POINT CHEVALIER TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 114, 11 February 1928, Page 3

POINT CHEVALIER TRAGEDY

■ MARRIED COUPLE FOUND SHOT CASE OF MURDER AND SUICIDE Dominion Special Service. Auckland, February 10. A verdict that the male deceased shot his wife and then himself was returned by the Coroner (Mr. I*’. K. Hunt, S.M.) at the adjourned inquest into the deaths of Hie victims of the Point Chevalier tragedy, Peter William Clos and Beatrice Mabel Clos, who were found dead in their home at Raymond Road on Thursday, January 26. The evidence indicated that both Clos and his wife were suffering from nerve trouble, and that the man had complained of failing eyesight. Both had spoken of putting an end to their lives. Hilda Marion Barnett, daughter of Mrs. Clos by a former marriage, said she resided in the household until about six weeks before the tragedy. She was not on the best of terms with her step-father, who was of violent temper and given to being sulky. However, there was no discord between the couple. Her mother suffered from nerve trouble and heart attacks. She was often melancholy, and after a restless night would sav that she was tired of life and would like to end everything. When she said this in her husband’s hearing he would reply, "If you die, I will die, too ” She was strongly of opinion that the deaths were prearranged. Peter Percival Jensen, assistant employed by the Farmers’ Trading Company, gave evidence that on Wednesday, January 25, he sold Clos a Belgian Manser rifle, converted into a sin-gle-barrelled shotgun, together with twenty-five cartridges. Clos, whom he had since identified from n photograph, asked for a large shot, saying that he wanted something that would stop pigs. He got witness to take the cartridges out of their box and wrap them up in two parcels. *Williani Albert Simmonds, a labourer, living at Point Chevalier, said he had been an intimate friend of Clos for five years past. On Sunday, January 22, Clos came to see him and spoke of a number of troubles. He said he had lost his job and had borrowed £l5 on his furniture. He was paying the money to his wife in weekly instalments and had come nearly to the end of it. His wife was taking eight or nine aspirin tablets every night, and half his wages were going in "dope.” He talked ol putting on end to his life, and. even declared that he. would leave his bicycle to witness’s son. Witness told him to “hold up” and offered to get him a job, but he appeared not to heed. Chief-Detective Hammond informed the Coroner that lie had a statement supplied by Base Records which he wished to read, in order to clear up an allegation made to certain of the newspapers bv friends of Clos that his failing eyesight was due to war service. According to the statement, Clos’s oversea sen-ice lasted from May, 1916, to June, 1917, and he was invalided out on account of a wound in the wrist. His sight was normal when he enlisted. He* did not receive, treatment for sickness when on.service, and there was no record of his being injured bv a bursting shell or suffering ifrom shell shock.’ His wound was not a distressing one. On discharge he received . a pension of 355. n week for twelve months, and nt the expiry of that period he sought to re-enlist for home service. He was not taken back, but his pension was renewed for two further periods of twelve months, making tiiree years in all. He made no further application lor a pension or for medical treatment. If he had done so his claim would have received every consideration, and if he liad substantiated it, he would certainly have received medical treatment free of cost.