ATTEMPTED MURDER SEQUEL

NZ Truth, Issue 1238, 22 August 1929, Page 2

ATTEMPTED MURDER SEQUEL

Victim of Ferocious Attack by Husband Freed From Marriage Tie

DIVORCE ECHO OF SENSATIONAL TRIAL

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Palmerston North Representative). A tragic story is recalled by the granting m the Supreme Court, Palmerston North, of a decree nisi to a Maori woman named Rangiarana Maraea Sutherland. The grounds of the petition were that her husband, Ernest Taniwha Sutherland, had been convicted of attempted murder at Awahuri, near Palmerston North.

IN the early hours of the morning on February 11, 1926, while a storm was raging, the homestead of Mr. Richard Drummond, native settler of Awahuri, was the of a shocking outrage which culminated m two native women, Mrs. Drummond and her married' stepdaughter being removed to the Palmerston North Hospital suffering from serious injuries and the homestead being totally destroyed by Are. Mrs. Sutherland suffered a severe wound m the shoulder inflicted by a knifei while Mrs. Drummond received Domestic Trouble •■■ T " '. ' "~ ~~ " ' " severe facial wounds besides burns .on the face. Mr. Drummond was also assaulted. The attacks were made by the husband of the younger woman, Ernest Taniwha Sutherland, and he is now serving seven years for the offence. The assault was the outcome of ' domestic differences. Sutherland called at the house at about 8 o'clock on the previous evening ' , with the object of having an appll- . : . cation for a separation order cancelled, but he. was refused. At about midnight Drummond senior was awakened by a glare outside his window and found that a number of sacks saturated with kerosene had been placed under the house and were well alight. He aroused the other members of the household and while pulling put the burning sacking from under the house, received a blow from a hoe by Sutherland. i HniiiMiiiiiiiiiititiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiniuiiiini

A fierce struggle ensued, but the i latter got away. Meanwhile the wind fanned the flames till the house was well alight. . Drummond sought the womenfolk, who were clad m their night attire only, but could not see them. He made f ot~ a shed where he again lIIIIIIIIIIIIiniIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIHIB Abused Waitresses CHE was drunk, and when she entered a restaurant she forgot herself and said a great many rude and obscene things to the waitresses. When she was ejected she abused her ejector and created a disturbance, and so Amy Pines appeared , m the Wellington Police Court on summons, charged with, using obscene [anguage. She, pleaded guilty.. Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., told Pines she had a list which was enough to show her what to expect if she did things like that. Pines was fined £3 and costs. niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii met Sutherland, who this time came at his father-in-law with a mattock. Drummond warded off the blow and Sutherland disappeared into the night. Inside the shed Mrs. Sutherland was found seriously wounded and later Mrs. Drummond was found with severe, facial injuries and burns, having also apparently been assaulted./ For two or three weeks nothing was

seen or heard of Sutherland and then he gave himself up, having apparently been m hiding m Palmerston North itself while the police were scouring the district. When charged with attempted murder he pleaded guilty. In pleading on prisoner's behalf, Mr. A. M. Ongley mentioned that Sutherland was well educated and above the usual sort of Maori, but a man of strong feeling. Although separated from his wife, he had a strong affection for her and his children. It was unfortunate that when he \ — — — — Act of Jealousy went to the war his wife toured New Zealand with a theatrical company that was not of good repute. , From that time onward the wife's conduct seemed to have aroused prisoner's jealousy. At the war he did well and rose to commissioned rank and was the only Native airman In the forces. He was naturally very proud of his success and having found on his return to New Zealand that his wife had been touring with a theatrical company he felt that his achievements had been reacted upon. From then on he was extremely Jealous, counsel said, and his wife at times seemed to have worked on that jealousy deliberately to provoke him. But for a great deal of luck on his part, prisoner would have been arraigned on a charge of murder, was Mr. Justice Reed's comment when imposing sentence. illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllMlllllllllllllllllllllllllllliS