TRAGEDY AT FOXTON.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 552, 6 July 1909, Page 6

TRAGEDY AT FOXTON.

BOY SHOOTS HIS FATHER.

CHARGED WITH MURDER.

About one o'clock yesterday morning, a distressing tragedy occurred at Foxton. Word received from the scone of the occurrence is to the effect that Hedley Nyo, a youth of about nineteen years of age, and deaf and dumb, shot his father dead, and also threatened to kill liis stepmother. The victim of tho tragedy, Thomas Nye, was the son of tho late tor. George Nyo, one of tlio oldest settlors in the district.. It appears that about 11 o'clock tho previous evening, the family retired for tho night. Mr. and Mrs. Nyo occupied a room on tho ground floor of the house, whilo upstairs wore the sleeping apartments of Hodley Nye. hisv step-brother, and sister. About one o'clock/ in tho morning, tho father, hearing a noise as of some person;,'moving about tho house, rose, and went into tho dining-room, and, at tho foot of tho stairs leading to the upper floor uf the house, was met'by his 6on Hedley, who was carrying a double-barrelled breech-loading shot-gun. The boy raised tho gun and tired pointblank at his father, who was killed instantly, the charge entering, the left side of the neck. On hearing the report, Mrs. Nye rose and called her husband, but received no reply. Alarmed, she warned the boy and girl upstairs to escape, while she herself made for the door. Hedley endeavoured to stop her, but she successfully evaded him,, and fled through tho bush to a neighbouring homestead, where she. gave tho alarm. Tho other boy camo hurriedly .downstairs, stumhied over tho prostrate form of his father, and fled out of tho house, while the girl, un■able to escape, locked herself -her room, and called in vain for help. She was found there by tho police* when they, armed or. the scene of the tragedy. ;• :■■■-.■■ The murderer meanwhile had disappeared, taking tho gun with him., He was traced in the Erection of Levin,'on the Whirbkino Road, presumably making for ■ Wellington, where his mother resides. As soon as the news reached Palmerston an active search for the youth was instituted by the'police'. Constables Wood and Sweeney, of-Fox-ton, "Constable Essen, of Shannon, Constable ', Bagr|o, and Detective Quirke were all engaged from'ja very early hour in the morning, and Hedley Nye was ultimately arrested by Constable Bagrie at Levin railway station. Nye was carrying a breechloader and cartridges,.hut made no resistance to the' police, submitting. auietly to arrest. The constable wrote on* a slip of paper, "You are charged with murder." The youth wrote in answer, "Yes." Accused'was taken back to Foxton, where an inquest is to be held. , Hedley Nye is stated to have, been somewhat in his habits, and had several times run away from his fatheiV.farm, on which he worked, and gone to his mothers home in Wellington. '.. No cause_ has been assigned for .the deed, although it is reported that the lad had previously threatened to kill his father. '•",.■ Deceased (says our Palmerston correspondent) was the second son of ( tho late Mr. Geo. Nye, one of Foxton's oldest and most es- ' teemed settlers. Mr. G. Nye was for about thirty years engaged in. the Public Works Department, "and was connected with nearly all the road and bridge building works carried, out in. the, early history of the district. ' He was a well-known authority upon engineering, works,•', and was frequently'.-;. called upon to give export evidence, in Regard to ■ ; such', matters,. ,Mr, Thos. Nye,his son, was "of, a.'somowh'at.retiring disposition; and had Deen .engaged all his life in farming pursuits 'in Foxton. .The scene of the tragedy ib about three miles from Foxton, and was at the old home of his father on' No. 2 line, which! had passed into his possession.'-