OAMARU TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1924, Page 1

OAMARU TRAGEDY

.MAN SHOOTS WIFE. [ny TELEGRAPH —MR MESS ASSOCIATION.] OAAIARU, October 2. A terrible domestic tragedy occurred in Clude Street, North Oamaru, about seven o'clock this morning, John Holmes, a labourer, aged 08 purchased a pea-rifle yesterday, ostensibly for the purpose of shooting birds. Early ibis morning, lie left his room, and went into tbc room occupied by bis wife (aged 12), and discharged a bullet into her bead, behind the ear. Jie then wont back to his own room, procured a razor and severed his windpipe.

A four-vear-ohl hoy, who was sleeping in a cot in his mother’s room, was awakened by the report ol the gun, and ho rushed screaming to. alarm an elder brother, who was sleeping outside.

After being shot ,tlie woman jumped through the window, and staggered to a hut at the rear of the house, where she told her eighteen-year-old son that his father had shot her, and asked him to go for the police and the doctor.

She then collapsed on the floor,

The boy ran to a neighbour's, and summoned the doctor, and afterwards lie sent for the police. The emislabes could not effect nit entrance through the hack door,, hut they climbed through a window. They found Holmes lying on a pillow in the passsage, with his head against the door, bleeding profusely from a terrible gash in the throat. Ho staled that lie had shot his wife owing to a certain domestic trouble, which he mentioned, 110 said he was sorry that lie had not made a job of himself. The man and the woman were both removed to the Public Hospital. The woman is m a serious condition, and she is not expected to recover, hut the man’s injuries may not prove fatal. The couple had not been living on the best of terms lately, and Holmes was suffering from a kidney complaint and from insomnia.

The constables found a rifle in the room occupied hv Holmes, with an empty cartridge. They also found a razor in a pool of blood on the floor. ’l’he woman is Holmes’ second wife. She has a family of three hoys and two girls, the eldest hoy being agetl .nineteen. They liad boon married about twenty years. The police found a hank hook in Holmes’ room, ami a letter to the Public Trustee with instructions as to the disposal of his property.■