TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3007, 6 March 1926, Page 3

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

FATHER KILLS TWINS

LATER ATTEMPTS SUICIDE.

Auckland, March 4. A terrible tragedy occurred at the Otau settlement between 7 and 8 o’clock this morning. Septimus Page, who lived with his wife and children in a four-roomed house, killed his two infant children—a boy and a girl, twins, aged three months. The children had been left in the charge of Miss Finn, aged about twenty, who was helping Mrs Page with her household duties, and Miss Finn was present when the father committed the terrible act. She rushed across a paddock to the house of Mr. James Colquhoun, a returned soldier, who lives 500 yards away, and told him what had happened. Mu’. Colquhoun immediately informed Mr. R. Quinn, another soldier farmer living nearby, and Constable Holland, of Papakura, was communicated with. Mi*. Quinn and Mr. Colquhoun went to the house, where they found the two children with their throats cut, and the father, who had slashed his throat wit a razor, lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

A doctor was summoned from Papakura, and attended Page, who, though weak from loss of bloody was able to get up, walk about and wash himself.

Nurse Brodie said to him, “Why did you do this terrible thing ” and he replied, “I don’t know.” He said he had been feeling unwell for a long time, and had pains in his head. It is stated that at one time Page suffered from fits, and lately had complained of feeling queer. A constable took Page to the Auckland Hospital in a motor-car. Page was well respected in the district, and was said to be passionately fond of the two children, devoted to his wife, and an ideal husband. He was a hard-working man of abstemious habits. Before he was taken to the hospital, -Page wrote a confession, which was taken by the constable. Information subsequently received shows that Mrs Page left home at 8.30 a.ni. with an elder boy to go to Auckland, leaving Miss Finn in charge of the two infants, who were born in November. Shortly after his wife had left, Page entered the; kitchen bv the side door, having been finishing some work in the dairy. He said to Miss Finn: “I am going to kill the lot of you, and you will not see your lover again.” Miss Finn, alarmed, went to the telephone to ring up neighbours, but Page rushed towards her, and, seizing her, atemplcd to drag her away from the telephone. A desperate struggle ensued, in the course of which the girl received scratches. She managed to break away from the frenzied man, however, and, runnig out of the house, rushed across the paddock to James Colquhoun’s house, about 500 yards away.

Page was taken to Auckland by motor-car. The car containing Page passed that carrying some detectives about two miles from the house. Page was then sitting in the back seat looking old and haggard, with eyes half closed and appearing to he in a very low condition.