TRAGEDIES IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1415, 24 November 1886, Page 2

TRAGEDIES IN NEW SOUTH WALES

(Per a.s. Hauroto via Bluff ) A terrible tragedy was enacted at New own (N.SW) on November 16, whan Arthur B yth, teacher cf mathematics at Newington College, murdarad his wife by cutting her throat, and afterwards committed suicide. The pair resided in Wellington street, and scent the evening at the house of Mrs Gould, Mrs Byn’s mother, who livei next door. Tory ieft together, apparent'? both in «ood -pints, and on tha belt of terms. < hor , ly after three in the morning Mrs Gould heard •» plight noise next door, as of <-omeona falling, and, on g lag down* ■-tsira, met her unfortuos'e daughter, who rushed into ha house bleeding profusely fr< in n terrible >. ash 5a her throat, and imme lately fell down and expired. On entering Blyth’s house, bis dead body was found at the foot, of the stairs with his throat, cut from ear to ear, and a blood* stained razor was fund o nae to the body. Na u - all>, 'he *-ff ircmsei intense excitement, Mrs Bly h was a native of Sydney, 22 years ■ f age, and had been married « x yea-s It is a a'ed that the pair had i f late lived unhappily together, that the h isband had f-equantly ill-treated his wife, and on mo e than one occasion had hrea ened to take her life. It is said -he death of his eldest son, a child five years of age, which happened soma time ago, h >d preyed on the father’s mind, and subs q lent to the bir h of the second child, fifteen months ago, he exhibited tyrap oms of grear mental d- p'ession, and complained of a pain ia the head. The sc -ne at the house was ghastly in extreme. B yth was found in his night-shirt, which was deluged wi'h blond, as was also his body, whilst M's Byh was in a simitar state. Her long hair, wiich hung down to her waist, was clotted with gore.

On the Mm? dv; (N v I s ) another sb< sffdf occurred at B'ack Range, four miles from Aibnry, ia a bark shanty kept by a m»n named Philip Vibert. The inma f ea of the hut were Vibart, his wi'e, a voma'i named Forger, and an old laborer naned Southern. Vibert and his wife had lived unhappily fur a long time past. This morning, at ten o’clock, Mrs Vibert was ill in bed, Mrs Forger attending her Vibert came in, vid In a threatening manner Mid, “ When are yoa going a»ay f” She replied, “ I don’t know. I think VH only bo a day here ” Vibert then shat the room door, palled oat * pistol, went to the bed. and shot Mrs Vtbert in the head killing her. Mrs Forger ran ont, and told Southern, who was working in the garden. Southern went in, and found Vibert standing with the revolver in his hand. Vibert presented the pistol at Southern, who seized 'a stick and strode Vib«rt, who then fired at him but missed. S mtbern struck at him again, and knocked the pistol out of his hand. The men then came to clos* qnar<era. A desperate straggle ensued for the possession of the revolver, Vibert grasping Southern by the beard. Ultimately Vibert got hold of the revolver. By this time the two men were ont*ids the dour of the bedroom, and near the door of the stable, which was open. By a desperate fins] fff «rc Southern succeeded in poshing V'bert into the stab e, fastening the door. Southern then went away for help, 'bat could get n ne. On returning he heard another shot fired, and soon after heard moans proceeding from the stable, where he found Vibert shot through the head wi>h a revolver be«ida him. Vibert died hef‘>re noon. The foregoing statement of tfie>ff»irwas given sa evidence by Mrs F truer and Southern at the C roner’s in. que«t this evening, wh n it transpired bat the woman was n> t married to Vibert thon h she had lived eighteen years with hjm Snu’hern also adm ired that the soman had .riven him £IOO in g >ld not f.»ng ago to provide for her when she left Vihert. The jury found the w man had been wilfully mu’dered by Philip Vib«t, and Vibert whs tiled by a pistol shot, hut there was no evi oica to show by whom i« w*s i> f! e ed.