Histories

Shocking Tragedy At Broken Hill - Self Murder

In our last issue we mentioned that the Police were searching high and low for a man named Walter Delahoy, a carpenter who had
been missing for some few days. The unfortunate fellow was working at his trade building a hotel for Mr Coombe near the railway
station. He was a steady, sober industrious man, about 25 years of age, of good appearance, strong and well made, being about
6 foot in height. The Police  were untiring in their search for the missing man, but no tiding could be gleaned concerning his 
whereabouts until Thursday evening, when a station manager from South Australia, named Richard Nelson, reported to the Police
that he had accidentally stumbled against the dead body of a man lying almost a mile north of the Jonathan Silver mine.

Inspector Saunders at once proceeded to the spot with a friend of Delahoy's, who at once recognised the body as that of the man
who had been missing. In the morning a reporter from the journal visited the scene of the tragedy in company with the Police,
who placed every convenience in the way of the press with commendable zeal and forethought. The scene of the unfortunate deed 
is situated about 3 miles from the township. It is a most out-of-the-way place and had evidently been selected by Delahoy with
some care. It is about a quarter of a mile from the track, right between two small hills covered with boulders and Mulga trees.
Under one of the latter, the body lay stretched out, cold and stiff. The tree bore unmistakable evidence of a desperate struggle,
many of the limbs being broken away.

From the position of the corpse when found, it seemed evident that the reckless fellow had first rolled up his shirt sleeves,
then taken his braces off and fixed them firmly round a small limb of the tree about six feet from the ground, the other end
being knotted round the throat in a kind of running noose. He must then have thrown himself backwards with great force, in order
to strangle himself effectually. In the death struggle, the limb of the tree gave way and he perished miserably with his face
upturned to the sky; his large powerful hands were clenched convulsively while the great veins stood out like cords on his
brow.

When found, decomposition had advanced to such a stage that the whole body looked black as ink. He must have been a singularly 
determined man to have carried out his awful task as he did, for with a slight effort he could, at any moment, have freed
himself prior to the death agony setting in, but he stuck to his grim task with terrible determination to the bitter end.

The cause of this rash act is veiled in mystery as the man was in good sound health and was fairly well-to-do, eight or nine
pounds being found in his pocket after death, besides which he owned a house and piece of ground at Broken Hill.

Some of his mates assert that Mr Delahoy was in love with a young woman in this town by whom he was jilted. A Magisterial Enquiry
was held on Friday morning when a verdict of found hung or strangled was brought in.

A word of praise is due to the Police for the manner in which they worked all through this sad chapter of Barrier History.