MURDER AND SUICIDE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2144, 6 April 1886, Page 2

MURDER AND SUICIDE.

Shortly before 7 o'tlnck <>n Frid-iy owning a crime * »f a dreadful and tragic character was committed in Arelihill, n young woman natn-d Keeling being murdered in the public Htrcet hy Kdwaid Fuller, a rejected suitor for her hand, tltu murderer committing suicide in an adjoining Mtieet mrric'di.itely aftur tin- pcrpetraticm <if the deed. We are indebted to the Herald for the following particulars concerning tho inque«t : — The inquents into the deaths of Edward Fuller and Emily Mary Keeling were held on Saturday, at Mr Jenkins residence, King-street, Archhill, befoie Dr. Phi Non, coroner, and a jury (if six : — Tho Coroner decide d to take the inquest first on the body of Edward James Full, r, which lay in tho adjoining room, and the jury, having been empanelled, inspector] the body. It was in the same state in which it wns found, dressed in a black *ac coat and vest and light tweed trousers, the only other covering being a sheet. There was blood about the face and over the month, and when the body was turned on its side a quantity of hnlf-clotted blood flowed fioin the mouth to the floor. On resuming, the following evidence was taken : — Dr. Arthur Challinnr Purchas dopnsed that he was not previously acquainted witli the deceased, but was called to visit him on Friday ovening at a few minutes before seven o'clock. He found him at the corner of Brisbane and Stanley-streets, lying on the ground on his face. On c\ ainination he found that be wan dead, but still warm. There was bfood flowing from the month and nostrils, and there wan a lump which felt like a bullet at the back of the nape of the neck. In feeling the mouth' he found the palate displaced, and a breach in tho hard palate of a ragged character. The lump at the nape of the neck wan round, and just under the skin. [At the request of the coroner, Dr. Purchas then proceeded to extract the bullet, which he produced betore the jury. It was a small conical bullet which ho had extracted. The bullet was grooved on one side, evidently by the passage of the bullet through the barrel of the pistol, and fitted the barrel of the revolver produced, and corresponded with a cartridge produced by Sergeant Pratt, which wm found on deceased.] It waa lying by deceased's side near the fence. It was a six-chambered revolver, and three chambers hud been discharged and three were still loaded. The revolver was a British biilldog, and appeared to be quite new and of modern design. There were no marks of blood on it. There were no other marks of violence on the body. In hits opinion death was due to injury to the base of the brain, and must have been instantaneous. He supposed deceased put the revolver into his mouth and pulled the trigger. The wound he believed to have been inflicted by his own hand. From the condition of the body he appeared to have been in good previous health. John Murphy, a youth about sixteen years of age, who described himself as a bootmaker, residing in Keppell-street, deposed that he had known deceased for about six months. On Friday evening about a quarter to se\ en o'clock, witness was coming home from the Domain, and saw deceased lying on the ground beside Stanley's house. He thought at first it was some drunken fellow. He went up to him, but in tho dark he could not recognise him. He told him to get up, but he made no answer. Witness waited a.Vtonl two minutes, and Mr Dearncsa c nne b\ r , and witness struck a match, but cou'd not make out tvho the man was, .i >d Mr Dcirness told him to go and in for n the police, Ho went at once to Con-tablo Clarke, who returned with him. There were feoine boys about then, and they found out who deceased was. Witness saw the body lemoved, and then went homo. Witness did not heai any repoit of firoaims before he came up to the body. The distance from deceased '» home to where the body was was about 210 yards. Jaliez Edward Thomas, storekeeper, corner of King and Stanley-street^, deposed that ho was not acquainted with deceased, and knew nothing regarding the death of deceased. At about twenty minutes to seven p.m. on Fiiday witness was standing at his shop-door, and heard a repot t similar to a pistol shot and a scream. He saw a male and female close together. The man had a dark coat and light pants. They were standing at the opposite coi ner of the the street, about 40 feet from where he was standing. He heard the female cry, "Will no one save me ?" and witness replied, " I will." An he heard this he heard a second report and saw a flash, and he ran across the road and told tho girl to go into Ins shop. Witness did not then know who she was. She was then standing in the middle of the road. Witness rushed between her and the man, and told her to run into the shop, and she ran and sat on the door-step. Witness then turned round and saw the man run up Stanley-street He heard no further report, and that was all he knew regarding this death. The man he saw run' away had clothes similar to those he saw on deceased. He did not bear , deceased call out, nor did he hear any remark made between the male and female. Constable Clarke, stationed at Newton, deposed that be waa not acquainted with deceased. He was called on Friday night at a few minutes to 7 o'clock, and was told that a man bad shot himielt. On reaching the place he found tho man lying, face downwards, at the corner of Brisbane an J Stanley-streets, on the footpath, quite dead. He had heard the evidence given by Dr Purchas, and corroborated it. Witness had the body r removed to the residence of, Mr John Jenkius, brother-in-law of deceased, having previously searched his pockets. He was dressed in a dark coat and vest and gray trousers. There was no blood on the clothes. Witness found the revolver (produced) in bis right hand. It appeared to have beeu recently discharged. He also found a silver open-faced watch, and six cartridges suitable for the revolver; also a purse containing £3 9s lOid, a pipe and tobacco, and a handkerchief; also some letter* (produced), in one of whioh, addrtictsed to his brothers and sisters, dated Friday, he stated his intention to destroy hiowelf. The letter, which was written on an ordinary sheet of notepaper in red ink, waa as follows :—: — Dear brothers and sis'ers,— This will be the last time that I shall be able to write to you When you have ••■reived .this letter I shall be dead, u I am going to shunt myself to-ni£ht Life is a misery to me now. I love Emily Keeling as no one ever loved before, and she cannot go with me, because she is afraid rur father would make a row again. If he hid consented whi*n 1 asked him the first time tins would never ha\e happened. I don't think she likes me so well now as she did then. It don't matter where I go I cannot stop, and that is the reason I could not stop up at Hendersons Mill ; so I have mado up my mind to shoot myself, as I cannot live without her. I shall speak to her to-night, and a«k her whether she will have me without her father's consent. I' she objects we will both die together. You can divide my money between you and Lizzie. So now I bid you all good-bye fur ever.— From your loving brother, Ed. Jas. Fuller. The other letters were from the deceased girl, Emily M. Keeling, to Fuller, and showed that they were on friendly terms, and that she did not discourage his suit, only that her father objected. John Jenkins, carpenter, King-street, Archhill, deposed that the deceased was his wife's brother. He would be 22 years of age the 26th of this month. Witness last saw him alive at about half-past five on Friday in that room looking through the window. They had no conversation, witness being outside at the time. Deceased had resided with witness for the last three years, being absent occasionally. He was at Wairoa about six months, and returned in January, and had been at home since. During the last two days he noticed that deceased was very reserved and gloomy, not speaking to anyone, just going from his bedroom to his meals, and from his meals to his bedroom. He sometime", when not at work, did not come to breakfast. Witness believed he slept well, and never heard him walking about at night. Witness knew nothing of the revolver, and was not aware he had such a thing. He did not recognise it at all. He bad seen a box of cartridges that day in deceased's room, which apparently belonged to that revolver. He produced them. They were in a tin case labelled "50 Eley's central fire cartridges, 380." Tho case contained 36 cartridges. Deceased wan not in the babit of going to town, but about 10 o'clock the previous morning he went out and returned about dinner time. He spoke very little about Miss Keeling, and neither witness nor his wife had any reason to believe that he was serious in the matter. They knew that be bad asked her father to let him keep company with her, but not to marry; her. Deceased bad writing materials in his own room. On Monday last he left to go to Henderson for work, and when he came back he said he had a job. Ho went on Tuesday morning, and witness wa» informed that he worked till dinner time. He returned home that night, and in reply J

