History: Murchison dispute turned tragedy

In 1905, a longstanding dispute between Joseph Sewell and Walter Neame culminated in a tragic event in Murchison.

There had been trouble between Joseph Sewell and Walter Neame for many years and numerous incidents had occurred which Neame endeavoured to connect Sewell to.  

Sewell had also accused Neame of murdering his wife, who had died two years earlier.

Over the preceding 12 months, Neame had accused Sewell of putting rags soaked in kerosene against the front door of his house, resulting in charring.

He also claimed Sewell had put a box near his home, fitted with clocklike workings and several dynamite cartridges that were arranged so that when the lid was raised matches would ignite the cartridges. However, there were no matches attached so it was quite harmless.  

Lastly, Neame believed that Sewell had poisoned some of his pigs.

In all three events the police investigated, but could not find any link to Sewell being involved, however he was known to be volatile at times.

Matters came to a head when Neame bought a civil suit against Sewell over the ownership of two cattle. Neame claimed he had lost them when they were calves, while Sewell maintained that the cattle were his and that he had both bred and reared them.

The suit began on 14 July at Downie’s Hall. Mr Kenrick (Magistrate) began the case, which went quietly for a while, when Sewell, who had been agitated throughout, rose from his seat, approached the Magistrate and said, “I have a pocketful of dynamite, and I can let it off in a minute, but I don't want to hurt you”.

He had also accused Neame of lying and warned, “I’ll blow the devil to hell, and I have enough dynamite to do just that”.

To diffuse the situation and calm Sewell down, Kenrick managed to humour him, telling him that the evidence was so far in his favour, and that Neame had to prove that he (Sewell) had wrongly branded the cattle.

This seemed to pacify Sewell, and he resumed his seat, although never withdrawing his hand from his waistcoat pocket.

Kenrick suggested a break so that Sewell could go outside and compose himself and engaged Sewell’s daughters to assist. Constable Scott and Inspector Wilson were instructed to follow him, and as soon as he withdrew his hand from his pocket, to secure him but not to touch him till he showed his hand.

Sewell had no sooner got outside than he said to Inspector Wilson, “don’t come too near, I don't want to hurt you”.

Shortly after uttering those words, an explosion occurred with Sewell's body being completely shattered. A number were injured, including Inspector Wilson who received severe injuries to his face.  The glass was shattered in all the windows in the hall, sashes were blown out and the hall itself was damaged.

On reflection, Magistrate Kenrick believed the tragedy was premeditated, but he did not think Sewell intended to commit wholesale murder. He believed his intention was to get near to Neame and then fire the charge, killing
them both.

At the inquest it transpired that cartridges of gelignite and boxes of detonators were missing from Sewells house. His children said Sewell had become increasingly obsessed and despondent and that he had access to 150 plugs of gelignite.

Much of these, it was thought, he had in a belt of sacking round his body, and that only the hand of providence saved him from firing it in the courthouse, avoiding many people being killed.

The assumed target, Walter Neame, was uninjured, but a year later was killed near Lyell as a result of a trap accident.