Murder of Jane Macmanamin
Jane Macmanamin lived in Ireland until she migrated to South Australia in 1855. She lived the remainder of her life in South Australia. Newspaper reports of the time almost all spell her surname as "Macmenimen".
Early life
At the age of 22 Jane, together with her sister Margaret, 21, migrated to South Australia. They sailed to the colony aboard the ship Velocity, and the passenger lists for that voyage show that prior to migration they had been living in County Tyrone. Both were initially employed by Leonard Lovegrove of Poltalloch Station on the shore of Lake Alexandrina where Jane worked for over two years. She later worked for William Carter, who was both Postmaster and Ferry Keeper at Wellington, on the lower Murray. Jane clearly regarded Carter as a trusted confidant, and she left her savings in his keeping. All who knew her praised Jane's frugality, and when she left his employ Jane entrusted £50 and some of her possessions with Carter for safe keeping.Disappearance
By early 1862, Margaret Macmanamin was working at Guichen Bay, in the south-east of the colony, and Jane had, for about two years, been working for Malachy Martin and his wife, Catherine, at the Traveller’s Rest at Salt Creek. This was a wayside inn on the main route to the South East of the Colony, about 66 miles from Wellington, and about 52 miles from the little settlement at Maria Creek which later grew into the town of Kingston. Jane's wage was eleven shillings per week, but food and accommodation were also provided. She therefore had little need for cash, and so rarely drew on the amount her employer owed her. At the inquest into her death Leonard Lovegrove testified that in December 1861 she had told him that Martin owed her nearly two years' wages — about £55.In early February 1862 Jane disappeared. Martin claimed that friends of Jane's had called at the inn on their way south, and that Jane decided to go with them as far as Maria Creek and then walk to where her sister was living. Jane and her sister had written to one another regularly, and by April 1862 Margaret was worried. She harboured suspicions against Martin. She wrote to William Carter, who made enquiries of his own, and then notified the police. Lance Corporal William Rollison from the Wellington police station investigated the disappearance, and by late May went as far as placing an undercover police trooper at the Traveller’s Rest.
Murder
On 29 May an Indigenous man, "Micky", told William Allen of Woods Wells that another, Itawanie, had found Jane's body hidden and partially buried in a wombat hole about half a mile north of Martin's house. Allen telegraphed the police at Strathalbyn, where the message was received by Police Trooper Paul Foelsche who reported this by telegraph to headquarters and then rode to Wellington to inform Rollison of the discovery. Rollison subsequently began a long and very thorough investigation into the murder, and it is largely through his reports to Police Headquarters that so much detail is known about the case.Jane's body was exhumed from the makeshift grave and taken to Woods Wells where an inquest was held on 2 June. The inquest found that Malachy Martin should be tried for wilful murder. William Allen made a coffin and buried Jane's body on top of a hill about 200 metres from house. However, the Crown Solicitor believed it was necessary that a medical expert should examine the a remains, so they were disinterred once more so this could be done. The examination was undertaken by Dr Gosse, who had travelled from Adelaide for the purpose. He found that the cause of death was strangulation.
Martin's trial date was set for 20 August 1862 and witnesses were subpoenaed.