GLEBE & GLEN MOAN MURDERS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 194, 14 February 1912, Page 4

GLEBE & GLEN MOAN MURDERS

TWO DEATH SENTENCES.

Sydney, 3rd February. ~,, It is a long time since such public interest was manifested in a murder trial in Australia as in the case of the young man Campbell Nairn Moir, who was, on 30th January, sentenced to death for the murder of Henry Trevascus, at Glebe, on 31st October last. There is no need to go over all the facts again. One of the painful features of the case was th# fact that the man who committed mu» der was a nephew of Mr Carmichael, a member of the New South Wales Cabinet. Mr Carmichael at the time held the portfolio of Minister for Education, but as soon as the terrible news was brought to him he resigned it, and has since been a private member of the Labor .Party. An experience /of this kinds falls to few public men, and great sympathy has been felt all through for Mr Carmichael. Rarely has there been such a scramble for seats at any public trial. The people jostled and fought with one another fof positions, before the doors were opened, and the Court was soon filled to its utmost capacity. A number of women were present during both days of the trial, several of them, it was stated, being', friends of Mr Molman, the AttorneyGeneral. The defence, 'briefly stated, was a general denial, but Moir did not. make a statement, nor give evidence. After an hour's retirement, the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and Moir woe thereupon sentenced to death. Tfce jury added a very strong recommendation to mercy on the grounds of the prisoner's youth, and also because, in all likelihood, the deceased had exerted a strong influence on the mind of the prisoner. Asked if he had anything to say, Moir replied, "No, I have nothing to say. Th« jury have, found me guilty, I can only declare my innocence." The Judge, in passing sentence of death, said that some of the evidence suggested that moral responsibility was less than that of the ordinary individual. His Honor hoped a full inquiry would be made into that aspect of the case, and that the Executive would give effect to the jury's recommendation. The police were highly complimented'for the way they had worked up the case. On Wednesday another man was also sentenced to death at the Criminal Court —■Laurence Lawless, charged with the murder of Una Lucy Cover at Glen Mo(yj, near Quirindi, on 23rd October la»t. Tie murdered girl was the daughter of the overseer on Glen Moan station. Lawless was_ on friendly relations with the whole family. He appears to have made overtures to Mrs Cover, which were resented, and he fired at her with a rifle, wounding her in the eye. Her daughter Una coming on the scene, Lawless fired at her, also wounding her. He then set Are the house. Mrs Cover walked four miles with her children in search of her hußband, but left Una in the burning house. His Honor, jn sentencing Lawless to death, remarked that the crime was so shocking that one could hardlj; believe the man who committed it was in his right senses. The abolition of capital punishment was recently added to the Labor Party's platform, and remembering also the refusal of the State Labor Government, just after coming into power, to exact the extreme penalty in the case of iho condemned man Phillips, it is assumed in some quarters .that neither,Moir nor Lawless will be hanged.