OUTBACK TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1921, Page 8

OUTBACK TRAGEDY.

A CHARGE OF MURDER A SENTENCE OF DEATH. Sydney, Dec. 8. George Earsman. a sturdily-built young man, came before Mr. Justice Wade and a jury at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, charged with the murder of Alexander Matheson, at Buckinbar Creek, near Wellington, on November 11. Mr. Coyle, K.C., prosecuted for the Crown, and Mr. Collins, instructed by Mr. Harvey, appeared for Earsman. Mr. Coyle, in outlining the story of the alleged crime as set out in the evidence of the Crown witnesses, said that the prosecution would be forced to rely on circumstantial evidence, but the cir-

cumstances wuold allow of no other interpretation than the guilt of the accused. On the night of November 10, Earsman had been camping with the deceased man near the Buckinbar bridge. In the morning Matheson was found dying. Earsman was gone, and so were Matheson’s horse and sulky, and his camp had apparently been ransacked. When Earsman was arrested he was found to be in possession of a watch and articles of clothing, etc., identified as having belonged to Matheson. He was driving along the Dubbo Road in the dead man’s sulky when arrested. Questioned by the police, Earsman had declared that he had bought the sulky in Parkes, and had bought the watch some six months previously in Sydney. The other articles he declared lie had picked up on the roadside. Earsman denied the statement of the prosecution. The witnesses, he said, •’must have dreamt" seeing him at the deceased's eamp on the night of the tragedy. He was not near it. The horse and sulky he was driving when arrested were his own property. The watch identified by a watchmaker in Dubbo, as one sold' to deceased, witness had bought from a man in Sydney some months previously. A man had given him the clothes and articles belonging to deceased. He had told accused that ho had killed an old man, and accused had better keep the things. He had known the man for two years or so, but did not know where he now lived. Witness’ father knew of the man's confession.

Questioned by Mr. Coyle, Earsman said that his father was not there to give evidence. The jury returned a. verdict of guilty. Sentence of death was passed.