GHASTLY TRAGEDY AT RAMA RAMA.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 88, 27 September 1915, Page 2

GHASTLY TRAGEDY AT RAMA RAMA.

MAN MURDERED IN HIS SLEEP. SHOT AT CLOSE QUARTERS. WIFE CHARGED WITH MURDER.

A most diabolical crime was perpetrated in the early hours of Saturday morning last in the customary peaceful and serene settlement of Rama Rama, and the tragedy enacted will from its attendant circumstances probably create as much sensation as the murder at Onewhero that occurred earlier in the year. In brief, one of Rama Rama's best known and most popular farmers was shot in cold-blooded fashion while he lay asleep in his bed. SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY. Rama Rama is a district immediately adjacent to the Great South Road, about ten miles from Pukekohe and four miles from Drury, and on the by-road leading from Rama Rama to Ararimu, about a quarter of a mile from the Rama Rama store and immediately adjoining the Rama Rama Public Hall, lived Mr John Thomas Perry with his wife and family of nine children, five boys and four girls, the ages of the latter ranging from 2 months (a girl) to 14 years (a boy, "Jacky" by name). The house, which is a six-roomed structure, is situated about 100 yards off the road, being approached by a drive, sheltered with trees, the entrance gate being by the side of the Public Hall. Mr Perry it was, who was the victim of the tragedy. THE FAMILY.

A man of extremely temperate habits and a most affectionate father, the deceased was a very hard-working farmer, the property on which he resided being his own freehold and consisting of 40 acres, whilst he also owned a further 50 acres of rough country on Peach Hill, Maketu, some few miles away. Further, as the proprietor of a portable engine, he did a good deal of chaff-cutting work for the settlers around. So far as is known he had not an enemy. His age was 45, his wife, whose maiden nam: was Amelia Reiley, being 31 years of age. The couple had been married just over 14 years, Mrs Perry, prior to the wedding, having been engaged in service in the household of deceased's father. Mr Perry senr., also deceased, was one of Rama Rama's early pioneers and the murdered man's relatives include Mr William Henry Perry (brother) and Mrs William Flay (sister), both of whom reside in the district. SPENT FRIDAY IN AUCKLAND.

On the day prior to the tragedy, viz, Friday, the murdered man went to Auckland, accompanied by his eldest daughter, twelve years of age. They returned to Drury by the 5.40 p.m. train from Auckland and attended a Presbyterian Church lantern lecture in Drury. About 9.30 p.m. they started to drive from Drury for home, and Mrs Perry, accompanied by some of the children, walked some distance down the road to meet the home-comers. On arriving in the house the doings of the day were told and without friction of any kind the household retired to rest about 11.30 p.m. SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS.

The internal arrangements of the house are that the kitchen is situated just on the left of the back-door, three bedrooms in use being on the opposite side of the house. The front of the house faces the north-west, and has a verandah with a front door, but that means of entrance was never is use, and to approach it one would have to walk from the drive across a garden planted with potatoes and vegetables, a net-wire ftnee also being attached to the side of the house to debar passage that way. Immediately on the far side of the front door is a square bay window, and it was in that room that the deceased slept with his wife, the room on the night of the tragedy also containing the baby girl, two months of age, and the next youngest of the family, a two-year-old boy. The bed occupied by the deceased was parallel with the window, about eight feet away, the deceased having slept on the side of the bed nearest to the window, and when he met his death his face was turned towards the window. Next to him his wife slept, with the baby on the far side of the bed, and then in a cot alongside the little boy of two years reposed. In the two adjoining rooms, on the same side of the house, the other children were distributed. THE CRIME COMMITTED. No sounds of disturbance appear to have been heard by the children until about 3 a.m. on Saturday, when a loud report of a gun awakened all. The eldest boy, "Jacky," who was sleeping in the next room, immediately got out of bed and called to his mother. She bade him come into her room and by her directions be lighted a lantern that was on a table near the window. Mrs Perry told the boy that his father had been shot, and instructed him to go to Mr Guinevan, a neighbour, for assist ance. This the boy did, with the result that Mr Guinevan after going to the house, proceeded to the Rama Rama store and telephoned to Papakura for Dr Brookfield, telling him of the tragedy. Dr Brookfield called for Constable Waugh, of Papakura, and the two arrived on the scene about 4.30 a.m. Thanks to the courtesy of the railway officials a message was sent by Constable Waugh through to Sergeant Cowan at Pukekohe, and the Auckland Police were also communicated with. On the Doctor's arrival he found that death must have been almost instantaneous, the upper part of deceased's skull having been practically completely blown off with a gaping wound showing in the centre of the forehead. The deceased's pillow, and bed-sheet near

