SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN VICTORIA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2002, 1 February 1890, Page 2

SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN VICTORIA.

A Melbourne telegram of the 23rd inst. in the Hobart Mercury gives the following particulars of the shocking tragedy at Greta which was mentioned in our cablegrams“ A terrible tragedy occurred last night at Greta, the scene of the final attack on the notorious Kelly gang. A girl named Grace Lloyd, nearly twelve years of age, daughter of Thomas Lloyd a farmer at Glenrowan, while coming from the State school in company with a young brother, was suddenly seized by Geerge Lambert, who has recently arrived from England, and who was an employe on Lloyd’s farm, who carried her strug» gling into the bn#h and cut her throat, after which he cut his own. The little boy gave the alarm and when the neighbors came to the spot they found both quite dead, with their throats cut from ear to ear. The murdered girl was a niece to Ned Kelly, the bushranger, her mother being Kelly’s sister. The little boy, aged nine, states that he was accompanying his sister home from school, and on approaching the clump of trees where the dreadful . deed was committed he lingered behind, while his sister hurried up in order to milk the cows, as was her custom. What actually happened will probably never be known, but it i is supposed that Lambert pounced on the girl as she was passing along, and carried her inside the clump of trees, where signs of a dreadful struggle are apparent, many places being stained with blood. The boy came along quite unconscious of anything wrong until he saw Lambert come running out of the clump with his face smothered with blood. He staggered towards a fence, where he fell down, and the boy alarmed at this ran towards his home, and about 30 yards further came across his sister lying near a fence with her face covered with blood, He rushed home to his mother with an incoherent story, and the mother and another son ran towards the place, and found the poor' g !rl just dying. She made a feeble effort to speak, but died in her mother’s arms. Lambert’s dead body was also discovered at the same time. The poor girl’s head was almost severed from her body, and Lambert after doing the deed had evidently drawn the razor so fiercely across his blade broke from the handle. It was some time before the police were informed of the occurrence, as they were away when news . tra S ed 7 was first brought to the Greta township. ° Co Ihe murderer, George Lambert was a young yea“ old and by a paper found in his possession’ is closely connected by marriage with officers of the English navy in a high About n tw He 7if 8 Well Sweated About two months ago he came to Lloyd s farm and asked for work sin™ farm. He was a favourite with all the children except Grade, his victim, who had seated to her mother her dislike of him. Ihe mother noticed Lambert sharpening a razor on the previous day, but took no notice of it. Erom papers found amongst Lambert® effects it was gathered that he believed if he and the girl died together they would be united in the future. y J