THE MURDERS AT ORMONDVILLE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1139, 14 February 1884, Page 3

THE MURDERS AT ORMONDVILLE.

From particulars furnished by the Auckland Herald’s Ormondville correspondent, it appears that the murder of the Edwards’ family was carried out in a moat deliberate and determined manner. Edwards, although conscious, keeps a strict silence, but the appearance of the room in which the bodies lie tells the tale only too truly. Three of the four children went to church on Sunday evening, the mother staying at home nursing the baby. On their return they went to bed, and the mother lay down dressed on the bed awaiting her husband. When he returned, it would seem from a heap of chips at one corner, he took a half charred log from the fire, and with his pocket knife coolly cut one end into the shape of a convenient handle. He must then have stunned his wife and children as they lay on the bed, the foreheads of all being cut and braised. The wife’s throat was then cut on the bed. From tbe enormous quantity of blood in the middle of the floor, on the murderer’s trousers and on a chair, it would appear that he lifted the children from the bed, and taking them between his knees one by one cut their throats. He also placed them again on the bed, their arms entwined about each other. Probably be then cut his own throat, but not deeply. The tragedy must have occurred before midnight or early in the morning. Before daylight he went to the house of a neighbour named Plank, and asked for water. Plank says he had a presentiment that all was not right, and he refused the water, and when Edwards went away Plank followed him with a loaded gun, but soon lost him in the darkness. Edwards next called at another neighbour’s named Pyke, and there got water. It being dark Pyke saw no blood, but Edwards’ manner was so strange that Pyke became uneasy and went and aroused the local constable. They went to Edwards’ house, and there discovered the horrible truth. When daylight broke Edwards was found on the treaties of a high bridge, from which he threatened to jump, but he was ultimately secured with great difficulty. He was taken to Waipukurau Hospital to have his wounds dressed, and he is not in danger. Edwards is a man of some education, and a practical engineer. For some years he was chief engineer on one of the coadal steamers, but was discharged for drunkenness. He received remittances from Home, his friends being well connected, and a short time since received £IOOO, with which he bought land at Ormondville. He was given to drinking, and when drunk was like a madman. Twice he had been charged with being a lunatic and kept in confinement until the effects of his drinking bout passed off. It has transpired that when drunk he has more than once severely assaulted his wife, and a short time since he placed a quantity of gunpowder under his wife’s bed and exploded it, fortunately without any seriout damage. A visitor to the scene of the recent Ormondville murder thus describes what he saw upon entering the cottage : —The bedroom is on the right side of the front door, the living room on the left. In the latter room, besides ordinary furniture, there was a small iron bedstead. It does not appear that anyone slept on that bedstead, although articles of clothing were upon it. In the bedroom were two bedsteads, o je small iron one, capable of holding three children, and an ordinary double bedstead. The sight that met my horrified eyes when I entered the bedroom made my blood run cold. On the small bedstead there lay three children naked. One of them was lying on the nearest side of the bed. On her temple was a large bruise, as if she had been struck with some heavy blunt instrument. After inquiries-fully established this fact in my mind, and led me to believe that the proximate cause of death was a gash across the throat from ear to ear, which had been inflated after the victim was stunned. Lying next to the poor murdered girl was a boy apparently about three years of a<*e. His arm was thrown armin'! the neck of his dead sister as if embracing her, a position that had evidently been arranged by their father and murderer. On the hov’s temple was a bruise similar to that described on the girl’s temple, and his throat was also cut right across. The third child, a boy about ten years of age, was lying next to the two victims already referred to. He was partly on his back ; his temple bore a similar bruise to the others, except that it was a little farther back on the skull. His fingers and thumb were also bruised, as if he had been attempting to defend himself when struck at, and had partially parried off the blows intended to stun him. Ha had probably

beeu awakened by the attack on ids brother and sister, but not quickly enough to escape from his throat being also cut. On a large bed was lying the corpse of the murdered children’s mother. The body was dressed on the bed, as if she had sat suckling the youngest child. On the murdered woman’s forehead were two bruises, on* on each side, the one on the left being the mark caused by a very severe blow. Her throat was cut across from ear to ear. Beside her, to complete the chapter of horrors, lay the body of the infant, its throat cut also.