ATTEMPTED MURDER.

A BRUTAL ATTACK. WIFE'S TERRIBLE ORDEAL. I'ress Atisaciatlitn. AUCKLAND, October 7. A sensational crime was committed at Alfristou, between Manurewa ami Brookby, 18 miles from Auckland, early this morning. The sequel was the arrest this afternoon of John Arnold, aged 42, a farm worker, on a charge of having attempted to murder his wife, Freda Arnold, 33. The Arnolds lived in a seven-roomed house, near the centre of the settlement, with six children, four being girls of from eight to 13 years. The house was owned by Mrs Arnold's father, John Henry Hansch, 54, who was temporarily residing there. Between midnight and 1 a.m. Hansch and the four little girls were aroused by hearing Mrs Arnold screaming. Hansch rushed to the door of his daughter's bedi%om and opened it, asking what was the matter. Arnold ran towards him,- struck him on the head with a stick, thrust him out and bolted the door against him. Hansch, fearing that murder was being done, ran across the road to a neighbour's to obtain assistance. As lie and the neighbour were returning they saw Arnold's house break into flames, and by the time .they readied it the house was burning so fiercely as to prevent them, entering. Meantime the eldest child, Gretchen, heard her mother calling to her and ran to her door. It was open, and two young children, Douglas and Lewis, twins, four years old, who slept in their parents' room, came running out to her. The six children went into the middle room, the father not making any attempt to interfere with them. Presently Gretchen heard a crackling noise, and discovered that the house was on fire. She collected the rest of the children and all escaped in their night clothes out of the back door. They thought their mother was still in the house, and probably dead. As a matter of fact, however, Mrs Arnold, after a terrible experience, had escaped. The story she related subsequently was that her husband picked a quarrel with her in their bedroom, finally attacking her ami beating her over the head with a stick and tray. He then bound her by the ankles and wrists to the bedpost. During the struggle she collapsed, and Arnold, thinking her dead, said, "Now ■you're dead I'll fire tlie house." This he proceeded to do. Mrs Arnold declared that, coming to her senses, she three times put fires out in the bedroom and dining-room adjoining. She had worked her hands free and then undid the bindings around her ankles. When Arnold saw that she had revived he agaiu attacked her. She alleges he attacked her five times in all. Ultimately he left her for dead. Mrs Arnold recovered in time to realise that the house was ablaze, and she made her escape, how she does not know. She was only in her nightgown, but she made off across the paddocks intervening between her own home and her mother's. She avoided the proper tracifc, fearing her husband would follow her. As a result/she had to cross sonic'swampy land in'a gully and wade through two fairly deep creeks. When she arrived at her mother's house she was in a deplorable condition, weak from loss of blood and wet from head to foot, but medical assistance was soon forthcoming. The house was burned to the ground, nothing being saved. Arnold was arrested this afternoon. He seemed dazed and asked what he had done. He is understood to have stated that he tried to drown himself in the creek after the crime, but failed owing to being unable to tie his own hands together. Mrs Arnold's condition was reported to be low this evening.