SHOCKING AFFAIR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1506, 30 October 1886, Page 1

SHOCKING AFFAIR.

Melbourne, October. 20. A sad case of infanticide and suicide occured iu the suburb of Footscray last week. A demented young woman drowned herself and infant in an underground tank. She .was the wife of Fred. George, a tanner, who on rising found bis wife and child gone,, Going out into the.yard, and looking into .the tank he found the dead body of bis child floating. Greatly excited he called for: 'the assistance ‘af. his father, who dim opposite. The father went to the ta’nk,. land with a long,\ stick felt ;an obstruction, from which, rose; a piece of calico;. Then, according to their version, - the father and his son'went fo seek and called a neighbour, samed Harrison, who quickly, returned .with thenr-when al( three > were astounded >to find Mrs Geofge’s dead body lying bn'the outside of the tank, A' more extraordinary instance of absence,of mind perhaps was scarcely ever recorded.- There is not a shadow of doubt that one or both of the Georges rtmst before going for Harrison hive raised the body to the'position in which it was found, and then gone for assistance ; . but, owing ,to the distraction, mUst have forgotten all about taking the body from the tank, and yet they rethembered everything else with tolerable, distinctness,, George’s father had committed,i suicide, and she once or twice betrayed symptoms of weakness of mind, scrap of printed paper, with “Fred, tuad, mad,” written in pencil pn, the margin. Tv: children are left, the eldebl tour ye ... old.