DREADFUL ASSAULT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1933, 15 November 1906, Page 2

DREADFUL ASSAULT.

TEHEE WOMEN ATTACKED,

t Aout one o’clock on Saturday, Novem- , boig, a young man rushed excitedly into i thep 01 -t Melbourne Fire Station with a statment that three women were lying in l a hnso in Albert Park, seriously injured. lie s hed the officer in charge to telephone j imiediately for the St.John Ambulance. . Ila’pg delivered his hurried message he c disapeared as suddenly as he had entered The St. John Ambulance and the the pjico at once proceeded to the spot, wher the bodies of three women named 5 Pat^son—the grandmother, mother, and 1 daujter—were lying in the houso, the elde. o ii the verandah, and tho two othe inside. All wero suffering from ( ! fear/l injuries, which had apparently bat inflicted with an iron bar. ho eldoot womsn wai very badly in- i j i(od, hoc skull being smashed in (resinoo by oablegcam to have died). < ytia jonngoat of the three, a girl named , wlay Patterson, was blooding from a wound in tho breast and other injuries. c The third, a married woman, was also in L a Berious oondiiion, and all three were i. unconecioa?, s

For some time a strong friendship had existed between the girl Patterson and a

man named Johnston, against the oanciion of Mr Patterson. Six weeks ago tho girl’s mother died, and in order that he might induce May to break her friendship with Johnston—or Treioar, as Patterson knew him —Patterson eout the girl to Fiizroy to live with his sister. On Thursday she went to Albert Paik, and on Friday she asked her father’s permission to stay with her aunt there for soma little time.

Since the night of tho attack the girl has been soire&ly able to give the police a Miecloto account of whit tcok place on Friday evening. The slight story as to what did ocmr.hy occur baa been gathered from b<r during her more coherent mouifSi'. It appears that she was to Johnston's company during tho after-, noon. Ha was slightly under tho influence of drink. He was morbid and ] threatened to emmit suicide. Ia the 1 evening bo accompanied her to her grand. ’ anther’s house at Albert park, and staved *

with bee ' hero some ism- 1 . IT. r sunt, Mrs Annie IMtoroon. if is the bouse for a time oc an errand. Johns on and tho jfirl were or (be vf’i a-jd- i', and wb n ho tarda some p ! cpo.'al which aia-med h-r she ra-, tort-mine, inside to her graodtao’.h'r, who .-n-dert-ti Jfii.vwtoa ou, of bee house. A few minute-, later tbe aunt returned, and she too remonstrated with the mm.' He •itoiped and picked somethiog up from tbe fit’t plaoe—and there tho girl’s memory foils, J ]