THE GEMMELL'S CROSSING TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1918, Page 5

THE GEMMELL'S CROSSING TRAGEDY.

■»> BODY 01?. MOBDERER BGTMD. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Oamaru, .Last Night. The body of Onslow Mayhew, the Gemmell's Crossdng murderer, was found in a burned patch of scrub this morning by Peter Maoauley, near the scene of the tragedy. A rifle was lying across his' legvand there wasa bullet-hole'in his. head.

EURTHER DETAILS. Oamaru, Last Night.. The mystery of the strange disappearance of Onslow Mayhew, accused of the! murder of George Swan Burke, and the shooting of three defenceless women at Gemmell's Grossing, near Oamaru, on April 14, was cleared up this morning by the finding of Mayhew's body in the thick gorse on the south hank of the Kakanui River, about one mile and ahalf from the scene of the tragedy. Between 10 and 11 o'eoock this morning, Peter M'Auley, a farmer, of To*aara„, accompanied by his 15-year-old son, wool collecting firewood akmg the bank oft the river. pushed his w*y t through the gorse to a big patch when* the close undergrowth had been burned off by the searcherg for the missing tr. :a, [and there, about 160 yards from tlhe ' bank of the river, M'Auley, caught sight of what he took to be a log or a fallen tree. He was greatly surprised and horrified, however, to. come across the I body of the missing man- The body was on its back, with the right arm flung out upon the muddy ground. The left had gripped tightly the barrel of a service rifle, the weapon lying across the dead man's chest, with the muzzle within an inch or two of the «l«n. The magazine o£ the rifle wag fully loaded. Although the body was very much weatherbeaten'and the eyes were gone, the remains were in a sufficient state*of preservation to show that Mayhgw had shot himself, there being a, large hole in tide left temple and grievous injury to the back of the head. Near the body was an empty methylated, spirits bottle, the cork of which had been replaced in the bottle. Under the body was found a corckecrew, cigarette-holder, some tobacco, and a locket containing a few pieces of sen-sen. It is thought that Mayhew shot himself on the night of the tragedy. Tas" flames which some days later consumed the scrub in the vicinity passed over the body and destroyed the trousers, charred tli* coat and a portion of the hat thai was not actually covered by the dead man. The boots were still intact, atthough the laces bad apparently been consumed in the fire.

It was evident that, after the tragedy, Mayhew waded across the river and plunged into the thick goree and, tot for the burning of the gtrrse, the discovery of the tody would not have been possible. Indeed, Mr. M'Auley, on finding the body, had to take the precaution to mark the spot very carefully to enable him to direct the police to the place where the perpetrator of the murder of George Bijrke took his own life. The dwellers on the whole countryside are much relieved that the mystery of Mayhew's disappearance has been cleared up, but thoughts of the grim trageday, the subsequent suicide, and the sorry endSng of young lives—one who was expecting the call to the Colors any day, and the other of one who hod served his King and country at Armentieres and on the blood-stained Sonraie--will not readily be effaced from the memory of the people of North Otago.