Great whodunit of the Tablelands A grisly murder in a lonely corner of the Atherton Tablelands triggered a global manhunt more than 90 years ago. Peter Carruthers delves into the mystery.
EARLY last century, the gruesome murder of a young land clearer in a lonely corner of the Atherton Tablelands triggered an international manhunt, inspired a novel and made headlines right across the country.
To this day the brutal decapitation of 22-year-old Frederick Charles Walter, from Surrey remains one of North Queensland’s most baffling mysteries.
On August 6, 1928, Cairns Police Station lodged a telegram concerning the location of a decapitated body, believed to be Mr Walters.
“Found in dense scrub Boonjie about fifteen miles from Malanda … on Crown land by a building contractor within about forty yards of Ginn’s property,” the wire read.
The body had been dragged into a dense scrub and there left to rot until the stench from the decomposing flesh led to its discovery,
The prime suspect in the murder was James Maurice Kelly. It is believed he fled the area following the murder and was never found.
Following a lead, police turned their attention to London in the hunt for Kelly, according to the Brisbane Telegraph.
“Later a stowaway, who had boarded the Swedish steamer Sydic at Cairns was detained in London and only released after he had proved he was not Kelly,” the newspaper stated.
The possibility that a third party was involved and that Kelly was himself murdered was considered after the man could not be found.
“The town and district is seething with excitement over this ghastly tragedy,” the Cairns Post reported on August 14, 1928.
“As yet the whole thing is a mystery, but the public may rest assured that the police will spare no efforts in fathoming it, and bringing the perpetrator to justice.”
Interest in the crime subsided, only to be revived when a man was questioned by the police at Thursday Island. He told them he was Kelly, and was arrested and brought to Cairns, where it was proved by the police that his story was a hoax.
Secretary of the Eacham Historical Society Petirna Callaghan said 90 years on the murder still captivates Tablelands residents.
“People are intrigued with the history because there is so much forward moving living these days and it’s important to go back to how it all started,” Ms Callaghan said.
In the early 1900s gold mining on the Tablelands was winding up after peaking during the depression of 1893, a long wet season, long supply lines and lack of quality pay dirt all led to the demise of the industry.
Land clearing for the dairy industry was in full swing when Walter’s dismembered body was discovered in 1928.
“It was talked about across the north” Ms Callaghan said.
“We just find from a local history point of view people are really interested … this case is a bit like watching a good murder mystery.
“The answer doesn’t come up until the very end but in this one the answer has never come up.”
The site of Walter’s grave is known to members of the Eachan Historical Society but was believed to be covered by the construction of a road.
A book about the murder was penned by author William Johnston in 1988.
Murder in the Boonjie Scrub can be bought from the Eacham Historical Society.