The Coburg Tragedy.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1629, 8 February 1886, Page 2

The Coburg Tragedy.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

: Some additional particulars of the \ tra»»dy at Coburg, Victoria, are given I m the telegrams published m the Hobart I Mercury. $t appears that Charlea Hampton, aPentridge warder of 23 years' residing with his wife and fauiily of fbjiir grown-up daughters; and thrtfe spdsTilfi' Louisa -street, Coburg, was roused :abour midnight by his eldest son, aged abon j; k l'i, who t bad been awajcened f by cries of ]> un; coming from jtlje^ ropda where W\h mbtiier^ slept Avfth ' thfe'e , daughters — two ( aged, about ,25 , and 21, and the otiier" about 'nine. The father knocked at the door, and "after a threat that he would breaknt open the mother answered tkat the iidise liad- been catised by the child being ill. The man ; retired_ again to rfest, but next morning about 6 o'clock the two elder daughters were 1 discovered lying dangerously wounded, iand the child rolled up m a blanket with its head nearly severed from the body. Ijhe^notlier was-arrested.* The survivors a|e fnaking satisfactory prpgress. The y&nngest daughter has made a, statement to the doctors and detectives. She says there was some society or other endeavoring: to influence them m order to make ; them: goib the bad, and their mother asked them which they would choose— death or a bad life, and they concluded to ac : cept death. They agreed to piifc an end to one anpfiher, and they asked Gocl if they Were dbihg as he wished, and they were answered by peals of thunder ahd ; shaking of the windows, which they considered to be m the affirmative* There was a! great storm, and they thought they heard people 'outside trying to break m upon them, and they set to work to kill each o.ther by; cuttiugreachf others' arms, and decided •upbn-'kilHn'g 4the youngest child first. '■ >*fiie girHays she fainted at this stage of the murder, but sohn afterwards recovered, and exclaimed, "It was Grod's will she should do it." The mother waited to see : the others die ; butt. mean while daylight broke m uppn.them, and the eldest, son. was coniniunica'teci with by bne of the'