AWFUL DOUBLE MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 109, 16 January 1912, Page 7

AWFUL DOUBLE MURDER.

YOUNG- WOMAN AND CHILD SHOT DEAD. SHOCKING AND INEXPLIICABLE CRIME. NO TRACE OF THE PERPETRATOR. (Sydney Sun,) Casino, January 2. The whole district was last night profoundly shocked by the news of the perpetration of the most awful and inexplicable crime ever committed in this part of the State. During the brief temporary absence of her husband, Mrs Henry Perkins, a young woman, and Bertie Gilmore, 10 years old, a step-brother of her husband were shot dead at the cottage occupied by the family on the outskirts of the town.

The circumstances surrounding the crime are of a most extraordinary character. There is not the least vestige of a clue to the perpetrator of the foul deed. And as far as is apparent, the butchery has been committed without anv cause or reason.

The shooting occurred at 5 o'clock yesterday evening. The murderer timed his visit to the cottage accurately, for it was during a short period in which Mr Perkins was in town on business that he called and carried out the cruel crime. The cottage occupied by the family is a small weatherboard one outside the township, in what is known as West Street. They had, jQuIkJ?.? 6II living there for five weeks. The'cott&ge is in an isolated position, the nearest neighbor being 50 yards away. Perkins is a hunter by occupation, and earns his living by shooting kangaroos and 'possums. Not long after four yesterday afternoon he left the house to go up tosyn. There were then in the building l only Mrs Perkins, her baby, and the little boy Gilmore. There were usually firearms in the place—weapons used by Perkins in his business. Yesterday there was a small bore rifle lying on the verandah near the gate when he went put. There was a shotgun inside. It was with a rifle that the fiendish work was carried out with every apparent circumstance of cold and calculating, determination to slay. THE HUSBAND'S- STORY. When Perkins returned home at 5 o'clock and found his wife and little boy dead, he became distracted with grief and horror. Rushing wildly from the cottage, he sried aloud in agonised tones' "My wife! My poor wife is killed!" | Neighbors answered the frenzied man's screams, and rushed to the cottage. They found the corpses in the sitting room.! Both the hapless victims had been shot with such fatal accuracy of aim that death must have been in each case instantaneous. Mrs Perkins had received' a_ bullet under one eye. The bullet that killed the little boy had pierced the forehead.

When Perkins entered the cottage he found %he corpse of his wife lying on the couch in the front room. The baby, which was only four months old, was lying crying, but unhurt, on the dead woman's breast. He picked up the infanf and carried it outside in his frantie rush .for assistance. It was with difficulty that the distracted man was persuaded to let some of the sympathetic womenfolk who hod flocked to the scene take the little one from him. Perkin's grief was pitiful to witness.. The unfortunate husband was not able for some time to give an intelligible account of what had taken place, so far as he knew. When he became calmer he said that he first left the house at about half-past one, and went to the railway station to make arrangements for the despatch of some consignments of skins to market. He left the platform about 2 o'clock. His wife had in the meantime gone in a cab to visit a dentist, but as he was not in she returned tome.

Later on, Perkins said, he went out to get a gun that a man was lending him. He fired; a couple of shots, to test the weapon, and left it standing near the front gate, whilst he went out the second time. Not far from the house he met the poundkeeper, Mr Driscoll, and went with him to his place, where he bought a cow. From there he went to the house of another friend, .with whom he chatted a while. Then Perkins started for krnie, but on the way there heard two gunshots m the direction of his cottage, and on entering the place he found his wife and little boy murdered. The neighbors say, that Perkins and his wife always seemed to T >pe„on iaffectionate terms ....>■>

■Mrs Perkins was a young woman of cheerful disposition. She had been married only 12 months ago. A day or two ago she wrote to' her mother.' Mrs J Lambert, of Grafton, telling her that she was going over there to. see her shortly.

The police are doing what men can do to get at the bottom of the terrible mvstery, but they have not been able to 'accomplish much as vet.

WHO FIRED THE FATAL SHOTS?

A SENSATIONAL SUGGESTION.

TWO GUNS USED IN THE CRIME.

ti,- *' it. i, January 2 [ ine further the inquiries go into the circumstances of the terribfe tragedy plieable and extraordinary they appear It seems impossible that a stranger ml\ haW f ot MrS Perkins the little hey and escaped being seen by the husband. But there is a t feast aT element of possibility about one sensational £xp]anatioii of the tragedy that ha* been put forward. S

The gun left on the verandah bv Perkins■ « not a *ifte, -but a small-bore double-barrelled breechloader, of tte S known as a "collector," and wjfch is STSV* f ° r Sh '° otin? sma » ted rhe other gun was an ordinary sinriebarrel ed lfc-bore breechloader. V g Both guns were. left unloaded by Mr Mrs. Perkins had been shot by the larger gun, and the boy with.the Wtte

It is now suggested by those engaged on the investigation that vomJofl more p hying with the larger Zat orientally shot Mrs. Perkinf with it as crazy with terror and grief, loaded the

Tt is certain that Mrs. Perkins w-c tn e f\t"l t< ; nt ] y ' aml ™ ™°-ed after the fatal shot was fired nt ] lor . Thorn were cartridges in tho how to f^iXr dtho,,oyk,,ev " i; ™ Srrtv, tho Jn,pcotor-OonU tS af ,ri 7™ ffloTi the foßwin «

to Ms. Perk,,,, 1)p sh t , who then committed suicide"