The Lyell Tragedy.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 70, 27 February 1883, Page 2

The Lyell Tragedy.

further particulars. In connection with the suspected murder rt the LveU, the Inangahua Herald has the following particulars : — - It appeavs that on Sunday or Monday night a resident m the neighbourhood of Mrs Gramma tica's dwelling heard what he describes as a repetition ot " terrible cries of anguish," and assuin"ing that these proceeded from the unfortunate deceased, it certainly strength ens the suspicion of his having been murdered, and points very conclusively to there having been two or more par.ties concerned m the murder. Quinlan was a man of powerful build, about sft LOi m m height, and of florid complexion. h£is person will be familiar to many on the West Coast, as he was a. somewhat notorious character. It appears that when sentenced by Mr. Dutton, ex»R.M. at (Jainptown some 14 yeara ago, he male one dart from the Court, and escaped from the police, who fiied at and missed him. Later, m Havelock, he madman attack upon a storekeeper^ and endeavoured to burst ia the storev 1 Persisting m this, despite several warntugs, he was fired upon and shot down, the charge lodging m his hip. y He was then arrested and charged " with being an escaped prisoner, but succeeded m gaining his liberty, Mr. Dutton'ssentence being quashed by the Judge as illegal m consequence of its sentencing Quinlan to gaol for a longer period i than was by law permitted. From the ! particulars above given, it will be seen that the deceased was a man of powerful and active build, and unlikely therefore j to succumb to a single-handed bpponent. The coincidence is certainlyjremarkable that the man Davidson should have attempted suicide within view of Quinlan's body, and so soon after the murder had been committed ; and there is a wide-spread feeling that Davidson probably knows more about the tragedy of which Quinlan was thd victim than has been made public. The Lyell Times says that a young girl found the bead of the unfortunateman about a dozen yards from where the body was discovered. The body was without a coat, and the hat was also missing.. The Times says it is tbe impression of many that the deceased and others had been carousing together, and that there had been a desperate fight, m which Quinlan had received one or more blows from a heavy weapon, and had been thus overpowered, as under ordinary circumstances he was a man who would fight desperately, and who would nevar succumb so long as he retained bis senses . If this supposition i- correct, it is likely that the man wav further' maltreated after being overcome, and that he had then been carried to the side of the road with the intention of throwing him ov>r the precipice., It j would appear that the distance from '.where the crime is supposed to have been committed to where it was intended to dispose of the body had been miscalculated, and that instead ot it rolling down towards the waters of tbe Buller, it had been intercepted by thick scrub and undergrowth, being-, 'however,hidden from the view of passers-by. It is hard to say when the remains would | have baen discovered had nofe the stench attracted attention.