SHOCKING MURDER BY A SQUATTER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1632, 10 September 1887, Page 3

SHOCKING MURDER BY A SQUATTER.

Sydney, Aug. 29. A terrible tragedy was committed at Bukhulla, twenty miles from Inverell, late oa Friday or early on Saturday. A squatter named Wadham Wyndhara, wellknown in the district, murdered hia wife and three children. It is supposed that he was suffering from religious mania, and it is said he was an advocate of the Irvingite religious doctrine. The murderer says he offered his victims’ souls to God to sate them. Ho was brought into inverell by his brother, Mr Hugh Wyndham, J.P., after behaving very violently. The tragedy proves to be one of the most horrible ever enacted in the colony. The details, as now brought (o light, tra so shocking as to be almost beyond belief, and the home occupied by the murderer and his unfortunate victims presented a most shocking spectacle. A telegram received from Inverell to-night states that a messenger cimo to town yesterday morning who reported that Mr Wadham Wynd ham had murdered his wife and three children at the homestead, Bukhulla, a vi ell-known vine yard about [twenty miles from Inverell. The murderer is a brother of Mr Hugh Wyndham, J.P., . w C . -£ 1

and of the late Mr John Wyndham, of the Dalwood vineyard) on the Hunter River. The police brought Wyndham to town at about midday, and the funeral of the victims took place this afternoon, Mrs Wyndham was a very handsome and accomplished lady, the daughter of Mr Keene, the manager of the Gurley station,

Liverpool Plains. Wyndham had always been looked upon as religiously mad, devoting his time to Scriptural lessons in connection with the belief thelrvingites It is said that he cot the throats of five valuable horses a short time wasted a large quantity w j n(J ’ RB ft sacrifice, Ke was known to be extravagantly fon£ ot iiu wife and children, and it Is thought that the death of his J brother John preyed on his mind. | Catherine Rich, a female servant be- , longing to the house, s'ated that she was . awakened about three o’clock yesterday morning by the boy N<nn»an, who came

to her room crying that his father was killing his mother. When she came out she heard Clifford crying, “Oh, Dad, don’t kill me,” and sounds as if the boy’s head was being dashed against the wall. The witness ran up to one of the man servants, who came down to the house. Wyndham then called out, and Asimus, the man servant referred to, came to the house, and Wyndham came out, called for Asimus, and took Norman into the house. Witness heard Norman crying, “Oh, daddy, don’t kill me.' About five minutes after Wyndham came back to Asimus, and called to tho servants to come out as the day of resurrection had arrived. Asimus and another went to the door, and Wyndham then said : “ I have pierced Norman, ray first-born, in the aide and through the hands and feet, like Christ. I will fetch him up and show him to you, and he will listen while I talk to you.” He went into the house, and returned dressed in about ten minutes. He again called to the servants to come out, saying : “ You are of this world and I am of another. lam king and conqueror. I commenced my deed at half-past one, and will finish myself at half-past five.” Ho then started shouting and cooeeing : “I’vo killed my dearly beloved wife, my dear Adele, and my boy Clifford. I have killed my firstborn, Norman. I put my foot on his neck md killed him.” He then went away.

John Asimus gave corroborative evidence, stating that when Norman came to bim first he put him to bed, but Wyndliam came from the house and demanded liis boy, and witness (rave him up. It tvas after this that the in juries,) which ultimately proved fatal, were inflicted on Norman. Witness sent a messenger to Mr Hugh Wyndham and to other places. Shortly after the prisoner left the house Mr Wyndham came up. They found the bodies of Mrs Wyndham and Adele lying m the ground covered with a rug. They watched the prisoner till the morning, md than took him to Inverell. The prisoner was playing marbles with his ihildren on Friday afternoon, and nothing strange was observable in his behaviour. The following are the dying depositions af Norman Wyndham, son of the accused, aged ten years I went to bed at nine /clock last night, and was awakened by bearing my mother screaming. I went to bed again, but at about one o’clock I went to rny mother and saw my father hitting bar with his fists. My father cut me in my side with a butcher’s knife after he lit my mother. I had a nightshirt on. [ could not see what he hit mother with. [ tried to get away from my father when be was cutting me, but ho held me. My father bit my mother on the head with a lat stone. My brother and sister were ;hen in bed. This was in front of the muse, and mother was screaming. Father sept at it all night.” Here the poor boy was unable to say anything more, and lied almost immediately. At the inquest

