The Oamaru Tragedy.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 22, 24 June 1885, Page 3

The Oamaru Tragedy.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.") , Oamaru, Monday, . ; . A 'fearful. tragedy took place at Her , bert on Sunday night. Henry. White, a , young man of: twenty-four, '.shot, Ada '■ Patterson, aged eleven years, ; with.a revolveri and then . aftetfwai'ds ! shot him- . self. Death was : 'almost- instantaneous m both cases.' White was the son of a , storekeeper at Herbert, and Ada Patterson was the daughter of Mr Charles Patterson, an hotelkeeper, residing at the same place. The deed was.committed at the hotel. The tragedy was the. result of jealousy on the part of White, who was rather eccentric m his habits, and who had threatened to shoot the girl on Saturday last. The act was evidently premeditated, as White went into .the kitchen armed with a five-barrelled ■ revolver rally loaded. The girl replied .to his threat," If you shoot me, you will' be hanged for iii v To this he, said he would also, shoot himself. The affair has cast quite a gloom over the township,The* revolver was" purchased m- Herbert last week, and since it came into. White's possession he has been practicing with it at telegraph posts, and on Saturday nearly shot a resident who was trying to pick one of the bullets out of a telegraph post._ White's eccentricity went the length of wearing his hair long, and tying it with ribbons. An inquest was held this evening at Herbert, when the father of the young man said m, (svidence thfkt

his son had not been ritrht since he had had rheumatic fever some years ago. Evidence had also been given to show that Why te had frequently threatened the girl, who always appeared to imagine that ha was joking. The following letter, written by White the day previous to the i tragedy, will explain his 'intentions- andieelin^s with regard to the young girl. (Copy of letter addressed to Mrs James Patterson) :— " Herbert, June 2oth, 1885. , —The last wishes of Mr Henry I). White. Regarding the disposal of my effects, I desire that .£IOO be given to the family of James Patterson, Herbert, and £100 to Alexander Gillies, uncle to the family. Although this is not a legal will, I exuect it to be carried out as desired. There will be some money over the £200 but that can go to whoever wants it. These wishes are written under the impression that most probably I shall very goon shoot Ada Patterson and then ;inyself. There is no very great need that 1 should explain matters, &c. Let it suffice lor the present" to know that 'it is simply through love and regard for the girl that I should think of ending h«r life here. I believe that, knowing her as I. think I do, she would lead an unhappy life without me. (Then follow? a lot of writing, which had been crossed' out.) The. money is lodged m the Bank of New Zealand. The receipt = is. m the little leather, box m the bedroom ,^-Henby D. White. P.S.— Most likely uncle Alexander will understand uiy action. Ada is of too' generous and kind a nature, and too impulsive and sympathetic and unselfish, and too sensitive to the highest emotion, to be anything but unhappy m this wprld. I have left a copy something. like this for Chas. White, ; a.lso to Mrs Paterson. The jury returned '" a, verdict that the deect was ichirinfitted while White was suffering fi'orn, temporary insanity.