A MADMAN'S FEROCITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 261, 14 April 1915, Page 4

A MADMAN'S FEROCITY.

MURDEROUS ATTACK WITH AN AXE. THE ASSAILANT SUICIDES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, April 13 About one o'clock this morning: a carter named J. J. Sayer, residing in Bath Street, Parncll, attacked his wife and child with an axe, inflicting seri.ma injuries on the former, and then committed suicide by taking poison. Sayer, his wife, and girl of eight years, slept in the same room. Sayers appears to have got the. axe from the yard and made a ferocious attack on his wife, who was in bed, inflicting fearful wounds on her head and shoulders. Either before or afterwards Sayers evidently attacked his daughter. Sho has a large bruise on her head. Sayers finally drank sonic strong corrosive poison and lay down on the bed beside his unconscious wife. The police, who were summoned by the neighbours, found Sayers just dying and Mrs. Sayers (unconscious and bleeding terribly, but probably her injuries are not fatal. So far there is nothing to suggest a motive. Sayers went to work in the morning, and returned home during the day and stated that he had been kicked by a horse. He showed signs of having had some drink. A couple of bottles of beer and a half-empty bottle were found in the bedroom. A married daughter, who lived in the same house, states that Sayers, whenever he had been drinking, threatened to murder his family, (in one occasion he attacked his wife with a file. The inmates of the house were awakened by heavy thudß. The married daughter, on entering the bedroom occupied by Sayers, his wife, and child, found Sayers scantily attired lying on the bed unconscious and his wife lying in a pool of blood with her head terribly battered. The little girl had evidently received one blow on the head from the blunt part of the axe, and was not very seriously injured.