SHOCKING TRAGEDY NEAR DUNEDIN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1645, 11 October 1887, Page 2

SHOCKING TRAGEDY NEAR DUNEDIN.

A terrib'e domestic tragedy on Sunday afternoon in the immediate neighborhood of Dunedin, Edward Loft, a tradesman well known in Dunedin, who has for years past been connected with a boot making business in the Arcade, shot his wife at Woodhangh between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon, wounding her, it is to be feared, mortally, and afterwards committed suicide upon the appearance \of the police. There are various details Iff yet to be learned which will so doubt throw fuller light upon the occurrence,

but so far as appears at present the deed was committed by a man rendered wholly irrational from the effects of drink. Loft I it is known had been drinking freely for a week past, and he was in the habit of giving away periodically to this vice. As already said, he carried on business as a bootmaker in the Arcade,, but bo had various properties about Dumdio, and amongst them a farm known as The Cedars, in tha Waikari district, situated about midway between Halfway Bush and the Water of Leith, This farm has not

been worked recently, and Loft and his wife were in the hub t of walking there on Sundays from their own home in Clark street, Nortli-Eist Valley, to look at th* plac*. They did bo yesterday, leaving home at 11 o’clock io the morning, accompanied by Miss Emma Bury, a con in of Mrs Loft, aged about 17 years, 'ihe party took some sandwiches with them, intending to lunch in the unoccupied farmhouse. On arriving there Mrs Loft and Miss Bury employe! themaslvrs for some time in gathering wild fl iwers, and Loft left thorn in order to drive some cows out of the garden. He wag away for about 10 minutes, and ou his rej doing them the whol •. ptrty entered the fanu-hou-e. Th re was nothing then alarming & <n his dame>nor, and he hid seemed Ml right during the walk out, although bis wife and her cousin knew that he vas suff ring more or less from excessive drinking. Inside the house Mrs Lit spread out the luncheon they had brought with them, «nd they busied berae f m arranging the flowers just gathered. From Mr the fragmentary statements of Miss BurjN . who is natural y in an unfit state to bea?!* much questioning, little or no conversation was taking place at this precise juncture. Whether or no the husband and wife were talking together previously, it is u least certain that Mrs Loft • id to her husband at this time: “ Wnat do you want to drink to-dav f,, t - J” 'thereupon, without any warm g, Loft put his hand

