FAMILY TRAGEDY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 51, 22 October 1931, Page 3

FAMILY TRAGEDY

("Press Assn.-

dfeath pact victims FORM OF BURIAL SERVICE SETTLED BY BXSH.OP SPECIAL PRAYER FOR CHILD .

— Bv Telegraixli— CopyrigM.)

Rec. Oct. 21, 5.5 p.m. f LONDON, Tuesday. A- controversy regarding the form of burial services in the case of the Levin family has been overcome by the Rev. H. Wallerbridge, rector of Worth, who announced that the father and the mother would be taken straight to the grave and placed in it. Meanwhile, the body of the child, June, will be carried to the church, *,vhere there will be the usual ohsequies, ineluding the following special I prayer written by the Bishop of Chichester : "Heavenly Father, whose face angels and little children always behold and who by Thy Son, has taught us that of such is the kingdom of Heaven, we commend into Thy keeping the soul of this little child, _ beseeching Thee to accept her innocence, cleansing her of the stain of earthly life that she may dwell forever in the joy of Thy enternal presence." After this a graveside service specially authorised by the Bishop will be read. The bodies of Thomas Isaae Levin,

! aged 40, his wife, Betty, aged 40, | and their daughter, June, aged eight, j were discovered in a gas-filled bungai low at East Grinstead. Several pounds of putty had been employed to hermetically seal the windows and doors, j Levin, a Rusisan Pole, formerly lived in South Africa. He came from Australia to England in 1928 and | went in for bookmaking at horse and i dog races. j A local youth found the windows j sealed on the following afternoon j and the police forced an entry. They discovered a few shillings and a note | saying: "Our last wish is to be buried I in the same grave. Do not part us." j At the ixxquest the jury at the cor- ' ; oner's direction, returned a verdict j ! that the daughter was murdered by ; her parents, who committed suicide . by gas poisoning.