William Shea

343

Maureen Withey on 16th April 2025

THE MURDER AT HILLSBOROUGH. The bench was occupied nearly the whole of Thursday and yesterday in further examination of the case of William Shea, who was reported in our last as having a first examination on suspicion of murdering his partner, Andrew Menzies, at Hillsborough, 8 or 10 miles from Maitland. Since then, the suspicions entertained against Shea have been strengthened by the finding of the body. This took place on Wednesday last, on which day the Police Magistrate proceeded to Hillsborough, with a force of constables, and four blackfellows. They had not searched long, when the blackfellows made the discovery in a manner which shows in a very striking light their singular acuteness of observation. About half-way between the hut of Shea and that formerly occupied by the deceased Menzies, they were attracted by a number of ants, and perceiving some of them carrying a maggot, they immediately traced them to the spot where the remains of the unfortunate man lay, in a hole caused by the burning out of the stump of a tree, around which they observed the marks of a spade. The earth was accordingly carefully removed, and about two feet under the surface was found the body of a man corresponding in every particular with the description of Menzies, as far as was compatible with its advanced state of decomposition. On this discovery the Police Magistrate sent into the town for Drs. Liddell and Sloane, who promptly attended and examined the remains. They found that the skull had been beaten in at the back of the head, both shoulder blades broken, and also the collar bone at one side. There was no injury on the front of the head, or the face, except that one tooth had been knocked out, apparently at the same time as the other injuries, and from dirt sticking amongst the teeth, seemingly from violence. They were of opinion that the body had lain in that position from six weeks to two months, and that the perpetrator of the violence of which it bore the marks must have placed it there. It was possible, they thought, that death might have been caused by some other means, and that the injuries then visible might have been inflicted afterwards, but certainly not in the act of exhumation. These observations of the medical men were partly made on the following day, when the body had been removed into the town. On that day, also, they examined a tomahawk which was found by the chief constable in Shea's hut, concealed with several pieces of old iron, under some sheets 'of bark and a quantity of leaf tobacco : they were of opinion that the fractures exhibited by the body might have been caused by such an instrument, as some of them appeared very closely to fit the back part of it. This tomahawk had spots on it apparently of blood, but the greater part of the handle had been scraped as if to remove such an appearance. There was also sticking in the eye (or part where the handle is inserted) a grey hair, corresponding to the hair on the skull of the body, and also to what the witnesses remembered of Menzies' hair. The shirt, trousers, and braces found on the body also agreed with those Menzies was last seen to wear. The shirt was a common check, the braces were of white cotton, and the trousers a combination of various stuffs, mostly white, and very much patched and ragged. Menzies was a man between fifty and sixty years of age, but nearer the latter. Some grains of wheat were found in one of the pockets, and it was shown in evidence that Menzies had been engaged in reaping wheat some days before his disappearance. Besides Drs. Liddell and Sloane, there were also examined, on Thursday, Matthew Thompson, Thomas East, Malcolm Gillies, and John Parsons, neighbours of the prisoner and his former partner; and yesterday, Mr. Beresford Hudson, the proprietor of the estate, and landlord of the prisoner, his partner, and most of the witnesses ; Eliza Parsons, wife of the before named John Parsons; Donald Gillies, brother of Malcolm Gillies ; Daniel M'Donald and John Macdonald, two other tenants ; John Saunders, a blacksmith at Reid's farm ; William Travers, a hawker of West Maitland ; and George Wood, the chief constable of Maitland. The principal facts elicited from these witnesses were as follows :-On the 1st of May last Mr. Hudson let Shea 27 acres of land on a clearing lease for four years, and Menzies entered into partnership with him, bringing with him, for the use of the partnership, three bullocks, an old fan, and an old barrow. They subsequently bought another bullock, for 35s., of which Shea, according to his own account, paid 15s. and Menzies £1. Menzies had also a dray, which he sold to Parsons for £2, and received 30s. in cash, and the rest by a promissory note, due in January last. It was known that they were very poor, so much so, that Menzies had been heard to complain of want of proper nourishment, and he and his partner became indebted to Mr. Hudson for ten bushels of wheat, on the representation that they were totally unable to pay cash for it, and yet could not go on without it. A few days before Christmas Shea industriously spread a report that Menzies was going to leave the farm ; but Menzies himself, on being spoken to on the subject by Donald Gillies, denied any intention of the kind. On the Saturday before Christmas, however, he disappeared accordingly, to the surprise of all the neighbours, among whom he appears to have been well liked, and who thought it strange that he should go away without speaking to one of them. He was last seen the evening before planting or digging holes for tobacco with his partner, and up to that time had betrayed no intention of leaving the place, but on the contrary, as before slated, had denied it when imputed to him. On the Saturday morning, Shea proceeded to pull down Menzies' fire-place, adjoining his hut, and a few days afterwards appropriated the slabs to his own use. He gave out that Menzies had gone to some other part of the country, and that he (Shea) had bought his cattle and whatever else belonged to him. To Mr. Hudson, his landlord, who questioned him on the subject, he said that he had given him £15-£5 in cash, £5 by a promissory note, and £5 which Menzies owed him. He also said that he did not know where Menzies had gone to, but he heard in Maitland, a day or two before, that he had gone to Port Stephens. On Mr. Hudson expressing his surprise that he should have had so much ready money, Shea still persisted in the statement ; and 'on Mr. Hudson further alluding to the promissory note for the ten bushels of wheat (then two months over due), he made no reply. This statement does not at all agree with his subsequent statement, nor with his statement to Donald Gillies, which was, that he had given Menzies £10 for the property-£5 in hand, and £5 when he should get a crop of wheat. Part of the £5 he had by him, and part he borrowed from a friend. On one occasion, Shea voluntarily alluded to the suspicions which were whispered against him, and said, pointing to the hut of Menzies, " How could I kill a man in such a part as that, without being noticed by stockkeepers passing this way, or the cattle smelling the blood, or the thing being traced out in some way." Shea had given out that a man who went by the name of "Jim Crow" had seen Menzies crossing Lamb's Valley on his way from the farm. This man has since that time been in the service of Saunders, the blacksmith at Reid's farm, where Shea had twice been with a ploughshare to be repaired, but Saunders could not remember whether be saw Jim Crow on either of those occasions, or even if Jim Crow was there at those times : he only stopped about a week altogether. He has been heard of by the police, and is expected to be produced as a witness this day, when the prisoner is to be again (and probably finally) examined. When Shea was apprehended by Mr. Wood, the chief constable, on Monday last, he found him outside his hut. He said, "I suppose you've come for me?" laughed, and expressed his readiness to go. He and Mr. Wood then went inside, and he made no remark while the latter attentively examined the tomahawk, considering whether it might not have been used in putting the old man out of the world, if he really had been murdered ; but (the body, with the marks of violence on it, not having then been found) it did not occur to Mr. Wood to take the weapon with him, and it was left there till Wednesday, till the body was found. An old musket was also found in the hut, but it has not been produced in evidence. The clothes found upon the murdered man, an old coat of his and a rug found in Shea's hut, and some other articles, were produced in court yesterday, and identified by the witnesses. Shea is a stout-built Irishman, apparently about forty years of age. Since his jocularity on his apprehension by the chief constable, his conduct has gradually become more grave, and his appearance more distressed (at least while in court). He has been very cool throughout, and has shown great coolness and acuteness in cross-examining the witnesses, to whom he listens with rivetted attention. Upon the whole, although he is quite a coarse and a wholly uneducated man, he impresses an observer with the idea that his intellect is not of the meanest order. He has a wife and five young children, whose fate, deprived of their natural protector, he declares is the only cause of his uneasiness. Menzies was a man of some education. He is known, at all events, to have been able to read and write, and is stated by Shea to have written the note for £5, but to have taken all his writing materials with him. He is a single man, and in the opinion of most of the witnesses was approaching 60 years of age. He appears to have been a very mild, inoffensive man, so that the declaration of Shea, that an angry word never passed between them, is probably true. Shea and Menzies did not live together, but their huts were about 400 paces apart. The stump-bole in which the body was found is exactly 200 paces from Shea's hut. Both huts are in the shape of tents, thatched down to the ground, and Menzies's had a fire-place built of slabs, outside, and separate from the hut. Maitland Mercury, 28 Feb 1846.