to witness, he told him li • wmild hate to ni iko a fresh week. Tins m-cihul to he wlnit was referred to in In- letlei. Witness hi-.iul nf his do itli about Inlf-pa-t -even o'clock, and the body wn hi might soon afttrward*. Deceased had an account at the Newton Sat ings Bank, Knowing that he had £12. The li.ink bo'.k « n imt now in the house. It was genei illy kept for him by Mm Jenkins, but 'if gut it two day ngo, and they had i, t -oen it Binj«>. iJe cea^ed'a habits weiv \eiy K>>ber. He hid a fair educition. He came from N"rf«»lk thicc yuat> »ro next month. He. tm^rlit mention with le^aid to the letter* found on deco.iHed r.id written by Mi->^ X -elinj?, that it would be suen by the d.ituj that tliuy were wiittcn two yc.irs a^>>. After a du'iberation of about fifteen minutes, the jury returned a verdict of " Felo do sn" witliout any rider or rjui.uk. Inimedi.itely after the termination ol the inquest on Saturday, by consent of tho coroner, the rciniins of the wi etched younp man who had terminated two lives were prepaied for iiitermi'iit. A hearse and mourning carriage were in waiting, and after the corjro hi J b:jsi placed in the coffin and the lid fastened down, the coffin was placad in the hoat-c. ll w brother-in-law, Mr Jeukinn, and his sons followed in tho carriage as chief mourners. About a do/.en neigltbnir* followed the carriage, and th« funeral of Edward James Fuller moved off just as the inquest on his victim, Miss Keeling, wan commencing.