THE PARNELL TRAGEDY.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 429, 30 May 1902, Page 3

THE PARNELL TRAGEDY.

j(Per Press Association)/ AUCKLAND, last night. Parter, his wife, and children are progressing favorably at the hospital. Dr Collins considers them out or danger Mrs Parker was the most seriously injured. One bullet entered her left cheek and came out behind the soft palate. She was able to eject it from her mouth, The other entered above the left ear and glanced against the skull-bone. It penetrated downwards, lodging in the upper jaw, the top lip. The missile has not yet been located. The child and father were only superficially wounded.-

FULLER DETAILS

AuCALAisu, Weanesuay_ It was a sad story oi domestic 11 felicity that ended so terribly that Mrs K. Martin, mother of the injured woman, unfolded to a Star reporter shortly after the occurrence. Mrs Paijker, who is now only twenty years of age, married five years ago, her husband being then Ue was employed in Mr J. I. Knight’s saddlery establishment," and was considered a clever workman. It is stated on one side that Parker had been drinking to excess, and had treated his wife badly, but his friends say he was a well-behaved man, and very fond of his wife. The married couple certainly had disagreements. Yesterday afternoon Mrs Parker went to her mother’s house in Windsor •f,ane, off Manukau Road, Parnell, to iron some clothes. She had not been there long when the eldest child, William, a lad of four, called out to her from the verandah : “ Here's daddy, mammy ; he want to speak to you.” Mrs Martin heard her daughter go to the front door, and a conversation ensued- She then heard Parker ask his wife to go to the back, as he wanted to talk to her. Mrs Parser replied to the effect she wished to do some ironing, and that the iron was hot, and asked him to come another time. She then walked through the house to the back, with the baby, nine months old, in her arms, while fie walked round the house. Mrs Martin at that moment walked towards the back of the house, end saw them speaking at the door, hut could not hear what was said. She saw Parker suddenly grasp his wife by the left arm and point a revolver at her. She turned round to run into into the house, when lie fired point blank at her, the shot entering her cheek below the right eye, and the bullet passing out through the mouth. He then again pulled the trigger, this shot taking effect just above the temple. He then let go her arm, and she dropped the baby on the step and ran inside. The mother shut and bolted the door behind her to prevent his getting in, and at the same time shouted for the assistance of Mr Martin and a lodger, George Puce. Mrs Parker’s clothes were then on fire, having been ignited by the powder flash, and Mrs Martin smothered the flames.; Messrs Marlin and Rico aro nightwatchmen in Martin and Co.’s stables, and were upstairs asleep when the shooting commenced. They at once rushed downstairs, and Mr Martin was making for Parker, who ran outside, when his wife, fearing that he, too, would be shot, prevented him. Meantime the elder child of the marriage, William, four years old, who was out in the yard, was shot at by his father. The bullet struck him in the right fore-arm and ploughed its way through the flesh, fortunately without touching a hone. The little from tho back to the front of the house, where lie was admitted, ana the door was bolted behind him. Mrs Martin _ then went to the tap in the scullery’to get a basin of water to wash her daughter’s wounds, but • She saw Parker outside the window, and lie immediately thrust the revolver through the open window and fired. The bullet grazed her knuckles, and she dropped the dish and ran into 'the kitchen again. - r . The demented parent then rushed from the bavk to the front of the house, seeking to gain admittance, In order to finish the work he had begun. The mother wished to go out to rescue her babe, which lay in the back yard. Rice rushed to the door for the purpose, when Parker stepped In and cocked tho revolver in his face. He pushed the maniac out and locked tho door, it being useless to make a further attempt in the face of the loaded 1 revolver. Tiie shots had attracted a arge crowd of people, the street in front of the house being blocked. Mrs Martin, from the upstairs window, lmplorcd someone to go for the police and a doctor, whilst Mrs Parker also appealed for assistance for her child, Mrs Martin also asked for that assistance, but pointed out the attendant danger^ The next door neighbor, from her back yard, saw Parker rushing up and down the back yard, waving his arms about, brandishing the revolver and carrying on in a maniacal fashion. She’saw him point the revolver at tho babv and pull the trigger, but was unable to do anything, as she courd not climb the high dividing fence. Thoso in the streets heard a couple more shots from the back yard, and the baby cpnld be plainly, heard screaming terribly.; Mr J. H. Browne, of Browne Bros, apd Gcddes, arrived on the scene at almost a quarter-past three, and at onco ran round the house to the rescue of the child, not knowing at what turn lie might he met b\ a bullet. He P’iGcgl tiie baby up and, Blinking it unhurt, handed it over the fence to a neighbor, and it was then taken care of by Mrs Browne, wlio took it to her shop. It was subsequently found that there was a wound in the arm, and the child was taken back to the house to the doctor. Looking round, Mr Brown saw Par- .<■ ter lving at the corner of tho house, on his right side. He had gone into the wash-house after firing at the baby, and after re-loading the revovver in all its* chambers had discharged one chamber into his right temple. He had evidently sat down to do this, as there was a large stream of blood on the floor, while bis clothes were comparatively free from stains. He then rushed out of the wash-house and ran across the yard, falling on a heap of wood at the corner or the house. Those watching him at the bacU saw him fall, and two men immediately got over the fence and held him, while Mr Martin came out of the house and secured the revolver. This was about a quarter of an hour after the firing of the first shot. When secured I arker said, “Give me the revolver, bovs Get it and let me make a good’ job of it.’-’ He then lapsed into unconsciousness’. , The police and doctor had been sent for, but both the Parnell police were absent from the station, and Mounted Constable Dart was earliest on the serene* arriving aboijt hafi-an-hpuj* aftc the occurrence, Dr E. W Shannon arrived in the meantime, and did what was possible for Die sufferers. He ordered their removal to the hospital, and the woman and her children were conveyed thither in a cab, Mrs Parker beine able to walk without assistance. The ambulance was used for the conveyance of the man, ' he being then m an almost moribund condition. At the hospital the wounds were dressed, when it was lound that the injuries to the children were slight, ] and that the bullets had missed the Martin, when interviewed, stated that he was asleep when the affair commenced, and was awakened by ns wife calling out his name -after the first two shots. He at oncS- nished downstairs, in a’ semi-awakened condition, and ran towards Parker, who ran outside just ahead of lnm. He was for following the armed madman amt dosing with him when he was rc-

strained by hits wife, who pointed out the danger and folly of lha attempt. He then want to th* front door to try and get at Parker from an unexpected quarter, but found that the madman was round there before him, arid was awaiting an opportunity to get inside the house to again fire on the inmates. Mr Martin knew the danger the child was in, hut dare not open the door for fear that Parker would again attack the women. Mrs Parker wished to rush outside to get her baby, and he had to forcibly hold her back, for Parker was waiting for her the whole time.

The revolver contained seven chambers, and had evidently been recently purchased. It was of small bore and as the result of the shooting would indicate, was not very powerful.