THE GISBORNE TRAGEDY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2010, 11 December 1888, Page 2

THE GISBORNE TRAGEDY

■■♦ « (per phess ssociation ) Gisboknk, Decembor 10 * A " Herald ""reporter returnsd from 8 the 80<me of the murcu : r a»yd : — Every t : where on the premises bloody marks I 1 showed how doliberatt>iy, and without * attempt at concealment, the batohery had c . ! beou perpetrated. B-.fclnd the oounter c wera largo pools of blood, aad distinct red g boot prints were trao sable oil over the j atoro, Trieao prfnta wherever seen were G found to be ex»otly tho same slz», leading c to the conoln-lou that only one pereoa was i 1 engaged m the murder. The ono bar : ' uaed to secure the door had apparently i , been employed to etna the victims, and two nxes were brought into requisition ' afterwards The bundles of clothing . being purchased by the murderer coatained artiolea, apparently for a women and child, of a guady pattern, suoh as is uoually worn by Maoris. A soft felt bat . w»a foand smoared with blood, and bair , supposed to have worn by Mrs Pook when ( t^e aesaasln struck her. The cash box ( was found lying locked on the floor, but ; the contents were all gone except a few ; pjpars. Tho no order was first discovered j by a lad named Edward Swan, who went ' to see his sister Mrs Pook at 9 o'clock on Thursday morning, Receiving no reply to his knock he entered the house and foand the body of the child on the floor by the bedside. He ran for assistance to the pohoolmaater, Hamilton, who found the body of Mr and Mrs Pook behind the counter. Pook had apparently bled to death from a wound m the neok. Mrs Pook was horribly mutilated, the head being nearly severed from the body. Pook only returned home at 8 p.m. on Wednesday from Walpiroa, and is sup posed to have been mwdeiei immediately after his arrival, .is his horse was found next moruicig unsaddled- The crime Is attributable ay many people to a Budden outburst of anger, pprbaps beoaiiße credit was refused for the articles belcg purchased. The Native who once before broke Into the store satisfactorily proved bis whereabouts on the night of the crime •nd was dismissed. With regard to the last two arreatj, besides the boot and knife of Ho'-e Te Plrl, his leggiogi and a piece of drees at off similar to the purchases on counter, both blood stained, have been dfoorwared.