GUILFOYLE’S MURDERERS

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 486, 28 July 1902, Page 2

GUILFOYLE’S MURDERERS

A DREADFUL AFFAIR.

THE WRONG MAN KILLED,

BULLET AND SHOT,

By telegraph—Press AssociationCopyright. SYDNEY, July 26.

There now appears to he little doubt that the wrong man was shot at Queanbeyait. His companion gives the name of John Nicholas, of Cooma. A wire from Cooma states that the description given shows that lie undoubtedly is the son of a, local tinsmitln He left Cooma some time ago in company with another young man on a trading tour. The prisoner states that he and His companion were at Yass on the day of the murder of Constable GuilroyJc. he does not know Die deceased’s name. Constable Madden was accompanied by a number of civilians. It is alleged that when stooping over - deceased to take the fire-arm trom him the constable’s revolver went oil simultaneously with a shotgun discharged by a bystander. This accounts for the number of shot wounds found in Hie body. Deceased closely resembles one of .the missing suspects^ Lately—The officers sent to .Queanheyan failed to identify the dead man as one of the suspects..

THE INQUEST,

THE CONSTABLE’S STRANGE STORY.

REVOLVER WENT OFF ACCIDENTALLY,

By .telegraph—Press Association— Copyright,

.(Received 5£5 p.m., July 27.) SYDNEY, July 27. The inquest on the body of the man shot at Queanbeyan has commenced,. The evidence of the police officers from Sydney, clearly established that the dead man was not one of those suspected of the murder oi Constable GuiifoylCj Constable Madden, who was accompanied -by a party of five civilians, all armed, surprised Hie camp. .The constable deposed that when "called upon to surrender, the deceased sprang from under the bed clothes and grasped a giun Witness was trying to secure his revolver when it went oil accidental,y» I Immediately afterwards, stated .the witness, lie heard a second shot.'

Next morning lie examined two shot guns that- had been carried by the parly. He discovered that they had recently been fired. One of Hie guns was his own property. He knew that to have been clean when he handed it to the civilian,

By the medical evidence it was thei: proved that the cause of the death ol the man was gunshot wound.

The inquest wan adjourned until Monday. It is now practically established that the deceased is a man named Heaps, and that he resided near Sydney, and was travelling the country doing chair mending. His companion is named Nicholls. He is a boy, fourteen years of age, and is a resident of Cooma.

The boy Nicholls lias been discharged :om custody.