THE SENSATION AT MASTERTON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1058, 22 February 1911, Page 5

THE SENSATION AT MASTERTON.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. •A MOTHER'S DISTRESSING ACT. TEMPORARILY INSANE. (From Our Special Correspondent.) . . Masterton, February 21. A sensation was' caused in Masterton this morning, when it became known that a very distressing event had been enacted in the very heart of the town. A visit paid by a reporter to the scene on Tuesday morning revealed a melancholy picture. Here was a pretty little villa, in a very respectable portion of "Essex 'Street/ with nothing outwardly suggesting the nature of the shocking scene within. The Scene'in the House. But, on entering, ono saw that tho double bedstead in the ceptre of the bedroom was,, disarranged, and the sheet? covered with blood.' On the washstand was a bottle containing laudanum, and, on tho floor,'a,brass poker, with the nob broken off. A little distance down the passage was another small bedroom, and here also on the bedding and floor were spots of blood. The garments in it indicated that it was a room which had .been occupied by a boy. On the floor was n book entitled "Youthful Days," while besido tho bedstead wns a chnir upon which were a small, knife,.a pencil, and an exercise book containing home lessons. What Happened. The story of the tragedy is not a lons °.? e- As mentioned in yesterday's issue, Airs. Katio Gardiner, who had been a widow for Bomo months, with her two children, Beryl and Gerald (oged respectively twelve and ten years), \iere living alone. Their husband and fether (tho late Air. Hector Gardiner), who was well known in sawmillinß circles, had left them in fairly comfortable circumstance*. Ever since his death Mrs. Gardiner had been melancholy and desDondent, and she was very .much concerned about her two children, whose health had not been as satisfactory as she conld wish. On Monday evening, after apparent en, tertaming themselves with"'a magic lanJfn in the hall, Beryl and Gerald retired to their rooms, and the mother, would appear to havo retired with Beryl later. It is thought that she must have lost her reason. Proceeding to the■> dining-room she procured the poker and first visited the room occupied by Gerald. She dealt him violent, blows and left him for dead. Thence she proceeded to her own room and also delivered several blows to poor Beryl, who was'asleep. The boy, though temporarily stunned, was not rendered permanently unconscious. In the darkness he got from his cot and groped his way to a side door, which he. opened and made his way out unknown to his mother. As ho rushed across the street to the hon«e of Mr. A. ' E. Winzenberg, he screamed and kept calling: "Come to mother! Come to mother!" Mr. Winzenberg jumped from his bed, and, upon opening the door, was horrified to see the condition of the boy. Ihe neighbourhood was soon alarmed. The boy was taken into llr. Winzenoerg's house, where his' wounds .were dressed. Meanwhile Mr. Winzenberg had rim across the street to the house occupied by Mrs. Gardiner. The rooms were in darkness, and upon procuring a light it was seen that tho woman had disappeared, while the severe injuries inflicted on the little girl were also disclosed. Mr. WinsenberK ran-across (lie street for Mr. Eiehard Brown, who immediately telephoned to the police,' two or'three doctors, and the ambulance custodian. Dr. Cowie was soon upon the scene, and was followed by Dr. Archer Hosking and Constable Bird. Everything possible was done, and the boy and girf were shortly afterwards conveyed to the hospital. Tho girl was unconscious and in a very critical condition, and the boy was weak from shock and loss of blood. for tho . Mother.' Messrs. Eiehard Brown, ' Winzanberg. and Thompson; with Sergeant Miller, and two • constables/; formed • themselves into search parties;and went in' pursuit of the missing woman. They.had not long been searching when the body was found under a culvert crossing the road in the vicinity of the Masterton Club.'. It was lying face downwards in about nine inches of running water. ■ The body was quickly removed, and efforts made to restore animation by.artificial means.' Thesei howover,- failed, and Dr. Cook, in ho had been summonod.iproriounced life to be extinct. It, is thought that she had also consumed the contents of a bottle of laudanum, and then thrown herself, into the water. "Temporarily Insane." From a letter found in the bedroom, it would appear that she had made a. previous attempt on the lives of her children in the early hours of Monday morning. She had apparently been ( 6eized with another homicidal and suicidal- mania on Tuesday morning, with the result already stated. :,■•-....• .: . Deceased, who was thirty-four years of age, was, when in normal.health, a very affectionate- mother. She;was a.daughter of Mr. Hardwicke,' of; Wellington,, and had resided iiPMasierton »fihbc Tier li'usband'S/death about twelve:months ago. , "' At the inquest this-afternoon, before Mr. J. T. M. Hornsby, district coroner, a verdict was returned of suicide whilst in6ane. • :