THE PIPIROA TRAGEDY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4393, 22 March 1922, Page 3

THE PIPIROA TRAGEDY.

« RECOVERY OF MURDER CHARGE PENDING. HEARING NEXT MONTH. The case of Arthur William Page, charged with tlhe wilful murder of Mrs Hutchinson, at Pipiroa, on Febr ruary 7 last, and attempted suicide, has been called at ■the Magistrate's Cburt weekly and remanded from time tp time pending his complete recovery from his injuries,. The accused is still in the hospital, but; is now nearing convalescence, and it is expected he will be fully recovered by April 1. Tn the meantime the police have been engaged in procuring evidence to support the charge, and are expected to be ready to proceed with the case on about April 1.1, .when the inquest info the death of Mrs Hutchinson and the charge of wilful murder against the accused will be taken at the same sitting, before Mr Salmon, S.M. The victim of the Pipiroa tragedy was the wife of Thomas Hutchinson, of Konuarahi. She had left her. husband the previous week, and since then had been living with Arthur William Rage, aged 33 year,&, in a i small shanty at Pipiroa. On the day of her death she decided to leave Page ahd return to her husband. With this intention she left the shanty.between 2 and 3 p.m., to catch the launch at the Pipiroa wharf. Shortly afterwards she was shotl at close range, Rage having followed her out of the house with a doublebarrel led gun. Page then shot himself in the breast with the second barrel. The deceased fell when shot, but. afterwards got un again and in spite of her terrible injuries walked a distance of about! 200 yards to the main roads where she collapsed. During her walk ‘to the road she was evidently followed by Rage, who had reloaded both barrels of the gun, and whose injuries were but slight, the slibt fired at his breast having glanced oft, causing only superficial injuries. The whole proceedings, had been witnessed by Mr Wallis, who was working a short distance away, and lie hurried tp the woman’s assistance, arriving as she collapsed on the road. Page was compelled to drop the gun, and the police at Thames were notified of. the occurrence.