ELTHAM TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2973, 10 December 1925, Page 3

ELTHAM TRAGEDY.

FATHER CHARGED WITH MURDER OF SON.

Eltham, December 8.

Hearing of the charge against Archibald Gray, late health inspector at Eltham , that on November 26, 1925, he did murder his son, William Gray, was continued at Elthamjhis afternoon, when the inquest into the circumstances surrounding" the death of the boy was conducted concurrently. Mr. C. R. Qrr-Walker, S.M., heard the murder charge, and Mr. J. P. Stubbs, J.P., was the coroner, assisted with a jury of four. The public portion of the court was crowded when Gray entered the box. George Henry Carter, an employee of the Egmont Box Factory, said he knew accused, who was his next-door neighbour. On November 26 witness was sitting at breakfast at about 6.40 o’clock, and in consequence of something he heard from his wife he went to his back door, which faced Gray’s property. When he got to the door he heard someone calling out, and screaming sounds were coming from the washhouse in Gray’s property. Wjhen he heard the screams he jumped the fence between Gray’s property and his own, saw Mrs Gray and her daughter coming out of the wash : house, and Gray' bending or kneeling in the washhouse when he entered, over the body of Willie Gray, who was lying flat on his back on the washhouse floor. The boy’s throat was cut, and there was blood all over the floor. He secured Gray by the coat collar’, and pulled him out of the washhouse. “I asked Gray,” said witness, “if he knew what he was doing, and he said ‘No.’” Carter also said that when he got Gray out of the washhouse he asked him if he knew he had taken his son’s life, and why he did it: Gray said “No.” Gray had a razor in his right hand, and witness relieved the accused of it, and threw it over his own fence. He identified the razor produced as the one in question. When he arrived on the scene first he heard Mrs Gray screaming. “You have killed Willie.” As far as witness could judge, Gray made no attempt on the life of his wife or daughter. Cross-examined: Gray was on affectionate terms with the members of his family. I have never heard him have a wrong word with his son Willie. In fact, I should say he was very fond of the boy and his family. They were his first consideration. Dr. Douglas H. Saunders said that on arrival at Gray’s house he found the body of the boy Willie Gray in the washhouse in a pool of blood.

The police representative: Did accused say anything to Constable Townsend in your presence?

Witness: Yes. He said he meant to kill the lot and then himself. The cause of death would be heart failure following hemorrhage. From your conversation with Gray, would you ascribe any motive for the occurrence? —“No.”

Do you consider that in this case the provisions which the law has made for the observation of persons in the position of accused, should be invoked. —“I do.” Constable Townsend detailed his having gone to the scene of the tragedy and finding the boy on the lloor quite dead with his throat cut. He went into the kitchen of Gray’s house and found Gray there. He said, to accused: “Do you know what you have done? and the accused whispered “Yes.” Gray further said: “I have been nervy and not sleeping and intended to kill them all and then myself.” When Gray was at the police station he said : It is an awful thing. I don’t know why I did it. Accused made a statement of confession on the above lines, and this was produced in Court.

Counsel intimated that the -prisoner would enter a plea of not guilty, and reserve his defence, and he was committed to the Supreme Court at New Plymouth for trial.

After a retirement of eleven minutes the Coroner’s jury returned a finding that Willie Gray met his death through heart failure following hemorrhage as the result of a wound to the neck caused by Archibald Gray. The jury added a rider that Carter was to be highly commended for the brave manner in which he took the razor from Gray, and urged that the only medical witness called had recommended a course the advantage of which should be taken under the provisions of the Mental Defectives Act, and Gray should be committed to a mental institution for examination and observation.

A formal application was lodged, and His Worship undertook to bring the matter before the Minister for Justice.