John Lynch: The Berrima Axe Murderer

"Miraculous" Escape

After pocketing the cash from the sale, Lynch headed out of town south along the Illawarra Road toward the Berrima Road. There he had another shock that further convinced him the Lord was on his side.

"As I neared the George's River I saw Chief Constable McAlister of Campbelltown, and fearing he'd recognise me I turned into a cross track leading towards the Berrima Road," Lynch said in his confession. "This close shave frightened the living daylights out of me and I decided that I would get rid of Cowper's team at the first opportunity as it could only eventually get me into trouble."

As Lynch approached Razorback Mountain where he had killed Ireland and the boy, he met the Frazers, a hard-working father and son who were making their way toward Berrima with a team owned by G. Bawten.

Lynch took an immediate fancy to the team and, from the minute he was in the Frazer's company, began plotting the duo's deaths and the theft of their team.

He traveled with the Frazers to a campsite at the Bargo Brush, where two married couples were already camped. "We all had supper," Lynch said, "then I crawled under my dray with the intention of sleeping. No sooner had I got there than I saw a trooper ride into the camp. He asked Frazer if he had seen the dray I had stolen from Cowper, and Frazer shook his head and said he didn't know anything about it.

"The trooper didn't see me under the dray," Lynch said, "and much to my surprise he rode off."

Lynch said that his escape was nothing short of a miracle since the Cowper dray couldn't have stood out any more if it had been painted bright pink. Yet again the Lord had intervened and saved Lynch from capture. He believed he was invincible and could go on killing as he desired. Lynch claimed to have consulted with the Lord, who told him that, in light of his narrow escape, the Frazers had to be killed and their team stolen.