Saturday, December 15, 2012

JACKY UNDERWOOD REVISITED


The Brisbane Courier, Thursday 25 August 1900
TRIAL.
SYDNEY, August 22.
At the Gilgandra Police Court to-day, the aboriginal Jacky Underwood was brought up on the charge of 'murdering t/he members of the Mawbey family at Breelong. 
When Mr. A. F. Garling, who had taken Mrs. Mawbey's dying depositions, had finished his evidence, which disclosed no new facts, Underwood was asked if he had any questions to put to the witness. 
He at once said, "Jimmy hit the boy. The woman was lying on top of the boy when I came. 
Jimmy told me to go outside and see if'anybody went outside through the windows. 
I saw two girls go through the window and come back, but did not tell him."
Later on the accused made a statement in which he said Jimmy Governor did most of the murdering. 
He (accused) hit one girl, and he put her back in one of the rooms in the house. 
He saw one of the boys lying under the bed, but when Jimmy Governor asked him if there were any more in the room he said they had ail gone away. 
Jacky Underwood also said he saw Jimmy Governor kill Miss Mawbey near the creek, and Miss Kerz. The night before the murder Jimmy Governor had a row with his wife, and he intended to kill her. 
They went to the hut where Mr. Mawbey was staying, intending to kill him, but they were too frightened when they got there. 
The prisoner Jacky Underwood was committed for trial.