RONGAHERE TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 26 May 1920, Page 4

RONGAHERE TRAGEDY

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.

(Per Frees Association.)

DUNEDIN, May 25.

As the result of tho tragedy at Rongahere on the 15th inJsti., when a farmer named John Sharp, aged 72, is alleged to have fatally injured his daughter in a fit of temper. Sharp was charged today at Balclutha before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., with murdering Sophia McLean Sharp, aged seven. Constable llindiay said he went to Rongaree on the morning of the Kith and there saw deceased lying on a sofa. She was unconscious and had several iujuries on her lieud. One of her fingers was also badly broken. A doctor attended her and aranged to remove her to Dunedin Hospital. He took her in his car, and returned ! an hour and a half later with tho body of the girl, she having died bn the way. Witness found a stick, produced, about 10 yards outside tlie front door of tlie house. A quantity of hail' was attached to the stick, and there was a pool of blood near where it was lying. David Ireland said lio found deceased lying on tho ground insensible. Her head and face were covered with I :Oi d. Witness removed her to his his house and sent for a doctor. When the depositions of the last two witnesses were read over to accused, he remarked: “Its the wrong stick.” Sergeant Kidd said that on the morn_ ing of the 16th’, accused called at the | Police Station at Lawrence, and told him that he had assaulted liis little daughter Sophia, and he thought her in juries were of a serious nature. Witness asked him why he had assaulted her, and he replied that his eldest daughter had. assaulted him on the previous night by catching him by his whiskers and throwing him on tho floor, and that the three younger sisters had assisted her to assault him. After getting free, ho said, he picked up a piece of wood from a box and ran after the older girls, but lie was unable to catch them. On his way back to the house, he met Sophia ,and struck her with the piece of '.rood M Witnessed, then arrested him, and iater ascertained that the girl Was dead. Witness told accused , that she was dead. He replied that she was as well-dead as to be half-alive lor the remainder of her life. Witness then charged him with murder. Ho made a statenient in which he said he struck deceased with a piece of wood on the head. , witness said accused was examined by two doctors in Lawrence lock-up as to liis state of mind. Accused, who' was very dull of hearing, reserved liis defence, and was committed for trial at the sitting of the Supreme Court, Dunedin, in August. Bail was not asked. At tiie adjourned inquest on the victim of the murder, the Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to a fractured skull ,witli concussion and laceration of the brain substance, caused bv blows inflicted by the girl’s father.