ATROCIOUS MURDER IN SYDNEY.

Evening Star, Issue 3122, 20 February 1873, Page 2

ATROCIOUS MURDER IN SYDNEY.

(Abridged from the Sydney Morning herald.) The city was startled on Sunday morning by the intelligence that an elderly woman had been murdered in a v boat in the harbor under suspicions circumstances, which so far as yet can be ascertained, appear to be to the full as atroci us as those which were connected with the murders on the Parra, matta Liver about this time last year. The murderer seems to have been a waterman named Scource, and the victim is an elderly woman named Mrs Lee, who had engaged him to take her across to the North Shore, or rather to the Milson’s Point Ferry at that suburb, where she resided with a married daughter. Scource is now in the custody of the police, on the charge of murdering this unfortunate woman, who e body was found yesterday forenoon in the harbor, close to Cremorne, with mortal injuries on the skull. About midnight on Saturday, the boat, manned by members of the water' police force, which keeps guard in the harbor, and which is known as the “ guard ” boat, came round from the Cove and lauded at the Prince’s Stairs, Circular Quay, where the crew saw a waterman named Dower getting the gear out of a boat. Just as one of the crew stepped out of the guard boat, Djw r called out, “This is a nice thing (in the meantime holding the mast in his hand); the sail has been taken off my mastwhen one of the guard boat crew looked at the mast and called out, to the surprise and horror of his comrades, “Why, it is all besmeared with blood.” Doubtful whether this could be the case, he was asked whether be was sure that it was blood, and be affirmed that he was. A light was then procured, and s 'me of the men went into the boat and beheld a sight which sufficiently testified that a deed of violence had been committed. They found that the whole of the boat was besmeared with blood, which was found alike on seats, stretchers, gunwales, and lining. The dreadful discovery was at once reported to Senior-sergeant Ferris, by whose instructions inquiries were made. It was soon ascertained, from a boatman named Wilson, that a licensed waterman named Thomas Scource had taken away Dower’s boat from its moorings to convey in it an elderly woman to the .North Shore. Wilsor, who gave the information about the taking away of the boat, states that o i being told by Scource that he was g ting to take an old woman—who was standing by at the time—across the harbor to the North Shore, he remonstrated with him, telling him that he was too drunk, and that he would be much better to go horde. Scource is said to have replied that “It was all right,” addressing Wilsm as he said so as “old man.” Wilson ad led that on the old lady preparing to get into the boat, she asked Scource to give her a hand to go down the stairs to the boat, and that Scource replied that she would be able to get down to it by herself. This she did, although she was apparently at the time somewhat under the influence of liquor. Afcer seeing Wilson about his boat, and finding that it had been taken away on that night by Scource, Dower communicated the result of his inve-tigatious to SeniorSergeant Ferris, who, at one o’clock on Sunday morning, sent to the house in Cambridge street, in which Scource was living. Dower knocked at the door, and Scource caded out, “ Who’s_ there ?’' He was answered by Dower, who said, “It’s me.” The door was tin n opened by Scource, who was dressed, and who would seem, when the visit was paid to him, to have been lying down on the sofa. Not then finding anything to eliminate Tenures, the police left, still, however, suspecting foul play. Scource was asked by the police about the old woman who bad engaged him tb take her to the North Shore, and be replied that “he had landed her, together with a man, at Mi Icon’a Point, and that’ was aft he knew abotftltl’! This answer, however, did not satisfy the police. ( n Sunday morning, some time after, the police sent for Scource for the purpose of taking him to the North Shore, so that it might be ascertained who the woman was that Lad been taken there by Scource, according to the statement he hed made. While inquiries were being pr, secuted in the city, some boys came a>id informed the police that, while fidiiug off Cremorne, and close to what is known as Hunrry Bay, they had found the body of a woman floating inshore among the rocks. Senior sergeant Ferris at once proceeded to the spot with a boat’s crew and recovered the body, which had been floating face downwards in shallow water—the tide being out at the time. Her head was covered with cuts, and her hair clotted with blood. After the body had been taken to the dead-house at the Circular Q iay, Scource was arrested by the water police and charged with the murder.