THE LYELL MURDER.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1237, 23 February 1883, Page 2

THE LYELL MURDER.

John Davidson made a statement yesterday as follows regarding the death of Denis Qunlan : — He said I, John Davidson, say as follows : I was going to be married to Mrs Grarnatica in Bix or seven weeks from the time this affair happened. I came down here on the • Sunday night, 28th Jan. I was all -• wet, • and I took off my xjlothes and make a fire in Mrs Gramatica's house ; hung up my clothes to dry, and before I turned in on the sofa I nearly drank half a bottle of brandy. Then I unlocked the door and left a candle alight on the table, and never woke until next morning. I then got the bottle and emptied what was in it. I then lit my pipe and had a smoke ; then heard Mrs Gramatica singing out that she was dying for a drink. I said nothing, but looked round the place, | but could find nothing. I then pro- ', ceeded to town. I went to Mrs William's first, but she would not get up. I then went to Sloan's and got half a bottle of brandy. Then I came back. In going home I picked up a bottle of brandy before I got to the fowl house, and when I went in Mrs Gramatica started to tell me about leaving the door open. She was getting up at the time. We had three or four drinks and a talk at the same time. I went to look. 16? some matches to light my pipe, and the first thing I saw was my own- shirt atnd blood on the sleeve of it. I asked Mrs Gramatica what brought that there, or how it came. She told mo that she had saved my life last night, for my brains would have been knocked out on the sofa. <She said she was coming from towu and there was a gent who was coming with her, but that she did not want his company. I asked her if anyone had come' home with her, and she said no, but that a man came after her with a billet of wood in his hand, and his hand was , all blood. He saw my shirt hanging np to dry and wiped his hands upon it, and the next thing he heard was mo snoring hard. He wanted to know who was that? He then rose the billet of wood to hit me with it, and Mrs Gramatica saw him in the act, and knocked him down. He then went in a fit on the floor. She then ran and locked the doors and tln-ew some water on him. She pulled me, but could not awaken me. She then put him out the back door and followed down the road and saw him and another man [sic) rolling off the road. I asked • her why she did not lay an information against him for following the man. I sa id he must be dead, else he would never roll him off the road. I told her that I would lay an information. She then brought a bottle of

brandy, put two good drinks in a mug or teacup and told me not to be a fool, and not to interfere ( with what did not meddle with me. ( She next; brought a prayerbook or | Bible, and put it on a chair and went outside and brought in an axe in her hand and made me swear that I would never mention it to man, woman, or child, living or she would knock my brains out with the axe, which she held in her hand, I got the book and took the oath. I asked her then if any person saw this man coming with her, She said yes ; he left Eosy Boyle's with her, arid that it was Denis Quinlau. I then said you will be hanged as safe as hell. She said no by G — -, I never put hands on him but wanted him to go back. T then asked her who it was that killed him. She replied she was coming along by Little Ben's, and he tried to take liberties with her ; that Little Ben came with her to get Quinlan away. I asked her how she got in tow with Ben. She said he was getting sweet on her ; that she could see it ; and he thought that if lie could get Quiulan back he would go with her that night, winch was the Sunday night before the accident occurred to me. The two men came along the road after her,, and she was trying to get away from them, and she looked behind and saw Little Ben knocked down, and Quinlau pulling off his coat. She stood for a minute on the road a few yards away from them and observed Quinlan fall, and said oh, God ! She than ran as fast as she could until she got home, and when she came in she fainted on the floor. She had ju3t come too a little before Little Ben came in. I again advised her to go and lay an information to the police, and shie took up the same book that I had sworn on, and she swore by the heavens and earth that she would never divulge a word, that she would suffer to be hanged, drawn, and quartered before she would become an informer, and then she kissed the book and told me to be a man and not a coward.. I said to her that I 'wished', to 4 heaven I was dead before she told me about it. I said I would be tried for this as Well as her, as I was in the house and would never deny being there. I told her that everyoue about the place knew that I used to go. and stop there. She said, be a man and not a d lunatic. I have sent for you, Inspector Emerson to give this evidence of my own free will and have requested the presence of Mr Detective Quinn as to the proof of my statement. — John Davidson.

