STORY OF A FORGOTTEN CRIME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17693, 2 August 1919, Page 7

STORY OF A FORGOTTEN CRIME

Ex-detective Campbell, formerly of Dunediu, who died at Wellington on Saturday, was connected with several notable criminal eases. One concerned the murder of a young Englishman on a station on the Last Coast. This man had secured work on the station, another employee on which was Jcquainted with the newcomer's history. That acquaintance developed with tragic results. One day the older hand and the young Englishman went shooting, and tho former came back alone. Later when questioned as to the Englishman's whereabouts, the older hand stated that the man had gone to a certain town. Time passed, with no return of the missing man, and some of tho hands from the station' on visiting the town in question, made inquiries as to the whereabouts of their former mate, and were told that he had not visited the town for many weeks. The circumstances looked so suspicious that the police were advised of the whole affair. Detective Campbell, then in Wellington] was sent to make inquiries, and in order to reach the place unobserved made the trip in a scow. After making all ( inquirics, he went up tho coast to tho station, convinced that there had been foul play. Detective Campbell engaged a number o; Maoris, who, armed with sharp-pointed manuka poles, went carefully over the ground that tho two men had shot over on the fateful day. The searfch appeared likely to be abortive, when they came across the remains of a fire in the hush. The ground, blackened by embers, was nrodded and poked, until one Maori struck the corpse of the missing man, buried under a few inches of soil. With great difficulty the body was taken down to headquarters. A medical man was called in to examine the remains and testify to the cause of death. The result was the arrest on a charge of wilful murder of the man who had been out shooting with the Englishman. The case was thought to be a clear one, but the essential witness gave his cadence in such a manner that tho accused was acquitted. Ostracised in the district, however, the man who hid been accused left it, and took work elsewhere, and whilst so engaged he was carrying a kerosene lantern one night, when he stumbled; the flame of the lantern set fire to his oil-soaked clothes, and ho was so severely burned that he died in the hospital almost immediately.