HORRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1173, 3 May 1884, Page 3

HORRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.

About 8.30. a.m. last Thursday, the horrifying news reached Temuka that Mr John Walter Garland, of the Arowhenua Hotel, had murdered hia wife and committed suicide. Constable Morton at one* communicated with Dr Hayes, and both proceeded to the place indicated, where a shocking spectacle met their gaze. On the floor of his bedroom lay the lifeless body of the unfortunate author of this rash deed, and in the bed, covered ovar with the clothes, was the body of his wife. It is needlass to say that this fearful tragedy shocked everyone who heard of it. Mr aDd Mrs Garland were well and tavorably known, and as they were of temperate habits all attempts to conjecture what tampted the unfortunate man to commit such a fearful deed have failed to thrown any light upon the subject, - Neither did the inquest, which was held . yesterday. It was explained there that . licensee of the Railway Hotel, in Christchurch, which Mr Garland owned, had /failed, but his brother did not think A : that had at all disturbed him to a degree ; that would upset bis mind. The particulars of the affair will be found in the following evidenee, taken yeiterday befora J. Beswick, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr M. Quinn was cliosen foreman : Mary Dunn: I have been a servant in the employment of the. deceased since last November. Yesterday morning, about 6.30 a.m., I was getting out of bed upstairs. I heard a noise as if someone had hit the ceiltag with a stick. I took no notice of it. I thought it was Mr Garland who wanted to waken ma. About 7.15 a.m. I went to take a eup of cocoa for Mrs Garland as I was : accustomed to do. I knocked at the door , two or three times. I »melled powder. I , - came out to see if tha gun was in the bar. j It was gone. It was usually kept in the bar. I sent for Mr Frew and then for the police. , : There was nothing unusual about Mr and Mrs Garland on the previous evening, only that Mr Garland was very pale and very j quiet. I never knew of any ( between Mr and Mrs Garland. I never knew , anything more than a few words between '• ' ihem. They both appeared very low spirited ;. last Monday. I heard his footsteps ( 'before I heard the noise yesterday morning. The noise did not seem to me like the discharge : ' of a gun. I only heard the noise once. ' There was only myself, my sister, William . Eivers, the man servant, Mr and Mrs Garland .; - and the childien slept in the house that night. ' To the Coroner: Nothing occurred on ''■.; Monday to make them low-spirited. Mrs ' Garland told me they were troubled about a hotel in Christchurch. I believe the hotel ( ■.i belonged to them, and that the man that had J ■ . it was leaving. They both were very ' temperate in their habits. Mrs Garland ] '-' went away the previous evening at about 1 '7.39 p.m., and was back again at 9 o'clock f p.m. There was nothing in their conduct to ] - show that anything was wrong. There was ( ; nothing to show that Mr Garland was out of his mind. j ; ' William Eivers : I have been 15 weeks ia j 'the employment of Mr Garland. I sleep j -..up3tairs. I was awakened before daylight ~ yesterday morning by Mr Garland knocking atthe door. He was not in the habit of ? Galling me that way. He.called me once that J way before. While in the kitchen some l little time after I heard a report like the c discharge of a gun hut did not think it was \ *,.in the house. I accompanied Mary Dunn to i the bedroom and smelled gunpowder. I i then went to call Mr Frew. I observed that t Mr Garland looked pale and was very quiet \ for the last couple of days. I drove Mrs Garland to Winchester on Wednesday night, <; and drove her back home again. She told me a man in Christchurch bad failed and let " them in for a lot of money. I never knew j of any difference between them. Tbey were • both very sober and led a happy life together. « We returned from Winchester about 9.30 1 p.m. Maria Swinton : I am the licensee of the i Winchester Hotel. The deceased John i Garland was mj brother. He was 40 years ( of age. His wife was about 27 or 28 years of age. Mrs Garland called on me between . ' 7 and 8 o'clock on Wednesday evening. She i told me the man who had the hotel in Christchurch had filed and that Mr Garland ( would be going through by the first train ( yesterday morning. I was to meet him at Winchester. He himself told me on Monday l ;that the filing of the man in Christchurch was ] : a considerable loss to him. He appeared to j •feel it; I know of nothing else to disturb ' him; Ha and his wife were very sober, and ' lived happily together. I did not know J anything about his business. ] '' To the Foreman: Mrs Garland never went ' "away from bar husband to my knowledge, i Hemry Garland : I am the brother of the ] deceased. I reside in Christchurch and came , up on hearing of the death of my brother. I have not the slightest idea of what led to him to do this act. He was a little put out about the man filing. I do not think that upset him. Aitken sent for him te eome to some arrangements, but he could not. The only thing I know is that his wife wished to live in Christchurch and that he did not, and that sha was worrying him to go back to Christchurch. I know of nothing else. John Morton -lams constable of police, Btationed in Temuka. From information received yesterday morning, I came to the hotel about 9 o'clock. I went to the bedroom and found it locked and the key removed therefrom. With the assistance of Mr W. Frew I forced the door open, and saw the deceased John Garland Hying on the floor of the bedroom on his right side. There was a large pool of blood under the cheek that lay on the floor. His wife was lying in the usual position in tha bed with her head on the pillow and her right hand under her cheek, as if she were sleeping. She had a large wound from the back of the ear to the top of the head. There was blood all around and her brains were scattered about. I found the gun produced. It is a double barrel breech-loader. Mr Garland was lying on the barrel of it. There was a hair pad on the trigger of the gun, and the muzzle of it was close up under his neck. He was dressed in a dressing gown. Later on in the day I found tha letter produced in his coat pocket at the foot of the bed. The letter was in an open envelope. It was addressed to Mr Broom, Timaru, and I have every reason to believe it was intended for the Inspector of tbe Police. The letter was read as follows :—" April 30th. Mr Broom. Sib,—Th's letter is to let you know that I did this act of injustice to my wife and myself, and my children and God, and may God forgive me. There is £4O in the cashboi which belongs to Mrs Swinton, my sister, and a cheque on the Bank of New Zealand, Christchurch, for £3O, for money I have put in the Bank of New Zealand with my own account, belongs to Mrs Swinton, and I wish that amount, £l7O, paid to Mrs Swinton | at once. There is 170 in the Bank of New Zealand to my account, Bind I wish it to be paid over to my brother, Henry Garland, for to see my children right according to law, and Mr Holmes, my solicitor, to act with my brother, so that my children get wha,t belongs to me. If there is anything else, sel 1 all you can, and divide it between the four children three boys and one girl now alive, iet them all have tha aama. H wh*t is writfceia down

