ot the occurrence two white men, named Bevan and Warburton, and one Chinaman, were arrested and charged with having been concerned in the crime, but on what grounds we have not yet ascertained. The excitement at Koebourne was said to he great, and every one, when out of doors, carried arras ”