strong enough to secure a conviction. While -his method has its good points it does not ilways result in a clear conviction. If the iccused is lucky enough to incur the good races of the unknown quantity present in all juries he stands an excellent chance of acquittal despite the hard work done by che police. When this occurs it is then the cule to charge him with another murder. This indubitably weakens the case for the Crown. It leaves out contributary evidence which might have resulted in a conviction in the first instance. In this extraordinary case we have no such methods shown. We see Moss charged with three murders in a row. Each has its own peculiar point which, when welded to- gether, form an unbreakable chain of logic and circumstance, making the whole a most convincing set of facts from which there could be no escape. The finding of O’Shea’s property in Moss’ possession, coupled with the finding of human bones on Mack’s Re- serve, provided no adequate proof of mur- der. O'Shea could have died and he could have given Moss his property. But when the same set of facts are tripled it is asking too much to expect anyone to believe the deaths were all coincidence. The very weight of circumstances were too much for any defence Moss might have offered. The magistrate heard the evidence sub- mitted in the case of Bartley’s murder. He weighed it carefully and at its conclusion made the following observations: THE KIMBERLEY MOTORS FRED BURRIN ERIC WOOD e Plymouth and Chrysler Dealers Goodyear Tires -:- Exide Batteries Kimberley, B.C. Muraca’s Grocery Groceries, Fruits and Vege- tables, Flour, Feed, Etc. We Sell the Best for the Least, and Throw in the Service e THE FRIENDLY STORE ® Kimberley, B. C. SELKIRK MOTORS LID. HONEST SERVICE HONEST PRICES Phone 111 Headquarters for Tourists Representatives A.A.A. Kimberley British Columbia SUMMER EDITION “And so concludes, so far as the proceedings before me are concerned, the final act in a drama —perhaps I should say three dramas—grim and stark and altogether horrible. Greed and envy it would appear to me are the principal motive forces activating the individual to commit crime, but who could imagine that a human being could be so impelled by forces to commit, for such paltry prizes—a few pounds, a bicycle and a couple of horses—three murders within the space of four or five weeks. The stories related to this court in connection with these matters are almost unprecedented in the history of crime in New South Wales. One’s mind goes back to forty years ago for a parallel, to that time when one Butler murdered several men and disposed of their bodies in the bush. In arriving at a con- clusion in this case I must not be influenced by the evidence given in the two previous cases. I must apply my mind only to the evidence in- sofar as it relates to the disappearance of William Henry Bartley. ~ Now, very briefly, what are the facts? Will iam Henry Bartley left the home of Mrs. Red- shaw at Lidcombe in November, 1938. Later, namely on December 10. 1938. he is seen by Mr. Bowden Fletcher and Mr. Stiles at Narro- mine. On the 13th or 14th of December, 1938, Mr. Carpenter saw him on a Reserve, and nearby he also saw the accused Moss. Mr. Carpenter has told us that on the Friday following, that would be the 16th of December, he went again to the Reserve to obtain from Bartley a plaited rope he had commissioned Bartley to make for him. On the 17th of December two men, King and Hawley, have said they saw Moss under the influence of liquor at Narromine attempting to sell plaited belts. On that date Constable Jenkins arrested Moss and told us that Moss had in his possession some plaited belts. Bartley was a gifted leather plaiter. Mr. Redshaw and others have told us of the wonderful work he did in this connection, and have identified several arti- cles which were in the possession of Moss. Other articles identified as being the property of Bartley were also found in Moss’ possession. “Now, acting on the principle of ‘recent posses- sion,’ there is ample prima facie evidence of steal- ing, but we are concerned with the charge of murder, and it is necessary to search the evidence more thoroughly. What do we find? Bartley was a man of regular habits who wrote regularly over a period of years to friends in Sydney, par- ticularly Mrs. Redshaw and Mrs. Batten. They heard nothing of him after he left Sydney in 1938 until they were questioned by police in about May of this vear. Men do not vanish into thin air. Scarching inquiries have been made throughout the state for Bartley without result. I can come to one conclusion only, and that is that Bartley met his death by violence on or about the 14th of December, 1938. I find that a prima facie case has been established.” Those were the observations, quoted ver- batim, made by the magistrate presiding at the preliminary hearings. They indicate a reluctance to accept blindly the oft-quoted but seldom believed law that there can be no proven murder without a corpus delicti. It is entirely within the bounds of reason that some grounds for this extraordinary attitude, and it was extraordinary in Aus- tralia, might have been found in the famous Beryl G. case here in British Columbia, when the perpetrators were hanged on prac- tically circumstantial evidence since no corpus delicti could be produced. Moss went on trial for his life before the Dubbo Circuit Court on the 25th of Sep- tember, 1939. He was charged with the murder of Timothy O’Shea. In a remark- ably short time the jury returned with a verdict of guilty as charged. Moss was sentenced to be hanged. An appeal was launched and refused. Moss was hanged. It is noteworthy that even when he stood on the brink of eternity Moss made no state- ment nor exhibited the slightest remorse for his crimes. Thus ended one of the most remarkable cases in Australian criminal history. HOT AND COLD WATER IN ROOMS REFRESHMENTS AND RESTAURANT IN CONNECTION THE NEW HOTEL FULLY LICENSED GOOD ROOMS AT REASONABLE RATES YAHK, B.C. Marysville Hotel W. P. Anderson, Proprietor LICENSED PREMISES TOURISTS ACCOMMODATION Dining Room in Connection A Good Place to Stay Marysville, British Columbia ROYAL HOTEL GUS. WILLIAMS, Prop. LICENSED PREMISES Hot and Cold Water in Every Room Coffee Shop in Connection KINGSGATE, BRITISH COLUMBIA The Co-Operative Fruit Growers’ Association OF WYNNDEL, B. C. @ WYNNDEL, B. C. NATAL GARAGE J. W. BEECH, Proprietor Dealer in Chrysler and Plymouth Motor Cars General Repairs and Parts @ NATAL, BRITISH COLUMBIA Page Sixty-three