IT was November of 1871 when the body of businessman Simon Zieman was found floating in a waterhole at Gunde Gunda Creek, near Surat.
He was a highly respected, well known man who frequently travelled the bush on business, particularly buying cattle.
When he left St George on November 20 to purchase cattle to be transported back to town, it was a trip that was no different to any other.
The night before his death he was a guest at Tartulla Station near St George owned by William Beckett (senior) and his sons and spent the night at their property.
But when he left the holding the following morning, he was never seen alive again.
Due to the isolated location police naturally thought the murderer had to be one of the station’s residents, however there were no clear motive and apart from Mr Zieman’s lifeless body, nothing else had been touched.
Author Dr Tony Matthews researched the mystery murder that had the whole community on edge and the culprit of the 146 years ago has been uncovered in a new book by the Queensland writer.
The murderer was Patrick Collins who was eventually taken to trial and later executed.
Mr Collins had been working on the station but made a dreadful mistake that led him to kill.
“Patrick Collins believed he (Simon Zieman) was carrying a large amount of cash which he actually wasn’t,” Dr Matthews said.
“He had previously stated to people on the station the night before that he was going to buy cattle and pay cash down.
“He didn’t actually mean he would be paying cash down, he meant paying by cheque.
“Patrick Collins got hold of the wrong stick.”
The St George murder mystery is featured in Dr Matthews’ new book, Murder, Mystery and Massacre, Chilling Stories from our Pioneering Past.
Dr Matthews said murders like this one weren’t uncommon in the bush in the past.
“One of the things that I have always done with all of these stories rather than telling bland and boring history, I’ve tried to represent some stories that are really unusual, some are almost bizarre,” he said.
“There is an element of strange and highly unusual in all the stories I do.”
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
