A Patea Tragedy

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 186, 5 February 1914, Page 5

A Patea Tragedy

A JEALOUS HUSBAND. ;M ' * * lis SHOOTS HIS WIFE ASJD ATTEim».^.g ; By Telegraph—Press Aisociatitfe. "j'gjl WanganuV Weo>f9fl»jr. \m A tragedy took place at Patea •1,^9 half-past four this morning, when T%o«\-^ Hewitt, aged 35, a carpenter, gftot Mlf Jy wife, aged 26, in her sleep and thp^jlj shot himself. S. Johnson, from w)rawl|B the Hewitt's rented rooms, was arousal '*sl ly shots and informed tho polif-e, who,'*;]! on investigation, found the woman deal jM j from a wound in the temple and the maa --m I lying on the floor shot through the head.' -M !He was just conscious enough to tell fl jffl I the police that he had shot his wife *BS/fhi I himself and then became comatose. He ' l i|S was removed to the hospital, where hlj "M soon began to sink. Two children, Aged ■•*¥ nine and six', were in the room when ths '', it shooting took place, but were too terri- , J *| ficd to move or cry out. The eldest, % ",„.*■ boy, told the police tliat he was awak* *: ened by a shot and then saw his father; j' \ shoot himself twice in the head. * * ( Hewitt, an ex-American navy matt, Jtatl >/ J been in the Dominion some little til??, and his wife came from America and ' - joined him about two months ago. Thry had been in Patea about ftvferfweekv. ,; The tragedy is attributed to 'the fcus- ■;, band's jealousy, it being stated th."„ •■'* there had been trouble between '.« pair before coming to Patea, since wUov il Hewitt has been moody. Uj FURTHER DETAILS. ',' ffl Patea, Last Night. .i*l Hewitt died at the hospital to-day A half-past one. Hewitt was a carpenter.'.' H He was of a silent and morose dispoiV ' H tion. %t ■ Prior to relapsing into unconsWnßr Jm ness Hewitt made the following state- 1 ment:—"Aly wife was in bed at kail' 1 past nine. I shot her then and after- "^\ wards shot myself in the mouth, stand- 'i ing on the floor, and then shot myself ,-^J in the right temple." The above statement, the Press points \M out, is. evidently incorrect as rcrorda tho Jfl time of the tragedy, as the woman's fl body was quite warm when foujid at 5 H a.m. Probably Hewitt was thinking of H the time shewn by a watch which WW .^M found underneath the revolver on tß* dressing-table, and which had stoppedat _J

A particularly sad feature of the trOfedy is th-j fact that to-day Is the birthday of the youngest child, Vera, wbb W five years old.