THE RAKAIA TRAGEDY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1681, 3 January 1888, Page 2

THE RAKAIA TRAGEDY.

An inquest was held at South Rakaia on Saturday last on ’the body of Thomas Blaekstock Dalziel, aged three years and four,., months, who met his death in the Rakaia river! on Thursday.' I The principal evidence was given by Catherine Thompson, aged fourteen. §be’stated, that a little after" twelve o’clock on Thursdayisbe; saw a woman and a child pass through a gate into her father’s paddock,; near,-the river' bed. The woman appeared to be watching witness, and proceeded to climb over the fence and go towards the river, carrying a child in, her arms. Witness and, her brother followed the woman, and the latter sat down near the -first stream, and after a few minutes the: Woman got up and walked towards the next stream. ; The woman still watched witness. .- Witness heard* the child cry out, “Mother, don’t drown mel-’ .The boy ran away, and the woman followed sind caught him. ■ The woman then took some under-’ ■ clothing off and tisd the child jto her body. She also took off her garter, and put it' through the button-hole of the boy’s jacket- She then" stepped into the water. The child cried out again, and the woman then rolled over in the water. After this she floated down the stream, which was very rapid. The woman was breast high in the water, and once she went under. The woman did not appear to struggle, but had evidently purposely thrown heijselfiiito the I !water. Witness did pot see,the child, after hearing it cry but 1 the second time. Witness and her brother ran up and reported the matter to her father. The woman and her child were afterwards found about fifty yards below where the woman , went into the water. The child 'was tied to the mother, and when found the woman was behind some flax bushes. The woman was insensible. When the woman sat down at the first stream she appeared to be drinking something. The woman deliberately walked into ,the second stream,and rolled over. .About an hour and, three, quarters: elapsed from the .time .-witness; first saw the woman and the finding of the woman and body of the child. Witness watched the woman for a while after seeing her go into the water, and then went to tell her father, s ;

A domestic servant at the South Eakaia Hotel , deposed .to supplying Mrs 'l)|il,ziel pit .the morning ;pf.th? child’s ! death, but averred that she was then quite: sober. ;

John Allen Bandell, a farmer at Dunsandel, for whom' Mrs Dalzeil was housekeeper, deposed to her general intemperate habits], and stated that on Wednesday night she was oO intoxicated that he had to arrange with,the hotelkeeper at Eakaia to ; .take care oi: her.! 5

. f l he jury, after a brief retirement, returned the following verdict: —“We find that Thomas Blackstock Dalziel came by his death by being carried into the river by his mother, Martha Dalziel, and that the evidence before us appears to disclose the fact that the woman desired to, destroy her own i'iifl as weli as that' of her,, child,«and in this opinion we all concur.’’ The Coroner, Mr J. Ollivier, intimated that ibe verdict was tantamount to that of murder, and that he agreed with it. He should therefore order that M artha Dalziel be placed under arrest. At a late hour on Satiirclay:: nigHt Mrs Dalziel was still lying in a semiconscious state in the Ashburton hospital, and. was deemed to ;he in: a pre-,-carious condition. , •