The Tauranga Tragedy.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 13 February 1892, Page 2

The Tauranga Tragedy.

On Tuesday morning the whole of Tauranga was thrown into a state of great excitement through the news that Duncan Munro (stepson of Mr James Bodell, late Mayor of that town had murdered his wife and four children, aged respectively nine months, three, five, and six years, the youngest being a girl and the three others boys. It is presumed the affair took place about 3 a.m. Munro was promptly arrested in the town, in his nightshirt, which was covered with spots of blood. All the skulls are battered on the left side. The youngest child and the two eldest boys, George and Johnny, have died. In his evidence Dr Bullen, who was called in when the murder was discovered, deposed that for some time past he had considered Munro dangerous and insane. He fre quently suffered from religions mania, and a few days ago Mrs Munro called on him and showed him bruises caused by her husband, and stated she was in fear of her life and the lives of her children. He reported this to Mrs Bodell(Munro's mother) and to Peter Munro, his brother, and said Munro would do something if not properly looked after. He also reported it to the police. Peter Munro, brother of the accused, admitted that Dr Bullen had told him six months ago that his brother should be watched, but witness understood the doctor to believe that he would do injury not to others but to himself. A verdict was returned of wilful murder against Duncan Munro, with the rider that he should never have been let out of the assylum, and had not been properly looked after by his family.