Waihao Murder Case.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 107, 12 February 1901, Page 3

Waihao Murder Case.

LIKELY TO BE RE-OPENED. Th* Lyttelton Times of yesterday has the following:—“lt is ■expected that fresh light will be thrown soon on the mysterious death of a man named Sullivan, •which occurred near Wairaate about six years ago. The facts are such that they cannot be divulged at present, but there is a likelihood that the case, which -has now been almost forgotten, except by a few people who are directly interested, will be again brought before the Courts in the .near future.”

The following facts in connection with, the case will be of interest :

A case that created an unusual amount of excitement in this district was the murder of a man at a road-known as the Doctor’s road, named after Dr Frankish, of Christchurch, at the Waihao, some eleven miles from Waimate. It occurred in January, 1895. Constable Field, then stationed in Waimate, brought in the dead Body of a man from the Waihao, and deposited it in the morgue at the Waimate Hospital. On the following morning (Sun•day, Januaiy 13) Dr Barclay, the hospital surgeon, examined the body, and reported to the coroner his suspicion of death from violence. A post mortem was ordered, and an inquest held. It appears that a man quite unknown in the locality wandered about among some of the neighbours of Jeremiah McCarthy, of the Waihao, enquiring for the •residence of McCarthy. This McCarthy is the man convicted at the last sittings of the Supreme Court at Timaru for incest, and who received seven years’ imprisonment on conviction. The alleged murdered man whose name was never discovered, -appears to have arrived at McCarthy’s, demanded admittanc to his house, was refused, then threatened to burn it down, after kicking at the door, and -according to the McCarthys’ evidence, he left the premises after being ordered off. On that .{Thursday) evening several of the •family- heard a man crying or .-sdiging in the direction of the road. The father, mother and ■one daughter wont outside and listened for a quarter of an hour, when the noise ceased. None of them went to see what was the matter, but then went back to bed. Next day he was found at McCarthy’s gate, by the family. They said he complained of a poisoned leg. While they were present he got up on his knees, and without difficulty went nearer the fence, with no sign of pain on his face. Two hours after be was on the other side of the road, with one boot off. On Friday morning, McCarthy’s son ■saw him and gave him food. On Saturday morning the man was ten chains along the road, with ■the bottle, pannikin, etc., in which be was given food and drink, beside him. The body was found on Saturday night. Several children of neighbours saw the man when they were in company -of the McCarthy family. The medical evidence showed that the injuries sustained were of a fearful nature. Legs, abdomen, chest and head were covered with bruises and The left leg was broken below the knee joint, a compound -comminuted fracture, the right collarbone was fractured- There was a dent of the skull about the ■size of a five shilling piece. The man appeared to be about fifty-five years of age. None of the injuries were self-inflicted, and having .sustained them it was impossible for the man to have dragged himrself across a water race to the place where he was found, neither did his white trousers show any signs of such. Oh Tuesday, January 22, -Jeremiah McCarthy was arrested on a charge of murder, and was tried in Waimate on January 31 and committep to the Supreme Court in Timaru on February 5, before his Honour Mr Justice Denniston. The grand jury found “No bill ” against the accused, and he was acquitted.