221

D Wong on 14th February 2021

Clonmel Herald Tipperary, Republic of Ireland 24 Mar 1832 Philip Cunningham, David Cunningham. John Dwyer, William Shea, James Cummins and Thomas Cummins were put to the bar, charged with manslaughter of John Lloyd, at Laffan's-Mill, on the 12th of July last. James Lloyd, sworn..Remembers the fair of Graystown ; was at the fair with his deceased brother, his wife, and others ; witness's wife pointed out the deceased when he was struck ; witness as he was going to the assistance of the deceased was struck with a stone ; returning with the deceased, witness's wife, his brother Tom and James Driscoll, a young boy, they were attacked by six men who knocked down the deceased with stones, at Laffin's-Mill ; in the fair the deceased was struck down by old Thomas Cunningham and his sons, (James and Thomas) and others ; David and Philip Cunningham, James and Thomas Cummins and others struck down the deceased at Laffan's-Mill ; this party came down from Cunningham's gate ; saw Wm. Shea with a stone in his hand ; saw John Dwyer with a stone in his hand, which witness took from him ; witness was then knocked down with a stone by Philip Cunningham, and rendered insensible___(here witness identified the prisoners)___the deceased received four blows of stones and was knocked down in an insensible state ; did not see the deceased ever after ; believes he was thrown into the river ; in about three quarters of an hour after heard 3 shots, but does not know whom fired. All were onboard the Eliza. ____________________________ William Shea was listed as 26 years old on arrival. Native Place: Tipperary. William was illiterate, RC, single, 5'4½" tall, dark ruddy complexion, brown hair, grey to blue eyes. 12/12/1832: Assigned to J.H. Boughton. Paterson Plains. 14/9/1835: Lack Macqauarie - Gosford (Brisbane Water) Court of Petty Sessions, Letter Books, 1826 - 1874 (Ancestry) Details: Correspondence from Magistrate Jonathan Warner to the Colonial Secretary...Sir, With reference to your letter No. 35/704 of the 24th ult. I have the honor to report for the information of HIs Excellency the Governor that I have made further inquiry respecting Mr. Boughton s assigned servants being in charge of his salt works at the entrance of Reids Mistake. Constable Moses Carroll was there, by my orders on the 10 inst. and found the prisoners named in the margin (William Shay per Eliza; Henry Tyer per Aurora; and John Huggins per City of Edinburgh) there in charge - the same three men were there on the 18th July last when the bushrangers arrived there. William Shay is the responsible person there. I appears that there has not been a free or ticket of leave overseer in charge of the place since Mr Boughtons free overseer was drowned which accident occurred some months back. Mr. Boughton who resides at Patterson River, visits the establishment about once a fortnight. 4/10/1836: TOL Paterson Bench. 9/11/1836: Permission to marry Ann Magher (James Pattison - William was 30 and had TOL - Ann was 23. 31/10/1836: Married Ann Maher at the RC Church, Maitland District. 1837: Age 30. Assigned to John Herring Boughton 2/9/1839: COF 17/4/1846: William Shea was executed for murdering his partner in business, Andrew Menzies.