by, as also the wall at the head of the bed, were blood-bespattered with pieces of the deceased's brains all around and several shots were found embedded in the wooden wall. THE WIFE'S STORY.

The story as told by the wife was that she was awakened by the discharge of the gun, and sitting up in bed she saw in the moonlight what had occurred, and immediatley the boy "Jacky" came into the room. Her theory was that the gun had been fired from the window, the lower portion of which, she said, had been closed when they went to bed, but which when awakened she found had been raised three inches. She added that the blind in accordance with their usual practice had been drawn up before they retired to bed. When seen by Constable Waugh the window was open as described by Mrs Perry.

THE POLICE ACTIVE. Sergeant Cowan, having received the communication sent him, left Pukekohe about 6.30 a.m., and arrived at the house about eight o'clock, proceeding out from Pukekohe by motor-car. About an hour later Superintendent Kieley, ChiefDetective Macmahon, and DetectiveSergeant Hollis came through from Auckland, and Constable Watson soon arrived from Pukekohe. In the meantime, Constable Waugh had received assistance from Messrs Lynch and Cox, two neighbouring farmers, and the house and grounds were guarded against intruders. No footprints were observable in the garden or near the window previously alluded to. On taking charge on his arrival, Superintendent Kieley communicated with Auckland, mid as a result Mr F. V. Frazer, in his capacity as Coroner, and Lieutenant-Colonel B. H. Hazard, as a gun expert, put in an appearance early in the afternoon, followed soon after by Dr Milsom, of Auckland. STRANGELY UNCONCERNED. All day long the wife and children followed their usual habits, as seen by the representative of the "Pukekohe Times" and the other pressmen present. Meals were served as customary, and Mrs Perry went about her duties in a surprisingly self-composed and unconcerned manner, almost as it she was ignorant of the fact that within the house laid the remains of her late husband, who had met such a cruel death. Wood from a stack close to the house was chopped with vigour by Mrs Perry, calves were fed, and the fresh arrival of any stranger was eagerly scanned. All the time the children were running freely about the premises, but on their part it was of course natural that they did not realise the misfortune that had overtaken them. INQUEST OPENED.

About 3 p.m., the inquest was opened in the Rama Rama Hall by Mr Frazer, S.M., evidence of identification alone being taken. Chief-Detective Macmahon represented the police, the only other persons present at the proceedings being Lieutenant-Colonel Hazard, Mr William Perry, and the Pukekohe Times' representative.

Mr William Henry Perry deposed that he was a farmer living at Rama Rama, and that deceased was his brother. He last saw deceased alive on the Tuesday prior to the tragedy when he (witness) was on his way to the Runciman sale, and deceased was drilling oats.

The inquest was formally adjourned to a time and place to be subsequently fixed.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION.

