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Roebourne Bank Murders

Roebourne Bank Murders

The 1885 murders of William Anketell and Henry Burrup at the Union Bank Roebourne and the ensuing investigation and controversy.

  • Home
  • Summary of Events
  • Witness accounts of murder scene
    • by F.C. Broadhurst
    • by W.M. Thomas
  • Police File
  • Depositions
  • The murder trial
  • Newspaper Articles
    • The West Australian
    • The Fremantle Herald
    • The Argus
    • The Enquirer
    • The Eastern Districts Chronicle
  • Motive and musings
    • Prejudice and rumours
    • The Motive
    • The psychology behind the murders
    • My Musings
    • Who did it?
  • Roebourne in 1885
  • Roebourne maps and photos
    • Western Australia
    • 1885 Roebourne Town Map
    • Early Maps of Roebourne Townsite
    • Roebourne and Surrounding Country
    • Early photos of Roebourne
  • Biographies
    • Thomas Anketell
    • Henry Thomas Wood Burrup
    • Frederick Bevan
    • Charles Warburton
    • James Lithgow
    • The Pontt Brothers – William and Augustus
    • Caroline Platt
  • Memoir Extracts
  • Can you help with these names?
  • Bibliography
  • Acknowledgements

Police file – James Lithgow – 26th January 1887-1

Police file – James Lithgow – 26th January 1887-1

Electric Telegraph Western Australia
Time 12.15pm 26th January 1887
The following telegram received from Ashburton Station.

To Sergt. Payne Cossack

H. Woolhouse has no recollection of date John Maher arrived there with news per Roebourne murder. On twenty eighth September Lithgow left for Roebourne and got man named Jones to assist him saw timber. They got rations on fifteenth December and twelfth January and on ninth February got saw tiller repaired. Lithgow left twenty fifth October and went Roebourne to get man and returned about nineteenth November This is only from entries for rations as he did not draw any between dates mentioned. Benjamin Longstaff came out with him about nineteenth November. Lithgow and Longstaff left Woolhouse’s on thirteenth March. Mr Woolhouse can give no certain information about Longstaff as he has no entries in his books about him.

M. Guilfoyle P.C.

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