by me is not right according to law, the law must put it right for my four children.— Johk Garland." I found the money as he stated in the cash box. Counted it in Mrs Swinton's presence. She did not take possession of it till Mr Henry Garland was present. To the Foreman : The deceased evidently put his back to the chest of drawers, and put his foot in the loop in the lock of hair on the trigger and pulled it. He had his socks on. John Shaw Hayes : I am a duly qualified medical practitioner. At about 9.25 a.m. yesierday I saw tbe bodies of the deceased. I examined the injuries on both. I found Mr Garland lying by the side of the bed, partially on his face. There was a pool oi coagulated blood about his head and shoulder*. The gun produced was lying beside him with his hand resting on the barrel of it, and the muzzle pointing towards his face. There was a lacerated wound from beneath the chin to the right eye, evidently a gunshot wound. The skin was discolored and charred where the shots w»rr. The shots must have lodged in tha bran. »..d base of the skull. Death must bar- b»en in&t«ntaneous. Mrs Garland was lying in an easy I position with her hand under her head in tbe middle of the bed. It did not appear as if Mr Garland had been recently in bed, as Mrs Garland had the two pillows under her, and had her knees drawn up so that there was not room. There was a large hole burned in the bed clothes. Nearly the whole of the back of her head was blown away, and the skull was broken into several pieces. His impression was that Mr Garlamd had been up for some time ; that while he was out of bed his wife took the other pillow, put it under her head and dozed off again, and while she was asleep she was shot. Ido not think she moved after she was shot. The Coroner said the only question was, what state of mind was Mr Garland m. There was no doubt he murdered his wife, and the question was, what>tate of mind was he in ? . This concluded the evidence, and the jury, after a quarter of an hour's deliberation, returned the following verdict:—' That Amy Garland came tc ber death by the hand of her husband John W. Garland, and that he died by his own hands, but the jury have not sufficient evidence before them to arrive at a decision as to his state of raind.' The funeral will leave the Arowhenua Hotel at 1.30 p.m. to-day for the Temuka Cemetery.