THE CAVERSHAM TRAGEDY.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2560, 2 May 1871, Page 2

THE CAVERSHAM TRAGEDY.

Dr Hocken, City coroner, held an inquiry to day. at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Caversham, touching the death of Agatha M'Phee, aged 35 years, and Ellen Margaret M Pitre, aged 4.J years. Mr Feger was foreman of the jury, and Mr Barton watched the proceedings on behalf of Peter Kane, who was present in custody. The following evidence was given : Mary M’Phee, a ;cd nine years : Deceased was my mother. Yesterday morning, about half-past seven, whilst dressing m my bedroom upstairs, 1 he;,rd a noise somethii g like a 00-.k cr.iwing, \,r> ceediug from downstairs. I wi nt down, and in mother’s room I saw her lying on the flo r with her thro it cut, and beneath her lay my sister Nelly, with her throat cut too, and close to a pool of blood. I ask' d mother who killed Nelly, and she pointed to her chest, meaning herself. I ran away and told father. On Sunday night, when I went to bed at nine o’cloc , I heard mother and father talking in a low tone, I heard father tell her he would take it to Court Father was crying. Mother and father were both up before me yesterday, Mary M’Nair: 1 reule at Caversham, close to the deceased’s. A neighbour of mine called me yesterday and told me Mrs. M’Phee and her child were dead, and asked me to go to their house. < >n going there, I went into the room in which she lying. She waved her hand to me to come in, but did not speak. She was lying with her head on her little girl, who was quite motionless, There were the carving-knife and steel produced close by her. Two other women were helping to bind up her throat. I remained in the house during the whole of that day. She did not speak until ten o’clock in the morning. She asked the time and I told her ; it was half past ten. She a-ked if she could live until “ that man” came, I asked who was the man, and she replied, “ Peter Kane. ” I asked her if she had anything to say to him, she said, " No ; not to him. I only wanted to satisfy Mr, M’Phee that I was innocent. ’’ She then asked if Mr. M’Phee had “ forgiven her”—l understood her to mean for cutting her throat—“ and she hoped the Lord would forgive her.” She seemed perfectly rational; but did not speak much until Sergt. Thompson came in and took some evidence. Towards evening, when I lighted the candle, she again spoke very rationally. She then asked me if I had laid Nelly out. I replied, “ Yes.” She said, “ Where have you laid her out?” and I told her just in there where it was done. I told her 1 went into Mrs Lucas’s opposite, and got a little nightgown for the chil I, and asked her if 1 had done right. She said, “Oh, ye?.” I said to her, “Yon have a good mind of what you did this morning,” and she said, “ Of course 1 have. ” 1 said, “ Did you know you were going to do this last night?” She said, “ Yes, I have been thinking of doing it since last Wednesday.” I asked her for what reason she had been thinking over this since Wednesday. She replied that she intended to tell her husband about the circumstance with Kane, and if he did not take it well she would do what she had done. She said she had intended to take her two children with her, as they would be no bother and on t of the way ; because if he did not take it well she could not look him in the face again. She said she had not time to take the baby ; her husband did not take it very well, crying as he then was. She ma le up her mind on Saturday to do what she had done, became her husband took the affair so badly. I asked her whether she followed her little girl Nelly into the bedroom or took her by the baud when she w r eut to do what she did ? She said she lifted her in her arms. She said little Nelly said, “Where are you gping to take me, mamma ? ” and that she replied, “I am gong to send you to heavep.” I asjjked fter hpw she did it; and she said, * ‘ 1 Jaiff frer agrpsa the bed; she cried out a little, but it wap spop over.” I asked her the reason why she picked upon Nelly first. She said, “ Ever since Wednesday Nelly always asked to go along with me. I thought I would take her first, and baby next.” I said, “ Mrs M'Phee, do you mean to tell me you were in your proper senses when you did this ? ” She replied, “ Yes, of course 1 was.” I asked her if she was sorry for what she had done ; but she made no reply beyond “Nelly is in heaven ; she is all right ! ” During the day some other person asked her if she was not sorry for what she had done, and she merely replied, “It is too late now.” I have known her intimately for about two years. She never showed the slightest tendency to insanity, or appeared low-spirited, and was a temperate, sober woman. She also said that no person should look down on Mr M ‘Phee or the children for what she had done, because' none of them had any hand- iu it. She died about half-past four o’clock this morning. John Swan, laborer, Green Island : On Saturday afternoon last I came into town, calling at Mrs M'Phee’a on my way. She invited me to stop to tea, and after it was over, and when she had got the children out of the way, she commcuc d to tell me what had happened with Peter Kane, whom I knew to be her husband’s partner. She told me that Cane came in from the Peninsula on the previous Tuesday. After some money transactions had taken place between them, she borrowing some money from him, he (Cane) did something in the house, which she passed by, thinking that he would pot

