SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 September 1919, Page 5

SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

RETURNED SOLDIERS’ FATAL HALLUCIN-ATION. SHOOTS HIS MATE AND THEN ATTEMPTS SUICIDE. “‘HE HAD A ‘BOMB HE WAS GOING TO USE.” MASTERTON, Sept. 7. A shocking tregedy occurred at Stronver, uabout .‘Ewent.y mtiles f;r"JmMasterton, on Friday [might Three men, Alex Reside, .senr., Christopher Carr, single, aged 33, and James Reside, aged about 40, son of Alexander Reside, were reading together in a where. They had been playing cards, and retired to rest’ about 10 o’clock_. James Reside, who was a soldier who had returned by the Giessen a week or two ago, were sleeping in the same .r'o'‘o’'ni’. ‘' ’ The“ men‘ ‘were 'o‘nl"'t‘lie"‘ b‘e's"t"‘ of‘ terms, and/there w_aspno_qpu‘a_l;rel». S_h_or_t—ly after -going‘ to the room Reside senr., heardthe "report of‘ a gun. He. rushed‘ out and found his son 'w'“lt.h..a~. doubleAbarrelled gun in his"h«-and. The son said: —“l’ve sh-bt Christie.’ He-“had-a= bomb he was going to use. There are two others outside I’m going to get.” Reside senr. found Carr lying‘ inbetf undressed, with the top of his head. blown oft‘. He was still breathing heavily. Jim Reside was fully dressed, and was standing with the gun in his hand. Pfis. father tried to get it from him, bu‘: he refused to hand it over. Father and son then Walked four miles to awhare occupied by Al'eS' fieside junr., the son still carrying the gun. Alex Residejunr., proceeded some miles on horseback, and rang up the police. Meanwhile Alex Reside, semz, and Jim Reside walls’-d black to his father’s whare. After they had returned Jim disappeared, taking the gun with him. The police 011 arrival on Saturday morning-, examined the body of Carr and found him quite dead. They then went in search of Jim Reside_ On arriving at Alex Reside’s whare they burst it in, and on entering the bedroom found Jim Reside lying in bed with his throat out‘. There were three gashes in the left side of the neck, one being deep. -_ A bloodstained razor was lying on the left arm. A gun with both barrels loaded was found on an adjacent stl'etc%ler. Reside by this timewas unconscious. Dr, Cook arrived and bandaged the wounds and the man was carried on a stretcher over four miles through reugrh country. He was brought to the lhesterton Hospital, where the wounds were stitched up. He is cxpecaed to survive. The police searched the premises, but found no evidence of drinking. Reside left for the front. with the Fourteentli Reinforcenients, and was one of those who had a severe attack 0*? influenza. He went: out to Stronvar on Sunday last, and -on the journey tout 5-ulrlenly assaulted a fellow passenger, anti left the motor car, reaching home on foot about midnight. Christopher Carr was employed as 21 shepherd on Reside’s property. An inquest will be held to-znorrow.