MERCER TRAGEDY

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2687, 26 January 1924, Page 1

MERCER TRAGEDY

JEALOUSY POSSIBLE MOTIVE. Auckland, January 24. Mercer was ycstcrduy flu* scene ■4' n dual tragedy when a middleaged .Maori, \Vi Kapana, in a tit of .jealousy, murdered Ids wile. Moo Kapana and I lien eominilled suieide. „ lie lei’l Ids where ahou! eight o’clock and did nol return until be- ! ween ten and eleven. Then he walked into (he whare with a -hoi gun in ids hand. Pointing (he gun al his wife’.-, head, he said: “I am going lo shoot you.” This threat he immediately carried into effect, and the woman fell mortally wounded. She managed to crawl from the whare and expired just outside the building.-Rapnita immediately stepped outside the whare, reloaded the gun and shot himself under the heart, death being practically instantaneous. He foil close beside the body of his wife.

The murder of the woman was witnessed by her sister and cide.-l daughter, a girl of 21. So -wiftly did liapana carry nut his threat of murder that neither of the eye-wit-nesses was able to life a hand to prevent the deed.

The scene of the crime is a lonely spot two miles from Mercer, oil the south hank of the river. Rapaua lived in a whare with his wife and family. There had been no sign of disagreement between the man and his wife, although it was common knowledge that liapana was id' a somewhat jealous disposition. He is said not to have enjoyed the best of health, being al limes the victim id’ asthma. The view prevails that worrying over ids malady may lia.ve tended in some measure to have caused his mental distress. Rapann had for some time been working in I’nkekolie as a potato digger. This appears to have been his usual employment. It is stated his wile had always refused to leave her family to go to Pukekohe. The Rnpanas had lived in the district aboul nine years, where they were well-respected by the Maoris of the locality. They bore excellent characters for honesty and the woman's < onducl at all limes could in no way justify the jealous feelings which apparently influenced her husband.

Rapana's age is estimated at 48 years, the wife being some eight \cars his junior. They had six children. Roth deceased were welleducated from the Maori stand-

point. I’alcia Aloutii. sister of the murdered woman, states she stayed with her sister at the whare the night prior to the tragedy. Wi Rapnna returned from Pukekohe on luesdny. Her brother-in-law was perfectly sober and she could advance no reason why she should ha\e committed the deed.