RAMARAMA TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1915, Page 8

RAMARAMA TRAGEDY.

THE ADJOURNED INQUEST. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Yesterday. The adjourned inquest on John Thomas Perry, farmer of Ramarama, who was found shot deau m bed on September 25, opened this morning. Amelia Perry, aged 29, wife of deceased, who is under arrest, was present in custody. Her demeanour was perfectly calm. The licensee of the hotel at Drury gave evidence that deceased had refreshments at 7.40 p.m., and left at 8.20 p.m., on September 24. He left the hotel perfectly sober. I/ilian Perry, residing at Ramarama, but not related to deceased, gave evidence of a conversation between her mother and accused prior to the tragedy, in which accused said she would not be without her husband for anything, as she could not control the boys. Her eldest boy thereupon remarked he did not tare if his father died to-mor-row, as he used the boys badly.

Henry Jennings gave evidence that accused borrowed a gun from him one week before the tragedy, stating that her husband wanted the loan of it. He identified the gun produced in court. Thomas Perry, eldest son of deceased, referring to the conversation recounted by Miss Perry, said he did not remember saying anything. He was awakened about 2.30 on the morning of September 25 by a noise like a gun fired, and a smell of powder came from his father's bedroom. He looked through a cracs m the boarding between the rooms and thought he saw his mother moving on the bed leaning over towards his father. He heard Ms father groaning, and asked his mother the cause. She did not reply at first, but told him to light the lamp. Then she said his father looked as if he had been shot, and told him to get a neighbour, Bill Ginnevan, to come over. They went together, his mother saying to Ginnevan, "Come on up, somebody's shot Tom" His mother was crying. He said his mother offered no explaantion of 'how the shooting occurred. His ■parents sometimes quarrelled, but'' had not recently. Cross-examined, witness stated that he remembered his father going to the hospital in May, through being poisoned by eating tinned fruit. His mother threw the tin into the fire after taking out the fruit. He did not remember her doing this before. Mr. Mays, for the Crown, stated that witnesses would be called to show that the illness was due to strychnine poisoning.

Witness had never heard it said that anyone had a set on his father. On returning from the neighbour's his mother said someone might have been quarrelling with his father, but did not say who. William Francis Ginnevan, fanner, of Eamarama, told the coroner about the visit of Mrs. iPerry and her son early in the morning. As he left the house it was eight minutes past three. He had told Mrs. Perry to send for Mr. Pilkington. Witness called for Mr. Cox, the Prcsbytarian missioner, and they found the mother and some of the children waiting for them in a paddock at the eastern end of the house. Witness found deceased lying on his right side on the side of the bed nearest to the window. His head was shot away .above the temple. Witness remarked, "He's shot," and Mrs. Perry said, "Yes." Witness added: "But I don't see any firearmi." Mrs. Perry replied, "He was shot through the window." When he entered the room Mrs. Perry said, "There he is, dead; do the best you can." In reply to his inquiry as to whether there were any firearms in the house, Mrs. Perry said, "There's only a gun in the dairy, and that has not been used since Thursday." She either added that there were two cartridges left, or that the last two Oiad been fired on the Thursday. Witness did not think that injuries of so severe a nafcu-e could be caused by a gun fired through the window The line of window was too low for the shot to have entered deceased's head where it did. Witness related the ciivumstanecs of a will which he and Mr. Pilkington witnessed wiien deceased was poisoned in April last. On arriving at the house they found Perry lying on the floor suffering from effects of poisoning. He said lie wanted his property left to the four eldest boys. Mrs. Perry asked him what Leonard (the youngest boy) ■had done to be left out of the will, and Perry said, "All right, put him in."' On the suggestion of witness, Mrs. Perry was given a life interest, with the proviso that after her death the five sons should divide the property equally. Perry wa? too ill to write, but he signed the will by a mark. On the occasion of the poisoning, Mrs. Perry seemed to be concerned about her husband. She did not complain before provision was made for her in the will, but only when the boy, Leonard, was left out. George Vrederiek Cox. Presbyterian missioner, gave evidence as to accompanying tlie previous witness to Perry's house after the death of the father. He said Mrs. Pervj' was greatly distressed. Dr. l'rcolcfield described deceased's injuries. He. was of opinion that the shot was fired close to deceased's head. He did not think it could have been fired through the window with the same results. Describing deceased's illness in

April, witness said it was possible the cause of tha* illness was tetanus.

Dr. Milsoii was 0 l" opinion that the wound was not cause.l by a gun being lired from outside the window. It was probably lired close to the head. It was possible for the wound to be self-in-flicted, out this was very unusual. The inquest was adjourned.