Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-07-04
7 U
JAN FA1KE

they were capes. tying tne sleeves Oh
these useful garments In front. ~ they
would have done q scArf. A favorite
form Of headdress was a glaring cotton
handkerchief round the forehead and
inclosing the hair. A crowd Of hungry.
NANCY dogs yelped. tonight and slunk
about The women carried the picka-
ninnies, and the men strutted about with
digniHed looks. carrying boomerangs
and nulla-nullas in their hands. like
the lords Of creation they were.
The police magistrate and his col
league now took their seats. Twas look
ing anxiously around when general
turning Of heads in certain direction
told me that Miss Mackenzie and her
maid were coming. Nothing short OF
two strange women would have caused
such futter Of excitement in that
truly Bohemian throng. Norah Mac
kenzie came in with q quiet. self pos
sessed air. The magistrate had turned
his head with An impatient gesture at
this distraction But when he realized
the cause Of the interruption. IL seemed
as IL he had quite forgotten the dignity
of his position and the occasion, for.
springing mp, he dragged a chair un-
ceremoniously from under an unwashed
and hairy looking individual. who had
coolly appropriated 1t. and sent him
sprawling on the ground Being. how
ever, in place this individual had d
considerable amount Of wholesome re-
spect for. and knowing it would be i'm
possible to challenge the ''P. NJ ;" 10
have q "set to" he wisely held his
tongue and betook himself TO the hol-
low tree. Them saw how charming the
squatter's daughter could be when 1t
suited her purpose. She shook hands
with the p. NJ. and seemed 30 genuine
y delighted 10 sac him that the worthy
.aagistrate wouh have gone on talking,
utterly oblivious of any such thing in
the world as a trial. il his brother mag
istrate had not given him slight re-
minder by covertly kicking him on the
shins. Il was obvious that we should
not have the r. u. prejudiced against
one Of our witnesses
A few men from the government cut
ter and q couple Of police constables
were interspersed throughout the crowd
so as to eject anybody evincing dispo-
sition To levity. There was silence. Ev-
cry one was in state Of expectancy. In
another minute Jack marched in be-
tween two constables Ihad feared that
he would feel the humiliation Of his po-
I sition and present an appearance less
consistent with injured innocence than
that which was to be desired. In this
was mistaken. He might have looked
a trife pale. his demeanor may have been
rather thoughtful and subdued, but
there was a quiet dignity and an open,
una Dashed look on his face that Ill &C.
corded with the popular idea Of associs-
ton with hardened criminality. / mo-
ticcd he only once seemed TO obcerve the
presence Of the women, and then he
turned his head quickly away. never
hooking at them again, at least 80 far
as could make ont.
There was hush. and the magistrate
read over the necessary preliminary pa
pers in connection with the charge. In
dealing with this case shall neither
repeat discussions regarding points OF
law nor give in full the evidence Of the
| witnesses, confning myself to the main
features. therefore do not pretend to
be technically correct
The charge was to this efiect--that
he, John Fsrquharson, alias John Tyn-
dali. did, near the Cloncurry. on or about
the ninth day Of March last, kill one
James Sexton. q bushman and miner,
etc Guilty or not guiltyt'
"Not guilty" was the quick and half
| indignant response Then the sergeant
of police who conducted the case for the
crown, said that, on the 9th OF March
last, one James Sexton, bushman. dig
ger. stockman--on in fact. who, like
most other men in Queensland, turned
his hand to anything-had left Cloncur-
~ either in company with. or on the
same day as. the prisoner. John Farqu-
harson; that. fortnight later, the
prisoner entered the town Of Norman
ton alone. At this time IL was not
known that he had left with the de-
ceased. A number Of horses had been
stolen some time previously at the cattle
station Of Millungera. and as the pris-
oner had been seen with gang Of men
who were recognized horse thieves, q
couple Of police officers were sent up
toward the Cloncurry to find out il GER
tain horses had not been planted" In
that direction. On their way up they
found the murdered body Of James Sex
ton. II was known that the murdered
man had about him . considerable sum
| Of money. The numbers Of certain bank
notes-Queensland National bank notes
he had were found ON slip Of pa.
per, in small pouch which the muir.
derer had overlooked. The watch Of the
deceased had also been taken. The fact
of finding the body had BEEN kept y
quiet as possible by the police. In orde1
that the murderer might be put Oh hii
guard. After giving II ont that he wal
Roing to the gold diggings on the Gil.
bart the prisoner had disappeared. and
all traces of his Whereabouts were lost.
Descriptions Of him had BEEN sent to sl
the police stations In the country. Some
few weeks ago word had been receives
from respected and well known squat
ter. Mr.. Mackenzie Of Tarrsgong and
the Robinson rives, that he and som,
others-the prisoner among the number
had come across the body Of . mar
who had been murdered BY the blacks
The description Of this man GORE
sponded with that Of John TaTquharsou
and the papers found on the body wer'
also those of the latter. It was therefore
believed that the murderer Of james
Sexton had mst with his just deserts q
the hands Of the blacks Howeyer. I
Nv days ago the prisoner was recog
sissd y being The real John rsrquhar
son. living under the assumed name O
TyndalL he would psodpes witnease
to swear 70 his true idsatity. The sur
mise was that when - discovered th,
body of the man who W. murdered
b tho blaokA seeding iA II . present
ment of himself, the idea occurred 4
him to sRsct : tranSf@ q posuonalttiss
He had previously chsngsd ~ name Z
i that a Tyndall BE thesskoes tSanGe9
rcd his own pepsgs % ths pg1ga q u
| murdseed man. whopp nj II ny -
i thus besn losk Norsovsr. Two - Qaeoae
~ 4slioaal bank noto ~ ~.