which was hold at Bukhulla on the bodies of the victims, Sergeant Travers deposed —While proceeding to Bukhulla I mot Wadham Wyndham and his brother Hugh. Hugh Wyndham said, “Wadham has murdered his wife and children, and attempted to stab me. I proceeded to Bukhulla. On being informed that his son Norman still lived, Wadham Wyndham said, “ The knife I struck them with was blunt.” I went into the various rooms and saw the bodies of the wife and daughter Adele, and the son Clifford. On hearing that Norman still lived he said, “Hurrah! lie still livea ; there are no bones broken ; this is a mystery,” and quoted passages of scripture. On being charged with the murder of his wife and three children, the prisoner said—“ I pierced their hands, and feet, and sides.” He also acknowledged that the blood-stained table knife found in his house had been used by him in the murderous work, and said “ there should also be a fork with which I pierced them.” A carving fork, blood stained, and nine knives were found more or less stained with blood, and Wyndham acknowledged having pierced his victims with the fork. I found the body of Mrs Wyndham, the right side of her skull battered in, and a hole large enough to admit a man’s fist. Four marks, apparently caused by piercing with a fork, were on her right side, and her feet and hands were also pierced. The girl Adele had four

cuts on her forehead, and the right side of her skull were beaten into a pulp She had two pierced marks on her breast, two on each foot, and two on each hand. The boy Clifford had the left side of his skull battered in, his left side pierced in two places, and his feet and hands also pierced. On being asked how he made the holes iu the heads of his victims, the prisoner went into the verandah and picked up a large stone, which was bloodstained, and had a small portion of brain adhering to it. Blood was also lying mixed with human hair and pieces of skull where the stone was found. When asked what was his object in killing his wife and children the prisoner declined to reply. The nightdresses worn by Mrs Wyndham and her daughter were saturated with blood, and the blood stains were found in the bedroom, the verandah, and the dining-room. John Graham, one of the workmen employed on the homestead, stated that he found the boy Clifford at one o'clock yesterday morning lying on the grass in front of the house, covered with a blanket. His brains had been knocked out, but be was still alive, moaning heavily. Mrs Wyndham and AJele were also lying in front of the house, but quite dead. , ~ ' Mr Hugh Wyndham, grazier, of Bukbulla,

ataled that when be met hie brother on his way to his house, about three o’clock yesterday morning, he was shouting in an excited manner, and he told witness that he had killed his wife and children. For tw« days previously witness had observed that his brother was disturbed in mind, but after ex* plaining his troubles on the previous day he appeared to be quite calm. From the evidence of Dr. Neal, the medioal man, it appeared that Norman was almost disembowelled, and had also incised wounds penetrating his bands and feet. He died at about eight o’clock in the evening. Mrs Wvndham’s injuries were terrible, the whole of the right side of her skull was beaten into fragments and the brain reduced to a pulp.

She also had four punctured wounds in the breast and on the hands and feat. The bones of the forehead of the girl Adele were fractured, and the boy Clifford had his skull split open, both children having punctured wounds on their hands and feet, The stone used by the prisoner weighed about 81b. The injuries to the heads of the three victims bad caused death; the other wound* „ patently inflicted r car J g This concluded the evidence, and the jury, without retiring, returned a verdict of wilful murder against Wyndham, who was committed for trial at the next Armidale assizes. Mrs Wyndham was only about twenty-sig-v ••'’ars of age, and waß enoiente at the time oi her death. The tragedy has oast a 1 gloom over the Inverell district. On Sunday . i lie prisoner was yis’.tod by a Church of EngI land clergyman, who told Wyndham that he * came as a friend and as a minister, and he

hoped ho would speak his mind freely. Replying to the clergyman, the prisoner said that the idea of committing the deed had never occurred to him before. On being asked whether a spirit of sacrifice had entered into his motive, tho prisoner said “ That is a region you cannot penetrate; you want to know too much ; don’t ask mo any questions. I must tell, it as tho spirits told me.” After a few moments silence he was pressed to bo frank and say whether there was any prolonged suffering on the part of his wife. Ho said—- " None ; we went to bed at nine o’clock after prayers, I affectionately embraced my wife and kissed her. I dearly loved her, my wife, and children. We slept soundly till one o’clock. I then awoke, and the whole thin« was clear to me. I picked my wife up in my arms and carried her out. She said, 'Wad, do not bill me.’ One bang, and it was all over. We have warned people of what is to

happen. This is only the beginning. The district is, no doubt, staggtred, and people will look upon me as a monster, but there is no stain upon these hands, they are as pure as heaven. ’ The prisonar was then asked if there was anything on his mind as regarded his wife that suggested the idea of murder. He burst into tears and said, “Ho not think these unmanly I ears j we loved each other dearly, but the thing had to be done.” Other persons were introduced to the prisoner with similar results. He told the Sergeant of Police that during the esurse of the inquest he began to realise what lie had done, and this is the nearest he had approached to reason. The relatives of the prisoner have so far held aloof from him. He spends his time principally in reading the Bible.