THE HORSHAM TRAGEDY

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 27

THE HORSHAM TRAGEDY

=s> MELBOURNE, August 5. In connection with the Horsham tragedy of July 12, in which Hay and Mrs Cox were charged with the wilful murder of the husband of the female prisoner, Hay was found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment, and Mrs Cox was acquitted. Edward Boothby Cox, aged 51 years, a fruiterer, living in the Western district town of Horsham, came to a tragic end about 10.30 p.m. on July 12. When the police arrived the body of the husband was lying on the floor of the dining room dressed in trousers, socks, and shirt. All Mrs Cox could say was that a tall, fair man, resembling a man from Qu-antong, came into the shop and asked who li\ ed there. He then, without provocation, rushed into the room occupied by her huoband and attacked him. But there were no signs of a struggle, and the fact that the clothing on the corpse was all clean and unruffled, to- j gether with other circumstances, suggested that an attempt had been made to clear j up traces of ' the tragedy. There were ] bloodstains, however, on a dre;ser, and also some spots on the floor of the shop. In a hole in the shop they found some garments, including a blood-stained shirt, and under a counter in the shop was found a tin dish. | When Mrs Cox was asked about the cleaning up she said she knew nothing about it, nor did she know anything of the tin dish and clothes. Mrs Griffiths, who informed the police, made a statement which led to the arrest of Mrs Cox and a man named Albert Hay, a blacksmith. When ; Mrs Griffiths returned to the house about 8 o'clock Mrs Cox and Hay were fitting on the sofa in the dining room and when she went to bed they were still sitting there. ] She got up to attend her boy. She met ! Cox in his stockinged feet, and soon after she heard Mrs Cox call out " Griffiths !" and added, "My God, they are fighting." "I aaked 'Who?'" continued Mrs Griffiths. ' and Mrs Cox sa:d, ' Don't be a fool. I walked upstairs, and heard scuffling, and called out, ' What's the "lataer, Mr Cox?' I received a reply. Mind your own business.' I sat down in the kitchen for some time, and heard Mrs Cox walking up and down. She seemed to be crying, and I heard sounds as of fighting, and saw Mrs Cox looking through the dining room curtains. I said to Mrs Cox, '111 call the police,' but Mrs Cox replied, ' I'm boss here ; you will not ' Soon after I heard Mrs Cox say ' He's done,' and I again said I would go for the police but Mrs Cox said ' No, for Gcd's sake,' say nothing about it ; Albert ha* not ' gone yet.' "