dare to dishonor her; that towards evening he got somewhat tipsy, and she insisted on him going to bed, but he would not. She told the children to lock thi ir rooms. Some time in the night, she said she was aw oke by some one touching her feet. She exclaimed “ who’s that when Kane said, “Hush ! it’s only me—do not make a noise.” At the same time she said she believed she heard footsteps outside the hj use, as if some person wore listening. Lhc said she got more alarmed at that than at what was happening. She told him to leave the room, but he would not. He caught bold of her by the breast and arms, while she resisted, and ultimately escaped out of the room. She then got bold of a carving-knife and steel, with a view of using them if he persisted in his attempt. She went into the dining-room, and cautioned him to' go to bed. He refused unless ho got drink, which she gave him to pacify him. After this she heard her neighbor’s little girl —Mary Blackwood, who was s'ceping with her child Mary —cry out. and she went to see what was the matter with her. She asked my advice as to whether she should tell her husband, and I advised her to do so at once. I have known her some time, and have been on friendly terms with her. She appeared very much agitated, and was scarcely able to speak, and the subject seemed a very painful one to her. She also said Kane called her foul names—a prostitute, &c.—and said “he would fetch Sparks fiom the N.E. Harbour to her and that he alleged Sparks had criminal intercourse with her, I left her in a very grievous state : but did not think she contemplated doing anything to herself. She saw she was apprehensive her neighbours had heard her ontest with Kane, and that there would probably be scandal about her ; that appeared to affect her more than what happened ; and she was apprehensive her husband would do something dangerous. I told her she must tell her husband under any circumstances. James Anderson, police constable : I was called in to see the decayed on Monday morning. IVhen I entered her bedroom she was writing : “ Mrs Hager*y, send for my sister. I have been going since I left the Catholic Church. I wish to live till I see the man who took such advange of me last Tuesday night. Send for him before you move me,” After I came in she wrote : “Mary Blackwood, I want her and my own Alary when Kane comes for satisfaction for my husband. ” She afterwards wrote this to me when she saw Mr Thomson, J.P, “What can you do with me nnt 1 the man that took advantage of me will come.” The following is hj r deposition, taken bcf.re Mr Thomson: —“I, Airs Donald AlThee, make this deposition, believing I am on the point of death. I cut my own throat. I did it because of sin and hame. I also killed the child \gatha M “Phce.”

Dr Hammond : I was called iu to see the deceased yesterday morning, about eieht o’clock. On my arrival, I found her lying against a chest with her throat cut; she was partly supported by a neighbor, I had her lifted into the next room. The child was lying dead ou the floor; its head almost severed from the body. Death must have been instantaneous. There were two gashes—one not sufficient to cause death { the second extended right across the neck, severing the windpipe, main veins, and spinal bone. With the woman none of the main arteries were severed I ditj all that was necessary, At half,past 2 p.m., when I again visited her, she was somewhat stronger, and seemed very rational. I wa§ informed in the evening that she had got up off the sofa, scared the nurse, and had tried to get at her neck. I went out and put a straight jacket on her. She died this morning ; her death was caused by exhaustion following a self-inflicted out throat It was possible she suffered a great mental blow; and at the time she committed the act, it was quite possible her mind was unhinged. The Coroner pointed out to the jury that their great duty was to determine whether the deceased Agatha MThee was sane or insane when she destroyed her own life and that of her child. He had carefully taken a good deal of evidence so as to enable them to judge, so far as was possible, whether she was suffering from mental excitement of any kind sufficient, as Dr. Hammond believed, to have turned her brain. Did they think such was the case? Several of the wit nesses stated she was an intelligent woman and never gave the least signs of insanity ; but, on the other hand it was such a terrible deed it could hardly be believed she did it in her sane mind. She had no hatred towards her child : on the contrary she loved it very much. She had been subjected to very great mental excitement, and her mind had been greatly taxed by the occurrence of the previous Tuesday. It was, therefore, very probable, that she inflicted those wounds during violent phrenzy, which would account for them.

The jury, after a short retirement, returned a verdict to the effect that “Agatha M'Phee killed herself and her child while laboring under temporary insanity.”