SORDID TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1991, 23 February 1914, Page 6

SORDID TRAGEDY.

A MOTHER'S DEATH, SON CHANGED WITH ffIURBER.

!fir TeletrtasTt.—Press • Asjociatian.) Chrlstchurch, Fobiiiary 21. A few people . congregated in. tin? Magistrate's Cemrt this morning fo see the principal character in tlw sordid tragedy of yesterday night. Thompson, who looked' a mere boy as ho stepped into tho dock, heard the murder- charge read against him with apparent iineoii<Wf». Tho accused was phsfged that "on -February 20, at Christchuroh, he did murder Hannah Thompson." Oh tils .application of Sub-Inspector M'Kiiinon, Thompson was remanded until Sat* urdofr nest. - ~ Mr. H. AV. Bishop, S.M., was on the Bench, and tho accused was not repreEdited by counsel. Tho inquest. An inquest touching' the circumstances attending tho death of Hannah Thompson opened.' before Mr. H. \V. Bishop, in his capacity as District Gotmtot, at the morgue this afternoon. Ohief-BetecMve- Bishop conducted tie case for tho police. Nellie Thompson, a daughter of the deceased, stated that she had lived with" her mother at 3D Durham Street,) and saw lief mother last about 4,45 p.m. on. Friday last. She was then well, and in good health. Witness was telephoned for to go back to work as waitress at the Dominion Hotel about 7 o'ctek, and when; $ho arrived home she found.her mother dead. The deceased was fifty years of a£o, and her husband (witness's fatiwr) was at Roto Roa. The accused; Alexander Thompson, was witness's brother, Hβ was a labourer, 23 years of ago. With her mother lived Miss Wright, a man Jinraed Baster, a labourer, witness's other brother and a sister, seven, years and nine years of age respectively. Paster was , Hvtag with - her mother as her husband, and had done so for two years. ■ They hed' always . got oft well together. Her brother was not at home when she went heme, shortly b&fore 5 o'clock. There was a separation erdsr between • lie-r father and ■her mother. • ■ Thos, Leslie Oraoke, medical practitiofler, stated that lie had made a jjost- . mortem eramination of the body of the ■ .deceased. There were external marks of vielence—a bruise on the right, eh-cok, and also en the right elbow; the brain ; was . somewhat softened, there- being some sferio-HS effusion, in the ventricles; evidence was present of a-ruptured v.aricase vein; there was no evidence of any frhctu.ro of the skull. He was of opinion that death w.is caused , : by esoossive hemorrhage, due t-e ft ruptured varicose vein; the bursting of tho vari* cose vein would be caused by a fall against afiy sharp comer, or a Mow. At this siege tho inquest was ad:i&urned till Tuesday afternoon.