AN AUCKLAND MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2381, 10 February 1915, Page 6

AN AUCKLAND MYSTERY

WOMAN NEARLY DONE TO DEATH A-CHILD MISSING (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland February 9. News has just been received of what appears to have been a murderous attack on the young wife of a sheepfarmer at Onewhero, fifty miles south of Auckland. The woman, Edith Emma Keals, was brought into the Auckland Hospital this evening in a critical condition, and an operation is now being performed for the removal of a bullet from her head. The woman is 31 years\ of age, and resided with her husbajid and a ladyhelp, Miss Hunter, and three children on a sheep farm seven miles from Onewhero, in rough country, the nearest neighbour being a mile away. Leslie Keals, the husband, left the house early yesterday morning to go droving, intending to bo absent all night, and nothing untoward happened during tho day, and the family retired at night as usual. Early this morning Miss Hunter went ,to Mrs. Keals room, and was horrified'to find her lying unconscious on her bed, which was bloodstained. Sho was bleeding from a bullet wound in the head, and hor head aiid faco were also marked heavily, as if with blows from a pieco of wood. A picco of wood, bearing bloodstains," was afterwards found in the room. Two children, a girl aged four and a boy aged two, were playing about'in the room, an infant fivo weeks ,old, which had been in .bed with Mrs. Keals, had completely disappeared, and no trace of it has yet been found. Miss Huu'ter gave the alarm, and the police and medical assistance were summoned. ■ The whole affair has many mysterious features. Mrs. Keal's infant and' the little boy occupied one room, the little girl occupied the next room,' and Miss Hunter's room was beyond that, and none of them appear to have heard anything during the night. None of tho neighbours are able to throw any light on the. occurrence. The first the husband heard of the tragedy was when a messenger met him driving cattle near Tuakau, some fourteen miles from his home, to which he was returning. Interviewed to-night, Keals stated absolutely that he was unable to form any theory to account for the a-ttack on his wife, and the mysterious disappearance of the baby. They lived on amicablq terms with their neighbours, and had no enemies who would contemplate such a deed. A number of detectives 'are now in the district making inquiries.