FEUD OVER GRAVE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1933, Page 8

FEUD OVER GRAVE

AX ARCHBISHOP ATTACHED

INTRUDER FACES -REVOLVER

SYDNEY, December 21. An extraordinary story of an attempted attack by ‘a man ai’meci wxm an axe on Dr Spence,' the 73-yea'r-old Roman Catholic ' Archbishop of Adelaide, comes from the South Australian capital. The existence of a feud between Dr Spence and a labourer, Michael John Daly, about the grave of Italy'*• brother, was suggested by Daly’s -counsel when the matter was referred to in the Police Court. Daly was charged with having forcibly entered the home of the Archbishop at Glen Osmond

The Archbishop was at his lunch on Monday when a thud was heard at tee massive front door of his home. Tm* only other occupants of the house ?t the time were Miss Welker, the Archbishop’s typist, and Mrs Drum, the housekeeper. Miss Walker went to the door, and she was so alarmed at the attitude of the visitor that she quickly shoe the heavy iron bolts. The man smashed va'nly against the door with a new axe, from which the brown paper wrapper had not been removed. He shattered two glass windows on either side of the door and then rushed to the side °flice door and smashed it open. '

Hearing the uproar, the Archbishop seized a revolver from his office. When the man entered the hall he was -confronted wieh this weapon. The man lowered the axe, but he continued to .abuse the Archbishop. Miss Walker hurried out to a coti'vg.g in the grounds and. Called to the .chauffeur. Mr Toolr.n, who, with the help of his two , sons removed the intruder and called for + he police. The man was arrested, 1 and it was stated subsequ-en ly by the j police that he had come from Western Australia to seek the grave of liis brother. It is st'ted that af-er he had j interviewed tho, Roman Catholic, officers at the West Terrace Cemetery a grave was pointed out fo him by a i do-tor' who had performed a postmortem examination on his brother. The. body w.?.8 exhumed, and ■it /is 1 stated that it was not that of the man s brother. It is believed that his mind hpc'-ime deranged a feu the dis-overv. j and that his visit to the Archbishop was the sequel. | It was suggested in court that the dispute which gave rise to the trouble-•v-as a long-standing one, r.nd i‘ j seemed tlrt a fend had been going on. J Daly’s brother was buried in tne paupers’ section of tho cemetery. He left about £IOOO, and when ' Daly, asked why his brother had been So buried the cemetery officials told him that the grave- could not be traced. It was alleged that-Daly had sought an! interview with the Archbishop, but this had been denied him. Counsel for the prosecution, who Uprose'! bail. said that the 'matter about tlie grave had been investigated with the utmost care. The archbishop was

not responsible for the mistakes ot the curator of the cemetery, but he b n d been maligned and, threatened by Daly, and had exercised the greatest forbearance, which had proved to be unwise. When arrested the man had in bis possess bn a bn<? of pepper and a soldering iron. He said he had been taking the pepper as a medicine. Bail was, refused.