A further story from John Wilson’s ‘Reminiscences of the Early Settlement of Dunedin and South Otago‘. The context suggests this story takes place in the 1860s.
A report of a double murder at Switzers reached
Blatch at Clutha. Two brothers, named Tibbetts. had a
station at Switzers. which they sold to a man named
Switzer, who was a bootmaker in Dunedin. and from
whom the place gets its name. Tibbetts Bros, haa another
run near the former, and their horses always went back to
the old run. The shepherds hunted them home with dogs,
and one morning one of the Tibbetts found his favourite
mare with her leg. broken. He said the shepherds had
done it. and he would shoot the lot. Taking a double-
barrelled gun. he walked to Switzers. where he arrived
in the evening. He went to the hut, but the men had
heard that he was coming, and they all cleared out. A
woman with a child walked several miles to another
station. The men hid in the scrub, from which they watched
Tibbetts go into the hut, where he lit a fire and had his tea.
About dark he went outside and called. "Aren't you coming
in? You'll have to come some time." He stayed all night,
and had his breakfast in the morning. It was a frosty night,
and the hidden men had nothing on but shirt and
trousers. After breakfast he went away up a gully, and
one man. a German, who was cook, saw him going, but.
being shortsighted, could not see him far. He thought
he had gone, and started for the hut. Tibbetts turned
and saw him. When he got near the poor fellow saw
him and ran for the scrub, but Tibbetts shot him dead.
He then turned away, and had some more breakfast with
some men who were making a road near. One asked.
"Been shooting?" "Oh. not much," said he: "only
shot an old German affair." Some settlers then sent a
mounted messenger to Blatch. but he had not gone far
when another messenger overtook him and told him that
Tibbetts the murderer had been shot by his brother. On-
Blatch's arrival, he found that Sergeant Morton, who was
on his way from the Lakes, had heard of the murder, and
had gone to Tibbetts' house. He found the brother there,
and they went to Switzers to look for the murderer, but
did not succeed in finding him. They returned home, and
in a little while saw him coming across the river. They
saw him looking at the horses' tracks, and carefully scan-
ning the place. There was a calico door to the hut. so
they put the table against it, and cut loopholes to peer
through. When he came near, the brother told him to lay
down his arms and come into the hut. "Who is with
you?" was the reply. "Oh. nobody that will hurt you.
Lay down your gun." ''What for?" "Because you
have shot one man, and I don't want you to have any
more shooting." "Yes, you - . and I'll shoot you.
too," was the reply. He fired at the door, but, finding
from the sound that there was something solid against
it, he aimed his gun again. The sergeant said, "now's
our time; fire, or he'll shoot us." The brother fired, and
shot him dead. He then tried to shoot himself, but Mor-
ton, after a sharp struggle, managed to get his revolver,
which went off in the tussle, and he was wounded in the
hand. Blatch went for Rich, and an inquest was held,
when in the one case a verdict of murder was brought in
against the dead Tibbetts, and in the other one of justi-
fiable homicide.
EsotericNZ 