TRAGEDY AT PAPAKAIO.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8251, 4 October 1906, Page 5

TRAGEDY AT PAPAKAIO.

A SCHOOLMASTER MURDERED. WHOLE AFFAIR WRAPPED IN MYSTERY. By Telegraph—Press Association. OAMARU, October 3. The town was startled, this afternoon, by the news that Mr W. H. Renuie, schoolmaster at Papakaio, had been murdere'd, and subsequent investigation ieaies no doubt that the tragedy of murder had beon committed. : Mr Reunie lives about a mile away from his country school in a house that Btands by itself a considerable distance away from any other dwelling. The girl who comes in the morning to attend to the bouse noticed something unusual in the place, and on going to the bedroom saw a foot uncovered in the bed. She rao away and ualied assistance, and then farther assistance was called, x The police were communicated withj and on going out they found that Rennie had been shot through the head evidently whilst lying in bed. The bullet had passed from one side of the head to the other, and the hands were folded across the breast with the bedclothes above the hands. The house had the appearance of having bean ransaoked, but there is no evidence that anything was takeu away. No weapon was found in the house, and the position of the body precludes the idea that it is a case of suicide. The back door was found open, but it is possible that it was not locked by Mr Rennie before retiring for the night. The polioe have investigated, and, it is believed, could find no clue. The whole affair is wrapped in mystery. Mr Rennie was a retiring man, and had been twelve years in charge of the school. His mother lives near Dunedin. He was 37 years of age.