Mrs Granunatica confessed as follows: T, Mary Graminatica, on the 28th January last, was going home, I met Denis Quinlan, now deceased, at Eosy Boyle's. He asked me if I was going home soon. I said yes, I will be going very soon. He asked me if I did not object he would see me and the child home. I thanked him and said I had no objection. The child was sleeping at Boyle's, and I said wlion she woke up, I would go immediately. She did awaken, and I went directly. He came with me home. There was a light in the house and a good fire on. I opened the door, which was not locked. I found John Davidson standing on the floor when I went in. I said, you are making yourself very comfortable. He said why not. Quinlan came in after me and sat on the sofa. I also sat down beside him. He had a bottle of brandy with him and asked for an empty glass. ■ I said I had no glasses and gave him a small mug. He poured out some brandy for me, and I drank it. He helped Davidson to some and himself; then he put the bottle and mug on the table. He asked Davidson when he came down. Davidson said not long ago. They were conversing together, but I did not pay much attention to what they were saying. Quinlan asked rue to let him have another drink, which I did. They then began to talk rather crossly to one another. Quinlan said you are imposing on this woman. • I have a respect for her, and I don't want to see \ it. Davidson called him a liar, and said anyone that goes between tbat woman and me I will do something tothem. Davidson called Quinlan a son of a b and Quinlan threw his coat off and stood up to hit Davidson, but he could not get time to hit him. Quinlan came back again and sat. on the sofa and showed me his hand, saying, look here. I screamed and said to Davidson, oh j you, b : , see what you have done. Quinlan was stabbed in the wrist, which bled very freely. He seemed not to say much then, and my little girl was screaming when she saw the blood. I got a bandage and bound his wrist up. He again asked mo for brandy and I gave it to him. Davidson said the best thing I could do was to take my child and go to bed. I took no notice of him. Ho again said, take the child to bed. I asked Quinlan if his wrist was painful, and he replid no ; but to give him more bandy, which I did, and had some myself. I then wont to bod, the child being cross. I loft Davidson and Quinlan together, and they had no more words in my presence. I went to sleep, and did not wake untill morning. I woke pretty easly. Davidson was sitting on my box, beside my bed. I asked him what he was doing there. He replied nothing, but you had bettor have a drink. I said all right. Ho I gave it to me and said i must soon be getting up. Ho said you won't stir out of the room before twelve o'clock to-night. I .looked at him and thought ho was mad, mid- askcd-Jsim -ho . meant. I saw 'the- tajjle\-jjp .^gainst' my bedroom S d<^:^]f^- H asl«td; him what he meant by parang it there? He said, so as to hoop you and your

child in your room. He also said, if | . you stir from this room to-day, or let '. the child out, I won't say what the consequences may be. I then got very frightened of him, seeing what he had done to Quinlan's wrist. I turned round to my child and said no more, but stopped in bed. I don't know what he was doing abont the house, as I could not get out to look, the door being barricaded. He then came into my bed-room and said he was going to the Lyell, and said if I or the child got up and opened the door to anyone that knocked I would suffer for it. I asked him for God's sake to romove the table from the door ; and if he did I would not get up or go oui He said, "If you promise me that I will." He then removed the table. I got out of bed immediately to see what was the matter that he had me closed up like that. When he saw me get out he pushed me back, and I got into bed as quickly as possible. He asked me if that was the way to keep my promise. He said he was going" to Lyell, and asked me if I wanted anythiug. I told him I wanted a bottle of vinegar ' and a bottle of salad oiL He went to the Lyell, and he said he would not be half-an-hour away, and to remember what he had told me. As soon as lie went away I got up to see what was the matter. I saw something like a heap of blankets half on the sofa and half on the floor. ' I saw two boots under the blanket partly covered over. I said, " My God, that must be Quinlan," and went back into my room then, and thought he might only be sleeping, but thought he was in a queer position, and used to look out to see if I could see him move ; but I did not. I then began to dress myself which took me a good while feeling so frightened. Before I finished dressing Davidson came back, and brought vinegar, oil, and brandy with him. * I asked him what he had done. He said he took Qninlan's heart's blood, and said, "Yes; there he lies." He told me to go back to my bed again, which I did, and stopped there with my child all day, and never got up till Tuesday morning ; but I could not sleep on the Monday night. I heard Davidson drag something out of the house from the back door, but could not tell the direction he dragged it in, or what he done with it. He came back in about a quarter of an hour. He called me after daylight on the Tuesday morning and said I could get up. He got a bag and put some blankets in it, with my eofa cover, and changed his trousers. He wore a pair belonging to Christy, a foreigner, and put them on, and put his own in a bag with the blankets. He took the bag with him, and said he would be back by 11 o'clock, which he was. He had a dagger, and threw it over the ten-ace in the morning, just at the back of my house. He then changed his shirt and flannel, which he took off and burned with a match. This is all I know about Quinlan and Davidson. The following are her words in answer to questions put to her (Mrs Gramatica) by me : — This statement has beeii made of my free will, and without any questions being put tome, I requested Constable Keating to fetch in Inspector Emerson to take this statement, which is true, — Mary Grammatica.