THE RECENT TRAGEDY.

Southland Times, Issue 1653, 25 October 1872, Page 3

THE RECENT TRAGEDY.

THB IKQTTEST. An inquest was held on Tnes.^av before I)r Mnnotton, Ooror.er, on the bodies of the tb?ee children, Frederick, Carl, »nd John Witting, who were drowned in the Waildwi on Saturday last. The enquiry took place in the house once occupied by Mr Chalmers, on the Buy Bond, in the immediate neighborhood of the cottage orcupied by the Wittine?. Annie Witting, daughter of Carl and Caroline Witting, stated that the family consisted of sev^n children, Albert, ased 15. wifnesa, 13, Selin*, 12, Augusta, 9. and the tbree boys who had been drowned, Frederick, aged 8 yea>-*. Oar), 4 years, and John, 10 months. On Saturday moaning, her father and brother Albert •went to their work at seren o'clock. On being asked what happened before her father left, witness gave no answer, and it was come time before she could be induced to speak at all. She then admitted that there had been some words between her father and mother about his taking a job, which would afford him constant work for a long time. Her father did not want the job Her mother wanted him to take it. That led to a quarrel. They were both angrT with each other. Witness remained at borne all day. Her father and brother did not come home again till -he evening. Her mother left the bouse at half-past four in the afternoon. There had not been an? stranger at the house during tbe day. Her mother had not been very well for nine months past. She could not eat, and always had headache. Thought she was right in her mind. Did not notice" anything different in her manner on Saturday from any other day. She went about her work as usual. She seemed better on Saturday than she had been for a long time. She said she would go down on the tr-.mway to see about a cow. She took the children with her — Augusta, Frederick, Carl, and John. Selina wanted to go with her mother too, but her mother told her to stay at home and do her work. After fire o'clock Augusta returned, all wet ; 6he had nothing dry on her She siid the children were all drowned, and ehe thought that her , mother was in too. Selina went back with Augusta j to the river. Witness was frightened, aad went I away. Did not see her little brothers again till they were brought home dead. Her mother never threatened to do anything' of the kind. Her father and mother did not live happily together. Her father was a very violent-tern pered man. He used to beat her mother, but had not done so for come years. Neither her father nor mother were in the habit of drinking. Tnere was never any contention about the youngest baby ; they were both very kind to it. Her mother often said that were it not for the i children she would soon find a home for her•elf. „ . . . Augusta Witting, nine years out, in reply to the Coroner* questions, having shown that she ,siiffii-entlj understood the nature of the obliga- i Ci»n she was under to speak the truth, gave l»er j evidence in a very simple and intelligible manner. She sad that on Saturday afternoon her mother took her and the three little boy 3 for a walk. She aaid she was going to look for a cow. I hey could not find the cow. They then went to the river. Her brother Albert ha 1 been fishing Her mother said she would go and look if there were any eels in the eel pot. Her mother did not know tbe way to the place, and asked witness to show her the way. She looked at the eel-pnt ; there were no eels in it. t-he then shored her (witness) into the water, without saying anything, fehe tried to get out, but her mother pushed her back ( again several times. She then threw the baby in Then she pushed Carl in, and then Fred, t'e elder one. He had been standing look ing at her nil the time. ' She kept holding the boys down in the waier, and while eh«» whs doing to witness got out. Wifness ran hornWhen she left the place her mother was still holding the boys down in the water. When she ■ came home she told her sisters. Ar>nie went. *nd told the men in the bush. Selina went with her to the creek ; they saw the hoys 'w the w&tcr, but could not see their mother. Only puw the two boye, not the baby. Her mother was kneeling down and reaching over the bank when she was holding the boy 3 down. The water was too ceep for her (witness) to stand in. Her mother did not come home that night. When the boys were in tbe water, they asked their mother to help them out ; she said "Go chwn, go do*n. and 1 triil come too." When sh« (witness-) was in th<water, her mother aaid " Goodbye." tfer mother | kissed the baby beibio ehe threw it in. Her < mother took her skirt off on the way to the creek, she eaid it was too long, end she \mu<: it on a tree. ?he was not crying at all. She never saw her father thrashing her mother. John Sinclair stated that he and two other men were working in the bush near Mr Chalmers's oil house, about a quarter of a mile from Witting'?, when the eldest girl came running, very excite I, and said that her mother had drowned the children, and herself too. They went to the creek, and saw the second boy, Carl, floating on the water, too far from the bank io reach. Got a stick and got the body out The body of the baby waa further down the stream, Btopped against some wood that was jammed across tbe stream. When it vra» got out it wa9 quite de&M, but not quite cold. The body of the other boy was in another plac*, further up the stream, lying on its face at the bottom of the wat^r. Could not see the mother. They left the bodies on the bank and went into town to tell the police. They did not carry the bodies home, they were all very cold and shivering, and anxious to get into town. The creek wae high ,- it was a muddy creek, BDd deep in places, perhaps seven or eight feet. Albert Witting said that he and his father went out to their work about seven o'clock on Saturday morning. Before they left told his father of a constant job which he could get. His father did not care to tuke it. His mother joined the conversation, and come hard words passed between them. There were no blows struck. His mother used olten to say to the children that except for having them she coul.i soon find herself another home. She was ill, with headache, and. tried the water-cure. She toot bathß and wet packs, end once told the children who were helping her that she wished she were away,Cnot to give them a*l that trouble. They did not think it a trouble. His father had chastised the children, but had not beaten them severely for a long time past. They had not to sleep out of the house on account of thiir faiher't violence ; not at least for some years. When he saw the body of the baby he said " Oh what a trouble that child has been to us all his life ! " bufc he only meant to refer to its having been brought up by hand, fed with a bottle. There was no contention in the house about the baby. Carl Witting stated that he and his wife had some hot words on Saturday morning, but there was no ill will between them in consequence, and he would not have expected to bare heard any xnore^ about it when he came home at night. Saw nothing different from usual in his wife's manner lately, unless it were that she seemed better; and more smiling. The night before, the baby cried for its bottle, he said something, and «he answered him in a different way from what she had ever done before. Knew nothing about the children being drowned till he came home. Could give no reason for what his wile bad done. They did not live unhappily together; just like other married people ; not always the same. They had been ma ried sixteen years. His wile had been ill Jately ; she had headache, and did not care to eat. Tb« jnry, alter a short consultation, returned a. unanimous verdict of wilful murder againsi Caroline Witting.