AN AUCKLAND TRAGEDY.

' ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE. AUCKLAND, August 15. A sensational incident happened in Russell street, Archhill, Auckland, on Monday evening, a man named John Davis having gone to a house r-ccupied by Mrs Porter, where he fired at his wife and a young man named Richard Chapman, and finally shot himself dead. Chapman was a lodger with Mrs Porter, where Mrs_ Davis had previously lived, and it is staled that recently the people in the neighbourhood have been alarmed by a man dodging about the plaoe, apparently watching the house. On Monday night the man was again seen in the neighbourhood. His actions were more alarming than usual, aud attracted the attention of Constable M'Gilp, who had gone out in plain clothes, so that he might take a closer account of some larrikins who were disturbing the neighbourhood. As the constable passed up Russell street, a lady residing there stopped him, and said that the residents were very much terrified by the goings on of a strange man, wnc haunted backyards, going in and out. The constable walked away, and the woman called out to him, "It seems to me that something serious i will happen at Mrs Porter's house to-night." i The constable went up to Mrs Porter's house, and told her that a strange man was watching the house, and what the lady , lower down the street had said. When the constable left Mrs Porter's he saw Mr I John Murphy, cabinetmaker, who told him ! that the lady residing next door to him ' had told him that she had observed some , strange movements of a man in the vicinity, I I and asked him not to go to his band prac- ' i tice. He did not go, but went to look for ' a policeman. _ "While the policeman was talking to : Murphy, a man passed down in the middle > of the road/ and Mr Murphy ejaculated, " Why, that's the man." The constable suggested that Murphy and he should watch him together, and they each took a street, the constable Russell street and Murphy Commercial road, and followed the suspicious stranger. A minute later the man they were watching saw them, and started to run round into Commercial road, beiug pursued by Mr Murphy, in accordance with the plan. Then he doubled into the house yard which adjoined Porter's, jumped the fence, and got into Mrs Porter's yard. Mr Murphy ran to warn the constable, and as they reached the house from Russell street they heard two shots fired. The stranger, who was Davis, had, it appears, got through to the back of the house. He pressed his face against the window of the kitchen, and glared wildly at some persons inside. There he saw Mrs Porter, Chapman, and Mrs Da-vis in conversation. Simultaneously the people in the house saw him, and Mrs Davies ran out to tho back just as her husband was preparing to burst in the door. In his hand was a revolver, and as his wife came out he fired at her. Mrs Davis, screaming-, threw herself flat on the ground. She was in reality \mhurt, but her "husband evidently believed his shot had taken effect, ;

for lie turned his attention to the man Chapman, who also had rushed out at the sound cf the scream ?nd shot. Aiming at Chapman hurriedly, Davis fired another , shoi, aaid the ball grazed the stomach of the younger man. He turned and fled through the hall to the front of the 'house. As Chapman ran out of the house he ran into Constable M'Gilp, who hold him up. Hard on the heslo of Chapman came Davis, and as Chapman wrenched himself free from the constable and got away, the constable advanced to meet the other man on the verandah. Davis met the constable, who was, as previously stated, in t>laini clothes, and Davis perhaps thought he was Chapman return in sy He at all events raised his revolver in the face of the constable some several feet away. The constable shouted, and then the unfortunate man turned the weapon on himself, and fired, shooting himself dead, life being extinct in a few minutes. The inquest was opeaed at 2 o'clock before Mr T. Gr-esham, corocer. Tho evidence did rot reveal any cause why Davis should have born© any grudge towards Chapman. In fact Chapman etated in evidence that to had never seen Davis, and the evidence of the boarding-house keeper was in the direo tion of showing that there was no particular! intimacy between Mrs Davis and Chapman. Some little time ago Mrs Davis was ai boarder at Mrs Porter's, and Chapman is now boarding there, and, according to the evidence of lira Davis, she went there oni Monday nigh* to get her machine, which she left there. Apparently Davis was watching the house, and it seems that for 1 some little time the neighbours have been alarmed at seeing a man prowling about in the neighbourhood at night, and it wag this which led the constable and Mi? Murphy, who lives in the street, to watch the man, with the result that the constable arrived on the scene just in time to eeo Davis shoot himself. Annie Davis, deceased's wife, said tha* her husband was a steel expert, and cams from Sheffield, England, about four years ago. He failed in business in Auckland about five months ago, and she agreed to separate from him. Her husband then: went to Dunedin, and she took rooms at Mrs Porter's, in Arohhill. About three weeks ago her husband returned, and early one morning oame out to where, she was living, with a revolver, and told her to come with bini. He took her to the Central Hotel, and a few days afterwards they wenfe to live with Mrs Scott, in Queen street. While they were living at Mrs Scott's her husband tried to cut her throat with ai razor, but Mrs Scott prevented him. She then left him, and took rooms in Cook street. On. Monday evening she went out to Mrs Porter's house at Archhill, and while she was there deceased came to the door. Mrs Porter went out to speak to him, and Jie drew a revolver and fired at witness. She fell down, and deceased! said, " I've done for you." Chapman then went outside, and deceased fired at him. A few minutes after she heard a third shot, and was told that Davis had shot himself. Chapman and h&r husband were strangers, and there was no cause for jealousy. Wheii her husband came to Mrs Porter's for her fehe was not in the room with Chapman. ■ Deceased had been in trouble lately, and was down in his luck. Be had been ca,i-ry-ing a revolver about with him for some time, and had threatened her life on many occasions. Be" was of a- jealous, passionate nature, and was not always responsible for his actions. Richard Chapman said he did not know deceased. He had never been in a bedroom with Mrs Davis, and Davis had no reason to be jealous of him. The jury returned a verdict— " That deceased committed suicide with a revolve* whilst temporarily insane." Mr Elsdon Best informs the Wairoa Guardian that the fighting pa afc Ruatahuna) will be opened in 1906, when a Native meeting will be held at that place.