What happened to George Ollandt?

George Ollandt was murdered, there is no doubt about that. But who did it and where he is now is a mystery.
George is, by himself, a bit of a mystery. But what we do know is he was born in Hamburg, Germany and came to New Zealand in 1875 where he was doing business with someone he considered a good friend, Harry (Hans) Thompson.
The pair were well-known in Woodville where George ran a cheap boarding house (opposite what still is Murphy's Hotel) while Harry ran the bakery attached to it.
Harry was of German heritage too, born to German parents in Australia.
They had met while working in Seventy Mile Bush, a heavily forested area between the Wairarapa and Central Hawke’s Bay which in the 1870’s was being slowly tamed.
The two were supposed to be good mates, but numerous people felt the relationship was strained
On November 22, 1877, the few men staying at the house were called to breakfast by Ollandt.
One of them, Samuel Kemp said he heard from Thompson that Ollandt went into the bush to cut palings. Thompson was seen coming from the direction Ollandt had gone in.
Several people asked after Ollandt that day but the next day he still had not returned and a party was got up to look for him.
They found him lying near some cut supplejacks in nearby bush. The body was badly cut up, with an eye completely removed.
A search of the boarding house found a billhook and bloody clothes along with bloody vegetation and towels.
Police were quickly on the case and arrested Harry Thompson who within days was brought before a coroner’s inquest. Back then a jury made findings on the inquest - including viewing the body - and they found he had committed wilful murder. That was enough to send him to the Supreme Court in Napier to stand trial.
But despite the Supreme Court jury hearing about arguments between the two, and the circumstantial evidence of the blood, they were not satisfied with it and acquitted him.
Thompson was released and he returned to Woodville where he had a very chilly reception. He eventually left the area.
Two years later, a fire raged through the area, destroying the boarding house that had been empty since George’s murder
Sometime after the murder an odd fact arose that made many - including the police - wonder if there was another explanation for Ollandt’s murder.
An Irishman called Peter Kane had gone missing about the same time as Ollandt was killed.
He had been at Porangahau at a farm there on November 20, 1977 while the murder was three days later.
He appeared to be missing. He had left Sanson in June and was travelling the East Coast looking for work like a swagman.
It led to speculation that either he had something to do with it, despite knowing nothing at all of Ollandt, or that he had suffered a similar fate.
Kane had regularly sent letters to his family until November. Then there were no letters and he did not return for Christmas after saying he would.
While he had some money he was not wealthy, and Ollandt’s boarding house would have been the sort of place he would stay.
If it is true that he was presumed dead and maybe met with foul play, that would have been two people killed in a short period of time around the tiny settlement of Woodville.
Even if he wasn't, it doesn't answer who killed Ollandt or where he is now buried.
We usually finish by telling you the grave is. Not this time. There appears to be no record of what happened to his body. Which is almost as odd.
Pic from Te Papa’s collection.​