Sad Tragedy at Wellington.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3600, 21 November 1905, Page 3

Sad Tragedy at Wellington.

BIETH AND SUICIDE, i

Barly on Sundhy morning there was a tragic happening at Newtown. Briefly, the story is that Isabella Goodman, nineteen years of age, unmarried, gave birth to a”child, and immediately afterwards drowned herself in the pond at Newtown Park.

The unfortunate girl had for some time been engaged at Morris’s laundry, Daniel street. On Saturday night she was in the city with a sister, and made no complaints, Returning home, she retired to bed at the usual time with another young woman who slept in the same room. She made some complaint then of cramp pains, but said nothing that led to the belief of anything being seriously wrong. Her room companion slept soundly during the night and heard no noise in the room. On waking at 5.80 a.m., she discovered that Miss Goodman was not in the room, and there were signs that caused her to alarm her mistress. Search was made of the 'premises, and in the lavatory the cries of an infant attracted attention. Inside was found a newly-born baby boy, strong, and crying lustily. There was no sign of the girl, and the police were at once communicated with.

In a very short time Constable Kerr arrived, bringing with him Dr Kemp. They found certain marks leading in a direction that immediately raised in their minds the opinion that the girl had made her way to the pond in Newtown Park. The constable hurried there, and the first thing that attracted his attention was a girl’s hat and boots on one of the seats at the side of the pond. Ten feet out from the bank, floating face down in the water, was the girl’s body. This was at about halfpost seven o’clock. The constable got the body ashore, and sent for the doctor, who came at once. His decision was that she had been dead for some hours —drowned. —N.Z. Times.