THE ALLEGED MATRICIDE AT OAMARU.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 939, 28 June 1877, Page 3

THE ALLEGED MATRICIDE AT OAMARU.

The Oamaru correspondents of the Dunedin papers have supplied the following particulars of the evidence taken at the inquest as to the death of Mrs Quarrie, whose son had accused himself of her murder Sub-inspector Smith conducted the inquiry, and Mr O’Meagher watched the case on behalf of Quarrie, who was present in custody. George Quarrie, son of the deceased, gave evidence to the effect that he and his brother were having dinner when he saw Lis mother go out into the yard, followed by his sister. Immediately afterwards he heard his sister call out to his brother and himself. He then saw his brother holding his mother in his arms. They carried her into the house and he went for a doctor. There was nothing extraordinary in her appearance, though she was not looking well, being very pale. He did not hear anybody quarrelling immediately before her death. His mother and brother had quarrelled before, although not in his presence. His brother was not about getting married, neither was his mother speaking crossly to him about a young lady. His mother had taken some medicine that had been recommended, but it disagreed with her. There were no cuts on his mother when she was carried into the house. Ho saw blood on his coat, but could not say where it came from. He could not say positively the reason for his mother going into the yard, but he thought it was to see if a person who was assisting her with washing was coming. Ho could not say where his mother got the medicine from. She left it off because it disagreed with her; but he could not say how long since. His brother Daniel was very excited and very white, and dancing about. He was the same when his father died, and the least thing excited him. His mother was in the habit of paying Daniel’s accounts, so he was not likely to get excited at her doing so on this occasion. He merely said, “ Run for the doctor immediately.” After the ’father’s death his brother Daniel disappeared for a whole day, and he was found at the Devil’s Bridge. Emily Mona Quarrie deposed that she was a daughter of the deceased. On Thursday morning last her mother complained of being unwell all the morning. At one o’clock witness went into the back yard, and saw her mother falling in the gateway. She called out to her brothers. They came, and carried her into the house. From where George was sitting in the dinner-room, he could hear anything that took place in the yard. Witness corroborated the evidence of George as to Daniel’s excitable temperament. The evidence of two boarders in the house and of the washerwoman was that they had never heard any quarrel between Daniel and his mother.

Sergeant- O’Connor, stationed at Waimate, deposed that Daniel Quarrie went to the Police Station at Waimate, and said that he had killed his mother, at Oamaru, on the previous day. He also said that his mother and he had had words in the kitchen; that she struck him on the back with a tomahawk ; that lie then ran out into the yard, followed her, picked up a piece of wood, threw it at her, and believed it hit her on the head, at the gate; that she fell down ; that he and her brother carried her into the house, and found she w r as dead ; that George went for a doctor; that he ran away, and arrived at Waimate at four o’clock on Friday morning. Witness asked him where his mother struck him with the tomahawk. lie said on the right hip. He examined him, and found a wound on the place indicated. He asked him the cause of the quarrel, and ho said it was in consequence of his keeping company with a young lady his mother did not like. On cross-examination by Mr O’Meagher, this witness contradicted himself several times, and Mr O’Meagher warned him to bo careful, as Quarrie was charged with the most serious offence that could be brought against a man, namely—that of murder. The case was then adjourned to Thursday, to allow of Richmond, a witness from Waimate, being summoned.