A MELBOURNE TRAGEDY. Attempted Murder and Suicide.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 290, 15 August 1888, Page 5

A MELBOURNE TRAGEDY. Attempted Murder and Suicide.

A TiiKix MOkiLi< building, situate at No 62, Exhibition sfocob, on the easb side, a lew donrft fiom Little Collins street, was the scene on Satui day night, 21st Jwl} ,of a ino.sb detei mined feiiicide, piecedcd by what u.i-. beyond doubt an equally determined attempt at witc minder. The plaec, which wa« lately occupied as a si \ penny restaurant, was kept by a man named John llailon, who, with hib wife and two ehildien, a giil of about 9 years ot age and a boy ot 5, occupied apailmcntb on the second &toiey. Mts Uarlon, with her ehildien, retiicd to bed at an eail\ hour on Satin day e\oninu, but was awakened shoitlv betoie 1 1 30 p.m. by her husband ontciing the apai tment anil sitting upon ilic bed. Admission to the room its gained thioughtwo door-- an oulei one on the landing and the rloor ot the bcdioom pioper. On going thiough the ioimci, H.ulon bolted it on ihem-ido. Hits wile noticed something stiangc in hi> inannei, and becoming . il.inned, asked him what was. (he matter. He implied that lie intended to ?hoot hoi, anil at the same tune pioduecd a six-cliaiijbeiod levohor, which he handled in a m.mnei (-hat led his a\ ife to holio\e he was about to cany out his threat. The pool woman called out loi help, and ltnploicd him to allow her time to .say her piayer-. Tins he declined to do, and then lolloped a stiuggle on the p.n t ol tlio wife to wiest ttie ic\olver hoin lus gia-p and to Lcep it pointed iiom lier. In r,his efloib she Mu^ecded lot -,omc scromK, but finding her sti englh fiivinu way she sprang out ot bed and craped, betoio he had time io do her any in|iuy, through the door to the apailniont below. The little <;nl who had been :-loi,pin<: with the mother, managed during the tune the f-tiu^gle wa.s going on to not Uuoiuj,h a window and alight on a balcony at the back. Having i cached the sbicrt door, Mis Uarlon hastily informed two men who weie pa&f-ing ot what had occuued, and asked their assistance, leaiinu 1 that her hu&band might, in hit, madness, shoot the ehildien. Tlic men, however, said they would go for the police. A moment altci wards, a man named Neil I'atteison happened to pass on lu-^ way to catch the tiain, and consented to accompany AJis llailon upstair. The ue\f instant the repoits ot two &hot& w r ere heard, ined in the loom o\evhcad. l J atter.son at once lan up to tlic apaitmeut, and lie then .saw llailon ljing half on the bed with blood trickling from a buJlct wound in his right temple. The man was breathing, bub that was all, and his hat lav unon the, llooi coseicd with blood and brain--. Consi able Matthew b, being on duty in thn \icinity, and healing of the occmicncc, |irocecdcd to the housre and fo-mcl llailon in tho condition de.scubcd, but still ali\c. Dr. Hooper was communicated with, bub the wounded man expiicd ju?t bct'oio hio .uiivid. Tho ehildien weio lound quite safe. Tho deceased when di,sco\cicd htill held the ie\olver in his gia&p, and on examining the weapon two of the barrels* were found to ha\e been lecently discharged. The remaining four were loaded. Hailon was a man 45 years of age, tall and with a .soldierly bearing. According to his wifo's .statement ho was not addicted to drink, though it bcemsi ho was drinking rather treely during the afternoon. It is believed that financial embarrassments aflectcd his biain and led to the commission of the ciimc.