A DOUBLE TRAGEDY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8344, 3 February 1913, Page 7

A DOUBLE TRAGEDY

HUSBAND KNOCKS HIS WIFE UNCONSCIOUS.

THEN GULPS DOWN LYSOL.

Press Association,

AUCKLAND, February 1. A sensational occurrence took place iz Otahuhu. nine miio.s Irom Auckland, ally yesterday morning, as a result of vfiich a railway worker named Charles John Mahon, aged fifty years, lies poi;oncd with lysol beyond hope of recovery, while his wife is suffering from ■.erious head wounds said to have been inflicted by Mahon with a hammer. The couple had been living apart 'or six months, and Mrs Mahon, had mly returned to her home on Friday, if ter being with her widowed mother at Takapuna. , Tho Mahon family included five children.

From investigations made by a representative of tbo “Star” it seems that in July last some ill-feeling crept into tho relations existing between man and wife, the former being moved to resent frequent visits to his homo by a certain young man. Mrs Mahon is understood to have resented her husband's reproof so much that she immediately left him, and went to live with her mother. She states that upon i-otu ruing her husband received her kindly. According to further statements by the injured woman, she retired at the usual time. A little later her husband joined her, but ho was restless, and getting out again he partly dressed himself. Then leaving the house he wont into an adjoining paddock. As lie did not return, Mrs Mahon went to sloop with a little son in another bedroom. After being asleep for some time, Mrs Mahon became aware that her husband was entering the bedroom. Ho was without a light, and so she remained in passive anticipation of any remarks ho might desire to make, hut no word was spoken. Instead, tour violent blows were levelled at her head with some heavy instrument which Mrs Mahon took to bo a hammer : and of such brutal force were the blows that tho unfortunate woman lapsed into a state of unconsciousness. When she revived Mahon was striking a match, and she supposed that ho must have seen blood on the bed, for bo exclaimed, “Oh, Eva!” and then rushed out.

The extent to which tho bedclothes wore stained with blood luridly depicts the horrifying nature of the occurrence. After rushing from the presence of his battered wife Mahon must havo gone into the kitchen and gulped down a quantity of lysol from a bottle which bad been taken to tho house. Ho was found in a serious state of collapse by Ids wife, who had recovered sufficiently to leave her room in an endeavour to do something for the wounds on cithei] side of her head, which were bleeding profusely, lb was still early morning, for, to the best of Mrs Mahon’s belief, the assault must havo occurred between 2 and 3 o’clock. Dr Macdonald was called in later, tho stomach pump was used, and restoratives applied, but the man is not expected to live. Mahon, who is being attended by Dr Macdonald and Dr Barber, bears a good character, and residents of Otahuhu state that they havo always regarded him as a hard-working and inoffensive man.