The Murder of Captain Longmuir
Captain James Riach Longmuir was the husband of Helen Ord and master of the clipper Rifleman sometime before 1867 until his death in 1872. On the 28th of December 1872 the Rifleman left London for Australia. Captain Longmuir had expected the steward of the previous voyage to return with him, but was disappointed, and almost at the last moment reluctantly, we believe, engaged a German, of whose antecedents he had no means of obtaining information. The new Steward of the vessel signed his name as William Krauss, he was also known as William Cross.
The sworn detailed account, as set forth in the ship’s log, is substantially as follows: