THE AUCKLAND TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2641, 11 December 1915, Page 14

THE AUCKLAND TRAGEDY

<, —,— CORONER'S INQUEST STRANGE LETTERS READ By. Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, December 10. ■ t The story of the tragedy in Hobson Street boardinghonso on Friday, December 6, when a young woman named Rosannah Nora Gordon, aged 22, and her ten months old child, May, were murdered by George Gordon, with whom the,woman had been living for.eighteen months, and who fatally injured himself after committing tlie crime, was told to the Auckland Coroner, Mr. F. V. Frazer, this afternoon, when an inquest on the three bodies was.resumed. ' The chief detective conducted the case on behalf of tlie pdice. The evidenco throughout where it concerned the relationship the woman Rosaiuia. M'Kee and the man Gordon was taken on the presumption that they were man and wife, _ though this relationship was not certain, and could not be testified to by any of the witnesses at the inquest.' . ; Martha M'Kee, a. waitress, sister of the deceased woman, continuing 1 her evidence, said that she had been told by the proprietor of the boardinghouse, Mr. Williams, that her sister and Gordon had been having a row, and af tor some difficulty, the door being locked,' she and Williams managed to effect an entrance. They found the victims of the' tragedy lying on the floor. ' ' Dr. Stride, the police surgeon, in evidence, said that ho asked Gordon: "Who did itP" Gordon replied: "I did it myself, intentionally, after tomahawking both the.woman and the child." • Dr. Grant, acting-medical superintendent at the Auckland Hospital, referred to the conversation lie had had with the deceased man on the night of December 3, in. the course of which ,he asked the dying man if ho had hit his wife on the head with the tomahawk with the intention of killing her. ;He replied "Yes," and also' confessed that ho had deliberately killed, the child and injured himself with the intention of committing suicide. •' ;• The Could you form,, any opinion as to the state of his mind ? Witness: He seemed very clear in his mind, and spoke_ as though he had meditated this thing for a long time. Constable M'Guire , stated that he had found letters (produced). Translations were attached. One read: "To the Crown of Now Zealand.— There is nothing against mo, nor have I anything against anybody, but the trouble is solely between my second wife and myself. I cannot come to my parents' home; my wife is very disagreeable. The Crown will see to this. Another matter is:' There is a daughter of my wife's child—-her's, not mine— and the littlo child was registered in my name after Rose gave birth to it. There are a good many things which cannot be mentioned, which my wife ,had done, This is in reference, to her actions." '—I remain, / . "RAWHAITUA GORDON.". " Another read:— "To- Herehero.—'Greeting to you and your grandchildren. May,, the light shine in your hearts. You are not to be sorrowful over me nor the acts I am to do, for it cannot be helped. lam fated to do this act. Herehere, bo far as you are concerned, you will be all right, with thd helj> of your grandchildren. Do not think of me. > lam not worth thinking , about. That is all I have. With regards and my greetings." The Coroner found that Rosannah Nora Gordon and . May Gordon were murdered by George Gordon, and died from injuries caused by a tomahawk, and that . George Gordon died from shock and the cffect of injuries, selfinflicted."