THE DOUBLE TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 23 March 1926, Page 1

THE DOUBLE TRAGEDY

FURTHER. PARTICULARS

[bv telegraph—PEß PRESS association-.]

DARGAYILTIF. March 22

Further particulars of the tragedy .state at daybreak, the bodies were removed by the police to tbe morgue. Both bodies wore cold when tlxe police and Dr Crump arrived on the scene, and the Doctor was of opinion that death had taken place some hours earlier, and that tho shot that killed, the woman was ‘fired at short range - as the marks of the blackened powder were plainly visible on her dness. Tletectivc Do Norville, of Whangaroi, arrived later in tho day, to help in the inquiries being made; but. from all. appearances, as before st a tod, it .‘seems a dear case of murder and suicide. No motive for the tragedy hast been advanced, and the whole thing, came as a. great shock to the community, as Hie parties interested were all wellknown in tbe town, where they were frequent visitors. Mrs Tc Huia was; rather a handsome little woman, and when in town, she was always well dressed, and she appeared quite happy. The boy, until recently, was a pupil of the Dargavillc School, and, although a fine upstanding 'lad, physically, he was not looked upon as very intelligent, but was not at nil regarded as the sort who would commit so foul a murder. In company with the Coroner. Mr J. A. McLean. Sergeant Griffiths and Detective De Norville, and a representative of the press, visited tlie scene of the double tragedy at Te Huia house, which consists of a bedroom, a sitting room,, and a kitchen and scullery combined. Tt is situated at Te Wharau, at Awakino Point, four miles from .Dargavillc, and it stands hack off the road some, considerable 'distance. On the same section, an old ago pensioner named Jack Morton, lives in a whare, about, fifty yards away from where the tragedy occurred, but lie did not hear any shots on Kat.nrday afternoon. He .said that lie was -away for a part of the afternoon.

Mrs Brcnstroin, who lives about a mils away from the Te Huias, (laid that lietwecn 1.30 and 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, she heard a shot, and about seven minutes later she heard a second shot, but she thought it was someone shooting rabbits.

Tlie (load boy’s mother resides in a bouse about a mile from tbe Te Huias, and there is a short cut through tlie paddocks between these two places.

The kitchen .vhoro tho tragedy occurred is very small, and there is little room to move about From where the murdered woman’s body was found on the floor, it looked «s though she was trying to escape through the scullery window, which was open. When the police arrived there on Sunday morning, the kitchen looked a. ghastly sight, with the boy’s blood on the floor near the couch, with parts if his brain clinging to tbe walls and the roof.

There was not much blood about u heiv- Mcm To I [uia was lying. Tliero mn«t have heon three shots fired altogether—onto at the woman, the second shot having missed the. hoy, as ft'largj hole in the. roof shows where a. whole charge went through. The third shot the boy made sure of. as he blew his brains clean out. and also blew the cap that ho was wearing to pieces. This shot scattered and went through Ihe iron roof of the kitchen. shot holes being seen everywhere. There was no sign of a struggle, and everything in the house was in its proper place. The hu.sl-n.iid saw the body of bis nephew lying on tlv couch. The feet were on the floor, and the body was leaning against the wall. When he saw ihe body, he called out to his wife, as lie I bought the hoy had been murdered. He struck another match then and saw his wife lying on the floor a bit further towards the scullery window. This was open. The house was one of two rooms, a kitchen and a scullery. THE INQUEST. At the inquest, which opened to-day and adjourned. Matthew Ho Huia (the husband of tin? murdered woman) gave oviewo Iliat. he had left, home shortly after one p.m. on Saturday. When he left, his wife was in good spirits, and according To their arrangements, she intended to come to town later in the afternoon, and meet her husband. The hoy, Nathan, was also supposed to come to town and to bring To TTuia’s horse for him to ride home at night. Neither his wife nor Nathan turned up. Tie (To Huia) played billiards nearlv al the afternoon, and ho looked

for his wife til] 7.30 p.m. Tlion lie vent to iho pictures. Leaving for ionic shortly after eleven, lie arrived it his residence at a bont 1 a.m. He irrived at liis pate, and walked along lie track to liis home, which was in larkness. TTe saw liis horse in the

paddock, which should have been liromr.ht into town for him to go home with. He tied a rope on the horse’s neck, and put tho animal out in a I"

paddock. He then went to the house and knocked at the front door, but lie got no answer He tried tho door, hut

he found it locked. The front door is usualy locked, if no one is at home. He then went hack to the hack door. A little gate there was open, and the back door ns well. He called out to

his wife, hut getting no answer, lie lit a match, and went inside the kitchen, and he found his wife dead on tho floor, and his nephew dead on the sofa, with a discharged gun between his legs.

After making sure they were dead, To IT ilia said, he went away, and went round to two of his neighbours, and borrowed a horse. He then rode to town, and informed the police. Te Huia stated liis wife and his

nephew were good friends, and they always had lioon. His wife had never made any complaint to him about tbs conduct of liis nephew. His wife was either 34 or 35 years of age. and Thi birthday was on Saturday. They had been married about 12 years, and they had always lived happily together and were always happy. He thought that liis nephew was 16 years of age. The gun wa= hanging on the wall in the kitchen nv.er the couch when he left homo, ft was not loaded. The belt

of cartridges was hanging on the wall near the gun. He had no enemies, and bis wife bad no bad friends. As far as he knew, he did not have any reason to think there was anything between bis wife and bis nephew. He was a vein* quiet boy and there was nothing wrong with him mentally. He could give no reason why his nephew should shoot his wife or any other person.

Dr Crump gave evidenoe as to Die nature of the wounds and the result of a post mortem. The wounds on the

body were consistent with the hov shooting himself. Tt was possible for another person to have inflicted tho wounds, hut was not probable. It could have been done if two men had a scuffle for tho gun, hut there was no sign of a struggle. The woman had been shot in tlio back at short range. It was not possible for her to inflict tlie wound herself. Both hail been dead several hours when found. The inquest was adjourned till to-morrow.