KAIMATA TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1830, 16 August 1913, Page 5

KAIMATA TRAGEDY.

POLICE STILL SEARCHING. NO TRACE OF THE SUSPECT, SURVIVORS' ACCOUNTS. DARK PAGE IN DOMINION CRIM^ Tho dvciulM event which! occurred at Kaiinata, a tiny township a few miW: from Inglewood, early on Thursday morning, whero Edward Julian, a wellknown TarannVi farmer, aged about 45! years, his daughter, Gladys Eva Julian,: aged 19, and Frank Smitli, a carrier iii' tho employ of tho Now Zealand Express' Company, wero apparently dono to death, whilst two other children of. the family, narrowly escaped l , after being viciously', attacked, has moved tho whole country-' side. Frederick John. Ytegm,' wlio is 1 suspccted in tliis dreadful caso, cannot,' up to tho present, bo found. His coat airf vest wero discovered on tho railing of tho bridgo over tho Nanffonui River, and somo think that this indicates suicide. Against this it is suggested that tlio depositing of tho ooat and vest may liava? been a blind to assist tho escape, but this' theory i 3 discountenanced by tho factj that in tlio vest pockot ho had' loft ®j pocket-book containing a sum of .£ls iai notes. This would Ikivo been of material! assistance to a man who was attempting; oven tho forlorn hopo of fleeing frornj justico. A curious point about tho discovery of Virgin's clothes is thqt they

were not upon tho bridge when tho clicoso factory hands Mossed it at 7 a.m., but were found by Mr. Bennett, manager of' the: factory, <ni liour later. This would load to tno supposition that if Virgin lias clono away with himself, ho had vrandcred about for some considerable time before taking the ultimate step. Dorothy Julian's Story, So far as can be gathered from Dorothy I Julian's story, sho was awakened by J heavy blows from soino thick-sot weapon on the shoulder and arms, and instinctively dived under tho bed-clothes after calliiis for help. Sho was struck several times through tho clothes, - and her ■ assailant then left the room. Subsequently the girl released horsolfi from the liodkJothcs, and fouud her sistor Gladys lying unconscious, with her. faco covered with blood and badly batter-! eu. She wijtfd l tho blood from her sister's face, and tried to call her, but jotting frightened at having no response, eli<j slipped away and loft the house, intending to run over to t}ie house of Mr. S,' Death, who lives some Wireo or fou/ hundred yards away. Little Boy and Assailant. In (lie meantimo tho assailant must have entered tho front room, but what happened thero can only be conjectured, ' Vernor Julian, tho boy, who was sleeping: on tho sofa, and who is naturally in a. state of complete collapse, suffering from shock and minor injuries, states that ho was awakened by a noiso front, his sisters' room. Immediately after-' wards ho ivas struck on tho head with

some 1 eavy instrument. Ho rolled under tho sofa qnd lay quiot, whilst Bomcbody felt over tho bed in his absenco. Ho then hoard a noiso of somebody striking on his father's bed, and heard a voice, which was not his father's, and was. presumably Smith's, saying: "I'll get up! I'll got up!" The moonlight was sliin- • ing into .tho- room, but it was not clear enough for anything definite to bo ascertained. Ho waited for a littlo wluilo till all was silent, and then Biipped away and ran over to Mr, Death's, tho nearest neighbour.

, "Mr. Virgin's Killing Dad I" ifr. Death states that his household wot' awakened about 3 o'clock by the boy Vernor Julian, who camo in a state of wild nervousness to liis houso, and exclaimed: "Mr. Virgin's killing dad!" Almost immediately afterwards Dorothy Julian arrived with practically the same story. Both the children bore evidoncca of being badly ill-used, and after ascertaining that their story was substantially correct, ho went at once to tho store, som© half-a-nnlo away, and rang up tlio doc- : tor at Inglewood, with; a request that ho should at onco send out tho local constable, Constablo Fitzgibbons.

Survivors' Recovering. These two children,, who pysrcifullj* cseapod from tho soe®e of- tho crime, •* are, happily, not seriously injured, the shock 1 to their nervous systems, however, has boon severe; Vcrnor Julian was hit over tho bond, and sustained severe injuries' to his forehead and temple, and Dorothy" Julian-was badly bruised on tho arms,; breast, and shouJdors. by tho attack, upon I herself. Their cscapo can only bo do- ■ scribed as miraculous,, and only their presence of mind saved thorn from "being numbered with tho other unfortunates. • What Was The Motive? Tlio motivo of tho crime, is of course indefinite, but it is known that ever since the exchange of properties Virgin had been dissatisfied with his deal, and oven went to tho extent of offering Julian 4!500 to cry tho bargain off, au offer which was promptly declined. This appears to havo preyed upon his mind, despite tlio fact that ho is reputed to be' a man who is worth thousands of pounds. He is described as an unassuming, quiet-, man, and a light drinker, but disposed to.j suffer from melancholia. An illustration,-; of his habits and his nature is vividly! given by a neighbour who states that although they lived practically within at' stone's throw of his-place ho had only" been ones iu their houso, and that by special invitation, in threo years. Other-* wise Virgin was regarded as a quiet and' unassuming man, and the very last person with whom tragedy would bo asso-' c.iated. Ho' was quite of ail nnquarrelsomo disposition, and tlio awful event, comes as a quite inexplicable ocourrenoo. to his many friends.

The Burnt Houso at Kalmata. The ono time smiling homestead, which" is now nothing but a charred mnss, lay, upon a sunny elopo facing tho west nt Kaiinata, a village wliieh boasts a store, a post office, a school, cheeso factory, and creamery. Tlio houso—a six or sevenrooincd building, with an annexe for lai, botirers—has been destroyed to tho ulti- • niato Inst picco of wood, and it stands in its pretty' surroundings represented, now by only tho chimney and a mass of charred limbers and iron. Standing pathetically closo by was tho lorry of tho J-lxpress Company, which was to havo left in tho morning for Warea, and which ia loaded with tho lares and penates of a household which will never yearn for them again. There is nothing to indicate how tlio building was fired, though it is stated, quite unofficially,' that young Julian is said to have heard Virgin sprinkling kerosene upon tho floor. Wliatovor tho moKliods employed, tho destruction was as eomplcto as tho , heart of any criminal could havo desired; Had tho man sncecedod ,in killing tlio two children as well as tho elders, ho , might lmvo oomplotely covered his tracks, oxcopt that his own esonpo would liavo demanded somo explanation. The Polico Search. Senior-Sergeant Hnddrell and Detective* Sergeant Boddam, with a contingent of tlio local polico motored out to tho scenr of tho tragedy on Thursday morning, and assisted iu recovering what was left of tho unfortunate viotims of tho tragedy Tlioy communicated at once with the di's. trict coroner, Mr, W. G. K. Kendrick, S.M.. at Hawora, with regard to tho inquest, but no later details aro to hand, Tlio probabilities are that tlio inquest will bo formally opened, and then adjourned until tlio corouor can arrivo »4 conduct 4-he inquiry. Meanwhile the police, assisted by sottlcrs, aro engagc-d in dragging tho Mangonui River, in search oi' tlio body, but as tho r,twain is in flood aftor tlio recent heavy rains, their operations aro greatly hampered.

Tho Cnnard liner Campania recently carricit from Liverpool to Now York a consignment of 189 ctinos of ostrich foathcrg, yolued ab