AWFUL FARM TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1931, Page 7

AWFUL FARM TRAGEDY

THREE PEOPLE AIURDERKD. SUICIDE ON NEXT DAY WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CRIME. Following an inquest into the tragic deaths of three pi".sons, four miles from Archill'. Western Australia, and the subsequent suicide of the husband ot Him of 'the victims next day. the coroner found that William Francis llalhert, aged .18, farm hand, was strangled with a rope by AlcCaskell, that Mrs McCaskell and her baby died from shock, following axe- wounds indicted by McCaskell, and that AlcCaskell committed suicide by blowing himself up when lie was of unsound mind. Alfred George Prior, the driver of a butcher’s cart, said that when lie visited MeCaskell’s house on December 30, and found the hoy Halbert lying dead on the ground outside the house, there was no rope around his neck or attached to a l>eam of the house. Mr M. S. Bell said that when lie was taken to McCaskell’s house by the police Mrs McCaskell was lying dead on the bedroom floor, with her baby dead at her feet, The wounds on their heads and bodies could have been caused by an axe, which was crusted with blood. Portion of the baby’s head was smashed to pulp, while there was a wound 3in deep in Mrs McOaskell’s jaw. They probably died from six to twelve hours after the boy Halbert, whose death was due to strangulation. STATEMENT BY NEIGHBOUR.

There was no blood on the lad’s chillies, but there was on the clothes of McCaskell.. A complete circular mark, caused hv a rope or cord a round the boy’s neck, was from an eighth oT an inch to a quarter of an inch deep. This was unusual in hanging cases, but not inconsistent.

John Scdtt Rea, a neighbour of Use McCaskell’s said that on the afternoon of December 30 McCaskell came to him carrying the dead baby under a towel. He said: “My poor baby, my poor child. That lad of mine has murdered my child and lning himseli.’ He said that he had previously given Halbert notice of dismissal on account of his nasty habit of blowing his nose in the kitchen. The boy had replied. ‘‘Yon will he sorry for this.” McCaskell was a peculiar man, and did nogive witness the impression that he was passionately devoted to Ids wife and, child. BODY BEHIND HAYSTACK.

William Wickham Meredith, another farmer, said that McCaskell had complained to him of being in trouble with Ids harvester, On December 31, when he was getting l'eady to go to the funeral of Airs AlcCaskell ntttl the baby he saw McCaskell drive his car from Bruce Rock past witness’ farm on a flat tyre. He made for a hay stack, and behind it found the deceased’s body.

Thomas Edwin Breakall, farmer, said that AtcCaskell had told him that Mrs McCaskell was heavily insured, and alleged that Halbert had stolen the policies. He also alleged, in reference to gelignite and detonators in a tin at the house, that Halbert probably men nit to blow up the place. Witness considered Halbert a goon worker and a good lad.

Constable Williams, of Bruce Rock, slid that, after questioning AlcCaskell in Bruce Rock on December 31, McCaskell drove from the town in a motor-car and blew himself to pieces with gelignite. The beam from which Halbert was alleged to have hung himself was Bft. high Taking into consideration the lengths of the broken rope found and Halbert’s height, he thought that the boy did not hang Himself.

The coroner found that Halbert was strangled with a rope by AlcCaskell. I bait Airs AlcCaskell and her baby died from shock following axe wounds Inflicted by AlcCaskell, and that AlcCaskell caused his death by blowincr himself up when he was of unsound mind.