A DREADFUL TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 96, 13 October 1911, Page 5

A DREADFUL TRAGEDY.

I HUSBAND KILLS WIFE AND TAKES HIS OWN LWK. * By Tedegraph—Press Association. Oisboi-ne. Last Night. ' A shocking tragedy occurred ~.t Totoga, Bay (.W miles up the cast coast) tWg , afternoon. About 2.30 p.m., a younz ' man named William Reid cut hi< wifel throat with a razor, and subsequently took jus own life by th« same means. ' Keid, who was only about 28 years was employed as a stableman at Toto» Bay Hotel and his w ;f c W as also employed at the hotel as laundress. From ff^ hand so.far, it is ascertained that Wliott, the licensee of the hotel was working in the yard at about 2.30 ' and was called toy his sister, who had been attracted by Mrs. Reid coming * down the staire with a dreadful wound in her throat. Elliott hurried inside und found Mrs. Reid lying at the foot of the stairs bleeding to death! She had rushed dowrf from her bedroom, presumably after her ■ husband had cut her throat, and she ex- ' pired in Elliott's nresenee. The licensee went upstairs to the sor- '. vants' quarters in a wing of the build- ' ing, where he found the husband lyino on the floor of the bedroom with a ten-Ale gash across his throat and a blood-stained razor near by with which the deed had presumably been committed. FJliott arrived in 'the room ins(| , m time to see Reidi expire. ' ' Dv. Weeks was immediately summon- .' ed amd arrived within ten minutes, but pronounced life to he extinct. '

The affair is quite inexplicable, as, although the couple had had minor quarrels, nothing of a violent nature had so far as is known come, between them. Both had the reputation of being good workers, and those who knew Reid besii say he was a quiet, sober young fellow, and by no means a man'likely to do murder. i Mrs. Reid's father and mother live in Tologa Bay. The couple were married at Eketahuna about three years ago, and had one child aibo-ut two years old. About a fortnight ago Reid, while following his occupation, wrenched one of his knees, and since then has been more or less laid up. spending a good deal of his time lying on his bed. This accounts for his presence in the'room at that time of the day. An examination of the bodies showed that Mrs. Reid had a deep gash on one side of the throat only, while Reid, who had evidently stood' in front of a mirros to take his own life, almost severed his head from the body. , Great gloom is east over the township as a result of the tragedy, The inquesfi is to he held to-morrow.