Transcription

appeared that a very bitter feeling existed between Mrs. Waines and Mrs. Hunt, the latter having spread reports prejudicial to the reputation of the former. On 2nd August, Waines borrowed of John Killeen, a shepherd in the employ of Mr. Edward Henty at Muntham, the sum of £100, stating that he wanted it ti settle with the Hunts. On or about the 20th of September, Waines commenced spreading reports that Hunt was about to leave the neighbourhood, always enjoining the persons to whom he spoke to the strictest secrecy.  Some of the property left behind, and which subsequently fell into the possession of the police under a search warrant, was of a very peculiar nature: it was of a description which few persons would leave behind them under any circumstances of flight:  -  the certificate of the birth of Hunt, the certificate of the marriage between Robert Hunt and Mary Fretwell.   It was matter notorious to every one, that a woman, particularly in the humbler walks of society, would prize her marriage lines as she did her life.  She likewise left behind her a few articles of jewellery, her wearing apparel, her best dress, and her best bonnet - the last things which would have been sold cheap because they were so extremely portable.  In conversing with Dugald Campbell, Waines stated that he had settled up with the Hunts; that he had purchased all their property and taken up the promissory note; that he was £45 short, and that he had borrowed that sum from Mr. Kirby.  This again turned out not to be the case.  He had neither borrowed that nor any other amount from Mr. Kirby.  With the morbid restlessness and desire to talk about their crime, which so frequently characterised criminals.  Waines was always conversing about the mysterious disappearance of the Hunts, and telling all sorts of contradictory statements with reference to his share in it.  Sometimes he said he saw them go away, at other times that he did not.  As a matter of course, the affair created a great deal of excitement in the neighbourhood, and by degrees Waines became suspected of having murdered the Hunts.   In a conversation he had with a Mrs. Diwell on 2nd June 1859, the subject-matter being that he was talked about as a murderer, Waines remarked, "Harm might come of it:  he might be taken up and hung on suspicion."  Mrs. Diwell replied, "They cannot do that; they must find the body first."  Waines seemed very much relieved when he was told this, and said if that was the case, he would very soon put them all at defiance.  Again, when Mrs. Diwell recommended him to advertise for the Hunts, he stated that that would be of no use, they would not answer to their names, but if he wanted to find them he could do so in a couple of days.   All this time the police were taking active steps to find some clue to the whereabouts of the Hunts; their description was inserted in the Police Gazette and enquiries were made in the adjoining colonies.  But the authorities were completely at fault, and at last the matter was placed in the hands of the detective police.  On the 10th October, 1859, an officer names Charles Townley Brown arrived at Casterton.  The first thing he did was to engage himself as a labourer at the Glenelg Inn, kept by Mr. Chaffey, and there he worked in various capacities.  All this time was secretly making inquiries, and at last succeeded in making the acquaintance and gaining the confidence of Waines.  Eventually Brown was apprehended as a ticket-of- leave holder out of his district, and consigned to the lock-up.  The next day, the 11th January last, a constable
named Desmond was sent to the farm of Waines, with instructions to bring him to the township.  On their road hither, it was necessary to pass by the waterhole referred to above.  On coming to it, Waines asked Desmond to walk on and allow him to water his horse.  The constable consented, and his prisoner rode down to the waterhole, where he remained some minutes.  In this hole the human remains were subsequently found.  On arriving at Casterton, Waines was taken formally into custody, and put into the lock-up.  On seeing Brown, who was in an adjoining cell, and who was of course believed by him to be in the same plight as himself, he called out, "Charley, can we not get together."  The senior constable, who was in the confidence of Brown, assented, and both prisoners were put into the same cell.  They at once began to talk about the possibility of effecting their escape, and after looking about for a weak part of the cell, agreed upon a plan of operations, to be commenced as soon as Brown was at liberty, which it as expected would be in a few days.  On the following morning, he was taken out to work by the police, and on his return in the evening told the prisoner that he had been employed in searching for the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Hunt.  Waines asked where the search had been made,and Brown said about the house and farm.  The prisoner laughed at this and said, "Well, if they dig all over the farm, I shall be able to put in my crop without ploughing."  For two or three days, Brown was taken out
every day, but on the evening of the 14th he told the prisoner that there was another move on the board - that blacks were going to be sent for to say something, and had got out the words "Will you remove a bundle for me," when a policeman came to the door of the cell, and
he became silent. The following evening, Brown pretended not to be anxious to talk, and to be sleepy. Waines again asked him, " How about the bundle?  If you will remove it, you'll save my life."  Brown said he would.  The prisoner replied, "I fear you have not nerve enough."  "I've nerve enough for anything, from pitch-and-toss to manslaughter.  I know what you want done," was the rejoinder. The prisoner upon this became violently excited, and said, "Charley, you won't betray me, I murdered the Hunts.  I made away with both bodies excepting one piece, and as I was passing the river with the constable the other day, I saw that one piece had got out of the bag, and was at the bottom of the river looking white like mutton.  If that were away I would not care a d----- for them all.  In consequence of this confession Brown communicated with the senior constable at Casterton, who went with him to the spot indicated by Waines, and there they found some human bones, with a portion of flesh adhering to them.  They were carefully removed, and examined by two medical men, Drs. Wylie and Radford.
Both these gentlemen unhesitatingly stated they were the remains of a white female.  On the discovery that the man to whom he had been bosoming himself was a member of the detective police, the prisoner had made several other confessions.  On neither of those occasions was the slightest inducement held out.  The confessions were all voluntary, and they all dovetailed with the circumstantial evidence in a very remarkable manner.  There was another circumstance entitled to some weight.  The Hunts, who were childless, had a favourite dog; it was at any rate to be presumed that this animal would have accompanied them, bu instead of that, the poor brute was seen about the farm after they had gone away, and was eventually poisoned by the prisoner.  On this evidence the jury returned a verdict of
guilty, and the prisoner has been left for execution, a point of law as to whether the prisoner's confession is sufficient proof of the fact of a murder having been Court.  There was no positive evidence that a murder had been committed, and had it not be for the admissions of Waines and the discoveries made in consequence of his indiscreet revelations, there would have been no proof what ever that the Hunts were dead.

