THE HENDERSON TRAGEDY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2029, 25 August 1880, Page 3

THE HENDERSON TRAGEDY.

It appears that the jury brought in their verdict ut twenty minutes past four o'clock, and shortly afterwards the Coroner instructed the police to cause the body of the felo ds se to be interred between the hours of 9 and 12 p.m., and without Christian rites and ceremonies. A few minutes after nine o'clock the mortal remains of Henderson were conveyed to the cemetery, and the coffin was lowered into a grave which had been prepared during the day. There were very few persons present, Chief Detective Browne supervising the proceedings. The grave having bean filled up, the email assemblage of persons then dispersed. Referring to the contents of the letter addressed to his wife by Henderson, the "New Zealand Times" of Saturday says :—How oruel a slander all this has been will bs understood from the following narration of circumstances brought under our notice last evening by the Rev. E. Lingard, who, accompanied by Mr Detective Browne, came to our office. [We may bere mention that tho information was also given to Mr Stafford, solicitor, and the documents referred to also submitted to him for inspection.! Mrs Henderson, on learning, from telegrams published in Christchurch, that the deceased had cast aspersions on her character, consulted with the Rev. Mr Lingard, incumbent of St. Luke's, Christchurch, as the minister of her churoh, and that gentleman at once took the most effective method of helping her in her great trouble. He took passage by tho Wakatipu, hoping to get to Wellington by 11 a.m. yesterday, the time fixed for holding the inquest on the body. Unfortunately adverse winds delayed the steamer, and he only arrived many hours after the inquest was over. He brought with him the following documents, which we have read : —l. The marriage certificate of Mrs Henderson, showing that she (then Mary Ann Lyford) married the deceased, a merchant's clerk, at St. JPancras, London, in April, 1866, the attesting witnesses to the marriage being M. Henderson and Lucy Henderson, the father and mother of deceased. 2. A telegram dated from Lawrence, Otago, addressed to Mrs Henderson, Peterborough street, Christchurch, and containing these words :—" My address is Herbert's store, Lawrence, will wire change.—M. Henderson." 3. A letter addressed to Mrs Henderson, commencing " My dear wife, —One thing has just occurred to me I write this at Christchurch station to post it at the first stopping place, Rolle ston To my loving wife.—M. Henderson." This letter asked her to falsify a deed, and spoke of his hopes of soon returning. 4. A certificate from Mrs Henderson which reads thus :—" August 19, 1880—I have reason to believe that my husband, Matthew Henderson, took away from Ohrutohurch a packet of strychnine, made up in a paper after the manner of an ordinary powder.—M. A. Henderson. Witness— Samuel Batt, draper, Christchurch." This last document Mrs Henderson signed with a view of removing any possible suspicion that the poison was obtained from any chemist in Wellington. The explanation of documents Nos. 2 and 3 is this. The deceased told her that he was going to Otago to wind up a bankrupt estate, and might be away three months or more, but he would keep up correspondence with her. This was only part of his sohemo to hide his whereabouts. The telegram from Lawrence he must have got some agent to forward for him. The lottor purporting to come from Rolleston was actually in reality at the Christchurch station post-office, and at tho time he was supposed to be in Otago he was actually in Wellington. Another proof of his perfidy ia shown in the fact that just before leavirg Mrs Henderson had taxed him with being faithless, and, to satisfy her, he swore' an' oath on the Bible, calling on his God to strike him dead if he ever wished to wrong her. Again, to show how deep-laid were his schemes, he had paid his tradesmen in Christchurch for the clothes he wore, and other things he brought with him, with post dated cheques, falling duo on the day the steamer leaves Auckland for San Francisco,.- In reference to the charge of hypocrisy, it is a faci that he, in outward observance, was a consistent church member and communicant, and in respect to. the charge of alienating the affections of her children, Mr Lingard assures us that they had a very great love for their wretched father. One of the witnesses to the marriage yet lives, namely, Mr Henderson, who is a pianoforte maker, in London, and has on several occasions sent out instruments to his son to dispose of. The Rev. Mr Lingard having fulfilled his mission and seen the body of the suicide interred, returned again per steamer last night to Christchurch. The same paper learns that a complaint has been made to the Commissioner of Police respecting the treatment of Miss Blyth by Deteotivea Browne and Benjamin, they having orced themselves into the lady's bedroom whilst she was in bed and very ill, in the face of an order from the doctor strictly forbidding it, and against the wish of the patient and her mother, and entering into conversation respecting the late tragedy, whioh also had been striotly forbidden. We are also informed that they have taken away a quantity of the lady's property without any authority whatever.