SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT WAGGA WAGGA.

Evening Star, Issue 3118, 15 February 1873, Page 3

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT WAGGA WAGGA.

[From the Wagga, WaggaAdvertiser, Jan. 22.) One of those appalling tragedies that compass the double crime of murder and suicide and which, happilv for society at large, are of rare occurrence —was enacted within eight miles of Wagga Wagga on Monday morning. (Jn the banks of the Kyamba, at a short distance from this town, stands a picturesque farmstead known as “West’s.” The Wests have resided on this selection for several years, and have been known to their neighbours —man and wife—as a hardworking couple, whose prosperity was assured by their never-failing assiduity and well-directed labour. They lived apparently upon very good terms, but they were nob b’eased with children to gladden their hearth. A sister of Mrs V\ esb was married to a man named Cowell, who seven years ago found himself a vidower with two children- Florence and Thomas. It is the former of these who figures as the victim in the terrible tragedy about to be related. On the death of his sister in-law, West, who is evidently fond of children proposed to adopt th* nephew and niece of his wife, and accordingly they were received under bis roof, and henceforward clothed, educated, and maintained by him. The father, Cowell, came up to reside on the creek, where he has since earned his living as a farm labourer. From the statement of West it seems that until within the last three years the children were never a source of discord between himself and his wife, hut ou the contrary were regarded as a comfort and a blessing in their childless home. Latterly, however, Mrs West appears to have changed altogether in her manner towards them, and displayed an unaccountable irritability and peevishness of temper, which cist a cloud over their hitherto bappv home. She grew jealous of the affection which her husband evinced for Florence and the boy ; and frequently taunted him with lavishing more love on them than he exhibited f»r her. She stormed at and scolded them for the s’ightest imaginable fault, and grew angry and unreasonable the more her husband defended the poor children. On one occasion she threatened to poison the whole family r , including Cowell, and to drown herself afterwards ; and it is a'so said —but the statement is not supported—that on another occasion she endeavoured to throw the girl Florence down the well. Whatever of importance theie may be in all this, it is certain that West himself became alarmed for the safety of the children, and resolved to provide another home for them, hut was overruled by the protestations and promises of his wife. At a short distance from “ West’s ” there is anothet farm on the creek belonging to a respectable man named Baker, and it seems that arrangements had been made 5 for West and his brother-in-law, Cowell, to go over and commence threshing at Baker’s. Cowell went over on the Sunday night, and on the Monday morning West and his wife rose at daylight in order that that the former might be ready to commence his work betjmes. Ihe boy Thomas also rose at dawn, apcl assisted his uncle to get up the horses. After the s ddle horses Bad been drafted out of the mob, Thomqs accompanied West to Baker’s, and was then sent back home. The doomed girl. Florence, remained in bed, although, as brother states, she was always expected to be tjjo first Up ip the house. Before leaving for Baker’s on this fatal iporning, Weatj as ho declares, noticed pothing unusual ip the copduct of his wife. He saw her at the wood heap obtaining fuel for the kitchen tire, and n O word*, “ good or bad,” passed between thepi- The lad, as was mentioned, was told to return home, which he did; and when nearipg the house was surprised to see his aunt walking very quickly down the bank of the creek, and differently attired from what she was when he left two or three hours before. He did not go to her or make himself known by calling out, but at once went into the house, where all was silent—as death ! His sister was not up and about as he expected, and as her bedroom door was closed, he opened it. • Florence was lying on her face on the ground bathed in blood, her skull battered in, and nothing else but blood and confusion everywhere. Recovering himself from the shock, he hurried as fast as he could to Baker, and horrified his father and uncle, who were then at their work, with the appalling exclamation, “Oh ! father, aunty has murdered Florence.” West and Cowell made the best of their way to the house, when they too encountered the sickening spectacle that had so scared the brother of the poor butchered girl. The body was |ying jn a bath of blood, ijnder the bedstead, •jyhich' \y£j,s tuped up pn its side. The whole qf the humble articles of furniture in the room were upset or displaced, the bedding was drenched with gore, the walls were bespattered and smeared with the life-blood of the phild, and the floor was slippery to walk upon. At this tipae nothing was seen of Mrs \Vpst. With pll speed the distracted men pent information to Clip police, and despatched P jqpsspngpr fpr t|ip dogtor, Thp police were quickly on tbp spot, and a search wap at once instituted for the missing woman. The searchers were not long at fault. Proceeding to the creek, in the direction indicated by the boy, they found; floating in the water, face downward, the body of the woman. The spot at which the wretched woman drowned herself was well selected ; the water is dpep, the bank precipitous, so thqt she musfc have jumped from a height of 6ft. without the slightest prospect of scrambling to land m her dying straggles. A circumstance of a peculiar ua l ure has been brought under the notice of the Wagga Wagga Express, in connection with the Kyamba tragedy:—“We hear that indisposing of the bodies of Sarah West, the murderess, and Florence Cowell, her victim, the two coffins were buried in one grave ! There is, to our mind, something excessively revolting in this union of the poor girl and her inhuman relative. If it were done out of some sentimental idea of mutual forgiveness, the sentiment, we think, was sadly misfdaced ; but if the object was to save the abor and trouble of digging separate graves, we can only characterise the proceeding as unfeiding and disgraceful. Any way, we cannot help thinking that public decency will be shocked at this off-hand way of performing the closing scene in this most terrible affair.?’ '