THE LABOR AND PRODUCE MARKET 
The necessity for immigration is now generally admitted throughout colony: and the two leading journals, the Argus and the Herald, are devoting a considerable portion of their space to the resumption of Government
immigration, which has been for some time stopped in deference to the opinions of the extreme democracy.  There is an abundance of employment for able bodied labourers, while the condition of artizans, owing principally to their refusal to work for lower wages than 14s. per day of eight hours, is far from satisfactory.
The following is the latest market report:-
A very fair demand for agricultural and horticultural men, wages much the same; also a brisk inquiry for labour for 
Tasmania; although the wages are not as high as in Victoria, yet no difficulty exists in filling the orders; there are an immense number travelling the country seeking employment, and return to the city fatigued and dispirited.  Our present population are unsettled and nomadic in their habits.  It is to be helped that our land question will be settled before the ensuing spring; otherwise the exodus will be of such a nature as to alarm the most indifferent member of this community; Skilled labour plentiful, with but a small demand, for what with broken time and constrained idleness, the mechanic is 
barely on a par with the labourer.  Females plentiful, wages as high as usual.
WITH RATIONS. - Married couples for home stations are farm service, per annum, £60 to £70; for hotels, £70 to £75, without incumbrance; do., with families, £50 to £60; ploughmen, 20s. per week; farm labourers, 15s. to 18s.; potato diggers, 17s.6d. per week;  bullock drivers, 20s.; gardeners, from £52 to £60 per annum; shepherds, from £30 to £35 per annum; hut keepers ,£26 per annum; blacksmiths, for stations, 35s. per week; carpenters 25s. to 30s. dol.; rough carpenters, 20s. to 25s, do.; wheelwrights, 40s. do.; cooks, from 20s. to 45s.; waiters, from 20s. to 25s.; hay cutters and trussers
5s. per ton, or 25s. to 30s. per week; lads to drive bullocks, from 10s. to 14s. per week; carters, from 20s. per week; farming men for Tasmania.£40 per annum.

WITHOUT RATIONS. - Carpenters, from 10s. to 12s., per day;  masons, from 14s; plasterers and bricklayers, 12s; quarrymen, 10s. per day; blacksmiths, 10s. to 12s.; able pick and shovel men, 8s.; fencers, three rails, 1s.6d. to 2s. per rod; according to the ground; wire fencers, with
rails 1s. 6d. to 2s. per rod; splitters of posts and rails, 20s. per 100. according to the gauge required.
FEMALE SERVANTS - Cooks and laundresses £40 per annum; for hotels, restaurants, etc., etc., housemaids, £30; thorough competent women for general housework, £35, upper class nursemaids, £26 to £28 [er annum; nurse girls, from £14 to £20; needlewomen £ 26 to £30; if they are dress-makers, £35 per annum.
The following rates are current at present in Melbourne, for provisions and garden produce:-
Bread, 4lb. loaf                                                           1s.
Apples, per lb.                                                           4d.  Onions, dry, per cwt                                                 20s.
Do., green, per doz. bunches                                    1s.
Potatoes, per cwt.                                                      8s.
Sugar, per lb.                                                   4d. to 6d.
Tea                                                              2s. to 3s.6d.
Coffee                                                                   1s.6d.
Butter, per lb. fresh                            ,  2s.6d., salt, 18d.
Ducks, per pair                                                           7s.
Eggs, per dozen                                                         3s.
Geese, per pair                                                        16s.
Hens, per pair                                                            7s.

Current Status: 
Partially transcribed