TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2200, 15 August 1889, Page 2

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

(Per R M.S.B. Aorangl.)

A terrible tragedy coourred In Linden on Friday nfghr, June 21, at the wellknown mu&io hall, the Canterbury Theatre of Vsrlettes, Westminster Bridge road. A profjßslonal btavolitf known as Letlne was etftbbid by the father of a former member of hfs tronpo, and expired soon afterwards at tit Thomas' Hospital. The murderer then Bbot himself, and Uea in a precarious condition at the same institution.

An inquest was held at St Thomaa'. Hospital on tho body of Gaorge Lotlnp, alias Gorln, and a verdict of wilful murder against Nathaniel Ourragh wes returned.

The " Standard," of Jane 24, says :— The fall details of the murder and attempted suicide whloh took place ou"~ aido the Canterbury Mailo Hall on Friday night dlsoloaa as nad a story aB has ever oome before tha public. Nathaniel Oacragh, by whose hand the acrobat George Letlne met bU death, seems for some time past to have suffered an almost complete derangement of bis Intelleot The olrcumstances that brought about the climax were of a kind only too likeiy to prey upon a constitution lo whloh there appears to have existed a latent taint of iusanity. Nnt long ago bis daughter Bratrioa, a girl of fourteen, saw a tronpe of aorob»ts performing near her home at Crawford, in Kent, and became possessed of that craving to join them whloh bo often seizes stage-Btruok ohildren. Though it waa without her father's knowledge that she Booght to be employed, he consented to the arrangement when a situation was definitely offered to her by Latino, th e master of the band of performers, UnfortUßately, the poor girl, apparently olever and daring, oould not stand the strain of the constant exhibitions. Her health broke down, and. returning home, she died of a rapid consumption. Shortly after her death, the father brought an action against Latino before a Magistrate at Cardiff, but without result. During the last few months intense grief at the loss of hfs child seems tt havo taken absolute possession of Carragb, and to have wrought upon his mind till it; gave nay altogether. The nnfortnnate man's son tella how the wrotobed father was oonatantly talking of his dead child, and would sometimes wake in the night "soreamlng out" at the thought of his misery. Over the oopy of a newspaper which contained an aocount of the girl's sufferings while with the troupe, an account whloh he had himself oommu' nioated to Mrs Fawoett, ho would constantly Bit brooding and crying bitterly Suoh feelings, Indeed, seem never to have left him for a moment, and it is stated that he would sometimes remain for honro looking at a picture of some ohildren plaolog wreaths on a grave that bung over the mantlepleoe In his room, murmuring every now and again the words " Oar little one." As might have been exported, a condition of mind so morbid soon brought him to that stage of Insanity in whloh homioldal mania becomes developed. Not long ago he fired a revolver at his son, In a paroxysm of madness, and on another occasion talked openly of suicide. At hit, however, he resolved on killing Letinp, whom be regarded as the oauee of ijhls daughter's, death, for he beggod hli friends to tell him if they saw advertisements, of the acrobat's performances, and deolared that things would only end In the taking of hla own life, or that of the man whom he considered hrd robbed him of happiness