WARKWORTH TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1790, 1 July 1913, Page 6

WARKWORTH TRAGEDY.

THE DERANGED MOTHER.

"USUALLY FOND OF* CHILDREN."

(By IWegrAph.—flnecial Oorr«njion(l«il,.) • Auckland, Juno 30. Additional facts have been disclosed in connection with the death by hanging of the littlo girl Isobel May Hall at her futher's farm nt Warkworth. One of the men early on the scene was Mr. J!. Nobbs, who states that, when he and a Mr. Anderson reached the gate of the farm, they there tound Mrs. Mall with the youngest boy. 'l'hey told her that they had sent for a doctor, and that they were going 'to cut' the little girl down. She said: "Oh, I have cut her down myself." Going into the barn they found, that this was true. They went back to the gate where Mrs. Hall was sitting moaning with her face in her hands. Two ladies on horseback were talking to her. Sho had evidently been telling them of the tragedy, as, when the men approached, one of the ladies asked if it was true, and was told that it was. Mrs. Hall seemed to realise then what she had done, for she looked at the men and inquired: "What did I do?" adding, "No, no! Not met" To pacify her, Mr. Nobb3 said."Surely not! Sho replied: "Then who did, if I did not?" and, in an undertone, she added: "Yes, I did: I wanted to take them out of all trouble." It then seemed to strike Mrs. Hall that the two younger children were not dead, as she remarked: "Boys c.tn always battle through. They can rough it better than girls." She seemed very distressed as she appeared to realise what had occurred. She was moaning and muttering all the time, and Mr. Nobbs heard her say: "Oh, Belle, come back to me! They should not have left mo alone!" Mr. Nobbs noticed that the elder' boy bore marks of a ropo on his neck, but he saw 110 such.'marks on the younger Jlrs. Hall was very much liked by her neighbours. She was described as being particularly fond of children, and the appearance of her own children showed that they were well cared for. Residents of tho district state that Mrs. Hall always appeared to be of a nervous disposition. She is at present on remand on the capital charge in Mount Eden Gaol.