A searching external inspection of the body and also a postmortem examination were carried out by Dr Milsom, and on its conclusion the Coroner, the Doctor, Lieutenant-Colonel Hazard and Superintendent Kieley returned to Auckland. AWAITING EVENTS. Night fell and with the Detective officials proceeding to Drury the house was left in charge of Sergeant Cowan and Constable Watson. With the advent of yesterday (Sunday) morning the undertakers came on the scene and preliminary arrangements were made for the funeral that is to take place this (Monday) afternoon. THE WIFE ARRESTED. During the morning the two Detectives returned, and after Mrs Perry had been questioned she was informed that she was to consider herself under arrest on the charge of having murdered her husband. She at first was somewhat affected and burst into tears on the intimation being given her, but subsequently she regained her self-control, although all through she stoutly maintained that the was innocent of the charge brought against her. THE CHILDREN PROVIDED FOR. Arrangements were made by the police for the baby, who is bottlefed, and the two-year-old boy to accompany the mother to Auckland, to be placed in charge of some institution in the city in the meantime, and relatives agreed locally to look after the other children for the time being, the house and the deceased's body being left to the charge of Constable Watson. THE ACCUSED'S DEPARTURE. Mrs Perry, in the custody of the Detectives, in due course left the farm for Auckland in the afternoon, proceeding by motor car to Papakura, and there catching the 5.20 p.m. train for the city. Her departure found her in a still selfreliant, mood, although tears appeared in her eyes as she entered the motor car. The seven children, who were being left behind, stood around and watched what was tran-

spiring with some curiosity but with no degree of anxiety, and no farewells were made. As the car rolled away the eldest girl was, however, seen to be crying, but all entered the house and from the kitchen window watched the progress of the motor until a bend in the road hid it from view. FACTS AND THEORIES. The opinion of both Dr Milsom and Lieutenant-Colonel Hazard is that the deceased was killed with a gun that was discharged at a very close quarters to his face— closer indeed than if fired from outside the window. There were also marks of gunpowder on deceased's face and the shots had evidently passed through the skull and then lodged in the wall at the head of the bed.

The action of the police in arresting Mrs Perry on suspicion is largely guided by the fact that if the gun had been fired from the window, as she alleges, it would only have been natural that the clothes she was wearing, and possibly her hair, would have borne traces of blood, which as previously stated was freely shed from the wound created, but she was quite intact from any such gruesome detail. On the other hand, the boy "Jacky" supplies the information that directly he heard the sound of the gun he looked from his room through a hole in the wall, the boards not being close fitting, and in the moonlight distinctly saw his mother sitting up in bed looking at his father. Although the late Mr Perry was in good circumstances the contents of the house were meagre and lacked in comfort, the rooms being deficient of the signs of feminine taste and handiwork that usually characterise a dwelling, but the fact that there was a large family to be looked after perhaps accounts for the rough and ready state of the premises. The mystery is deepened by the lack of discovery of any discharged cartridge, whilst no unused cartridges either have been found. An empty cartridge box is alone in evidence. The wife's statement, which is corroborated by the elder boys, is that prior to Thursday only two unused cartridges remained in the house, and that these were fired off by the d ceased when he was out shooting on Thursday. It is understood that admissions have been made to the police by both parties concerned to the effect that Mrs Perry had for some long time past, unknown to her husband, although it appears to have been a matter of common gossip locally, been on terms of familiar intimacy with a single man, whose whereabouts are at present at Drury, and who she visited at his camp locations.

It also appears that domestic quarrels were a fairly frequent occurrence between the deceased and his wife.

It is further a matter of strange coincidence that about two years ago the house that the family occupied was destroyed by fire, the present place of residence being new premises only occupied camparatively recently. Again, some six months ago Dr Brookfield was summoned during the night to

proceed to Rama Rama to attend the deceased, who was suffering from an attack of poisoning, supposed to have been produced through overeating fruit. The deceased on that occasion had to be conveyed to the Auckland Hospital for treatment. It should be mentioned that the boy "Jacky" saw no sign of a gun when he entered his father's bedroom directly following the murder. At the same time a double-barrelled shot gun, which the deceased's borrowed some time ago from a neighbour was found by Constable Waugh in one of the back-rooms of the house, and Lieut-Col. Hazard on examining it

expressed the opinion that whilst the right barrel had not been recently used the left barrel showed signs of a recent discharge. In this connection, however, it must be

added that the deceased went out rabbit-shooting last Thursday afternoon, and on his return placed the gun in the room mentioned.