in his coat pocket and presented a revolver, which he levelled at hi* wife, saying, “Take that.” He fired two shots in close succession, and both took effect, one bullet first wounding the unfortunate woman in the right hand, which she had by a natural impulse raised to shield herself. Immediately upon the discharge Miss Bury, the only witness on the scene, fled by the door and saw as she ran that Mrs Loft was trying to make her escape by the window. Loft quitted his wife, at whom he had fired, and pursued Miss Bury, who took flight across an adjoining paddock. He overtook her a short distance from the house, throw her down, and grasping her by the throat tried to throttle her. The girl, after struggling vainly, seems to have lapsed into insensibility, and on recovering consciousness Saw the would-be murderer and his victim near the road, not far from where she lay. Mrs Loft, who was bleeding, said, “ I am not long for this world,” and made as though she would leave the bank against which she was leaning and go for some water. A noteworthy feature in the affair is that her husband had apparently by this time relinquished any homicidal design, and was anxious to assist his wife. He offered himself to go for the water, and finally gave his hat to Mias Bury, telling her to get it at a drain not far distant. The girl, however, instead of doing this made off across the rising ground which separates this farm from that occupied by the nearest neighbors, a family named .Reynolds, and gave the alarm to them. The Reynolds’, father and son, hastened out forthwith, and saw Mrs Loft staggering towards them. She finally fell, and they carried her into their house, after which the son went to give the alarm to the police (fortunately finding Sergeant O’Neill and two constables on duly at Woodhaugh within easy distance), and the father again walked towards the scene of the tragedy. He met Loft, who came up to, him still holding the revolver, and asked whether his wife were dead. Reynold* replied that she was not, but was in much the same stale as when her husband left her, and Loft then said, “If she is dead I will blow my brains out.” He also said it wan drink that caused it, and seemed to some extent to have recovered from his paroxysm, although he still held the revolver ready, and by hi* manner was standing at bay. At any rate, Mr Reynolds did not care to make any movement upon him, and a few moments afterwards the police, summoned by the younger Reynolds, hove in sight. They were fifty or more yards away on the road, and a fence separated them from the paddook, but at the first glimpse of them the miserable man put the revolver in hi* mouth aid fired. The ba'l penetrated almost to the skin at the back of the neck, and ho, in Sergeant O’Neill's words, “fell like a lump, dead, without a struggle.” DrMaunsell, who was communicated with, was on the spot in a wonderfully short time, and recommended Mrs Loft’s removal to the hospital, but by her own urgent request *he was conveyed instead to her own home, accompanied by Mis* Bury and Mrs Reynolds. Her recovery is virtually impossible, as one of the bullets entered her right breast and passed right through the lung and out near the shoulder blade. The other came in cobtact with a steel busk on the left aide of her corset, and glanced off, doing comparatively little mischief. She was conscious throughout, but very weak from excessive loss of blood, and almost speechless. Inspector Weldon arrived at the scene of the tragedy shortly afterwards, and witnessed the removal of the injured woman and the body of her husband. THE SOTOIDE AND HIS VICTIM. Loft Was a man well known, by sight at least, to most residents of Dnnedin, He arrived in the colony about 14 years ago, and at the time of this occurrence wu* probably a little over 40 years of age, Lis wife being some years younger. About five years ago he retired from the boot business in the Arcade, realising on what ware considered very favorable terms, and when he took bis wife on a trip to the Old Country he was estimated to be worth several thousand pounds. On returning to the colony he started business at Oamaru, but the baukruptcy of Mr Notfc, his auccessor in the Dunedin business, induced him to return to tbi* city, and he again took over his old premises, together with the large stock, and resumed business here. Business has not been good with him of late, and he gave way as formerly to periodical drinking bouts. The peculiar circumstance of his having yesterday a loaded revolver upon his person is accounted fo» by a statement made by several persons to the effect that he habitually carried such a weapon. He was Worse than eccentric when drinking, and w»sn man believed to be more or leas liable to attacks of delirium tremens. Men who saw him on the Saturday evening ’ state the effects of heavy drinking w«re then visible in hi* strange demeanor, and that ho teemed in fact, according to ooe witness, to be "mad,” although after a quiet fashion. Loft witnessed the performance of “ The Corsican Brothers ” at the Princess Theatre on Sained ay night, and the theme of this play was not calculated to quiet him mentally. Mrs Loft is spoken ot a* an exceedingly pleasant woman, mjucb liked by all who know her. Bhe look an active part in the business, and was, in fact, its mainstay. Miss Bury was only brought over by Loft from Me 1 - bourue about six months »g.*, and has been residing since with lur relatives. She ha* suffered a severe mental shock, but is not physically injured by the attack made on her by Loft. miss hurt’s statement. Miss Emma Bury’s statement to the Eolice has not bean allowed to transpire, ut the following is substantially her version of the affair; —l am a cousin of . Mrs Loft’s, and reside with her in the North-East Valley. 1 have done so for the last six months. At a little before . 11 o’clock to-day 1 left home with Mr and lira Loft. Wo went to his farm near the reservoir. We walked about and were gathering flowers. Mr Loft left ua in the bosh and went to pul some cows out of the garden. He returned in about 10 or 15 minutes, and wo all «ent into tb« farm house, Mrs Loft was fixing some flowers, and she asked deceased, “Whit do you want to drink to-day for !” He immediately put his hand into his coat pocket, pulle 4 out a revolver, and fired two shot* at her, saying, “Tike ihai,” or words to that effect. Mr* Loft tried to gel out of the window aod could not. 1 ran out of the door nod across the paddock, be pursuing m*. He threw me down and caught me by the throat, and fried to choke me. The last thing 1 re-

member was seeing Mr and Mrs Loft sitting down near the road, Mrs Loft said, “I am not long for this world.” I said, “ I wil go and get soma water,” I observed blood on her hand, «nd she was loaning agai .si the bank. He said, "I will go with you, but you will have to go to the drain opposite.” Ho gave me his hat to fetch the water. I made for the first house, Reynolds’, and told the people in the house what had happened. There were some men came out of the house, and took Mrs Loft to the farmhouse. I did not see Loft afterwards.—Otago Daily Times.