["The Broome Murder", The West Australian, Wednesday 29 November 1905, page 7]
THE BROOME MURDER.
THE ALLEGED CONFESSION BY PABLO MARQUEZ.
AN EMPHATIC DENIAL.
Attention was drawn in these columns yesterday to a report published by our morning contemporary, to the effect that Pablo Marquez, one of the men condemned for the recent murder at Broome, had told a prison warder that Charles Hagen; one of the other two man convicted for complicity in the crime, was not present when the murder was committed, and that it was another white man who had participated in the deed. The statement by Mr. George, the Superintendent of Prisons, which we also published yesterday morning, made it quite clear that the reported confession had no foundation in fact. The Colonial Secretary, too, declared that no confession had reached him. but in order to clear up any doubt, he had called for a report from Mr. George.' That report came to hand yesterday afternoon, but cannot yet he made public, as it has been sent on for consideration by the Executive Council to-day. The Colonial Secretary, however, informed a representative of the "West Australian" last night that the report made it clear that there had been nothing in the nature of a confession. "As a matter of fact," Mr. Kingsmill said, "the whole matter arose in consequence of a warder overhearing a trivial conversation between two of the convicted men. The report that has been circulated is quite wrong, the whole affair being founded upon an insignificant incident."
