Murder of a Laborer

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 12, 12 July 1890, Page 4

Melbourne, July 2. A shocking ; murder was committed, at Gembrook on Sunday evening. It that two labouring men named Coninghame and Olsen, strangers to the locality, called at the Gembiook _iotel at about 2 p.m. on Sunday, Each had a loaded gun in; his hand. They obtained refreshments i and -drink, having convinced the landlord that they had walked over the statutory distance in their chase of jabbits, and. remained about ! the -house all the afternoon. About dusk the landlord, a young man, turned them out of the house, and at 6 p.m. r the- report of a gun, fired close* by, caused the landlord his brother, and a -storekeeper to rush out to - ascertain ithe cause. They saw Olsen lying his vf uli length on the ground, his companion standing over him, brandishing a gun, and threatening to shoot who attempted to approach near to them. The man lying on the vground appeared to be dead. The landlord and his companions fled at "Once to the nearest neighbour's house, a farmer residing about half a mile distant. The farmer sent a messenger to Constable: Crowle at Pakenhjam, -eighteen miles away, and it seems, that Olsen was allowed to lie in! the -road where he fell, without anyone 'attempting to see whether he was really dead until the constable arrived -come hours after. As soon as it was -daylight Constable Crowle started in ; search of the murderer, and from a vague bint thrown out, instead; of ■ scouring the dense bush, the constable started along the road to Lilly--dale, and came up with Coninghame. The latter admitted at once that he twas aware of his mate's death, but denied all knowledge of the murder. JElis story was, that after a morning -spent in the ranges he and Olsen went to the Gembiook Hotel for a drink, and after being thrown out, sent a man who was passing into the hotel, ior 2s 6d worth of whiskey. Coninghame says that when they bad drunk . f his the stranger left them, and he himself being very drunk, made his way into the hotel and lay down to -sleep on a stretcher. He woke in the morning, and going outside saw Olsen .lying dead on the road, and set off at once for English's farm to give information of tbe murder. Coninghame professes himself unable to form any story of how the murder occurred. He saw Olsen alive when he went into the hotel in the evening, and from that time until he found his body in the road next - day everything is a blank. That he is innocent of Olsen's death he solemnly declares, nor can he suggest any explanation wh.tever of it. He appears quite unconcerned and preserves an air of the utmost .-confidence. Coninghame is a young, strongly built man of about twenty six years of age, and has somewhat of the appearance of a sailor. Olsen was apparently about fifty years of age, a foreigner, and evidently accustomed to bush life. Nothing whatever is known of the previous history of either.