SHOCKING TRAGEDY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 5 September 1907, Page 3

SHOCKING TRAGEDY

LOVE-SICK -MIXERS CRIME. ATTEMPTED MURDER AXD SUICIDE. LIVES DESPAIRED OF. Per Proas Association. 01. -i. ; lßWr a»rg>ll, Last Night. Shortly after 11 o'clock on Tuesdiy evening a shocking scene took place at Nightcaps, in which Henry lteid, a miner •bout 22 years of age, was the principal partici|iant. lie is a Tasmunian, and came to live at Nightcaps seven or eight months ago. He oilgeU with Mrs. Gibbon nearly the whole of that period, and it seems tint he fell in love with Miss Lydia Gibbon, 22 years of age. She, however, did not encourage his attentions, being engaged to another, a llaxmillcr in the district. About a month previous to Tu?s<lav night's occurrence she told Reid linal'v how she was placed, and that she could not and would not have anything to do With him. . J ?n u , sy ai>rca " t0 havc ''"'i working till last night, when Reid could contain himself no lo.iger. He had been working in tli; mine till 8 o clock, when he came hoir.e, dressed and went to receive his pay at about » odock, and returned at 10 o'clock. One of Miss (Sibbon's sisters, a"cd •bout 14, gave him supper, and a few minutes later Lydia herself carae in. Her sister retired, leaving the two ■lone, the rest of the family bein« in bed. 2

The only sound audible in the house was the quiet talking of the man and the girl in the kitchen. Not long after 11 o'clock, F. Gibbon, Who is a carpenter, was startled by hearing two shots fired in quick succession, and another, apparently muffled, • few minutes later. At first it did not strike him that the sound was from a firearm, and he concluded it was the banging of a door. Presently, however, he heard groans, and rose to find out the cause, but, hearing nothing more, returned to his room, thinking that the groans came from some of the younger members of the family who were suffering from whooping cough. It was not until J Foster, a miner who slept in an adjoining room, awoke him that he became alarmed. Foster cried, "Whatever is the matter!" and both men got up without delay.

Tkere were lights burning in both the dining-room and kitchen, and on opening «>• door leading outside from the kitttai they stumbled across the prostrate body oi Hiss Gibbon lying in a pool of blood.

The two men carried the girl into the Bonie, and Dr. Baird and the police were at once summoned.

The young woman's face was blackened with the smoke from the powder, and a ballet wound was 6een just over her right eye. She was quite unconsaoua.

About a chain away from the hou<e, m an adjoining section, is a well about 25ft deep, holding four or five feet of water.

Here Reid was found groaning and clutching the rope. Gibbbon went down the rope, and the swooning man was hauled up. He was all but unconscious, having ■hot himself through the palate. TK» morning both sufferers were taken to Riverton Hospjtal. The doctor reports that both cases •re rery serious. Reid is shot through the palate, and the ballet has lodged in an inaccessible place at the base of the brain. The condition of Miss Gibbon is, if anything, more serious. She is also ' khot in the thigh. The doctor holds out little hope of recovery in either case. j Bo far neither has been able to •peak. A packet of strychnine purchased from an Invercargill chemist was found in one of Reid's pockets. Miss Gibbon was at one time tn attendant at Seacliff Asylum. PROSPECTS OK RECOVERY. Per Preis Association.

Invercargill, Later. The latest news from Nightcaps is t.i the effect that there is a chance of the recovery of both Reed and Miss GiMwn. She was able to say "No, thank you" when asked if she wanted a drink of water. It is stated that if she survives •he will not lose the sight of. her left eye, under which the bullet entered.