DOUBLE TRAGEDY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10350, 13 March 1925, Page 5

DOUBLE TRAGEDY.

WOMAN FOUND POISONED.

HER BABY STRANGLED

(Per Press Association—Copyright). (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. A double tragedy occurred at East Maitland, where Mrs Cooper was found poisoned and her babv strangled. Mrs Cooper lias been in ill-health for some time.

THE SYDNEY TRAGEDY

DEATH OF ONE WOMAN.

DAUGHTER’S CRITICAL STATE

(Per Press Association —Copyright.) SYDNEY, March 12. One of the two women found wounded in a house at Redfem, Alice Smith, aged 45, died shortly after her admission to the hospital. Her daughter is in a critical condition.

The police found both women lying in bed, with the bedclothes pulled over their heads, which were battered by a tomahawk. The first report that the women were shot was caused by a neighbour, who saw Mrs Smith’s son, aged about 14, on the roof, and fired at him, thinking he was a burglar. Mrs Smith was living apart from her husband, who 1 is at Woywoy. Alice Quirk is Mrs Smith’s daughter by a previous marriage. The elder boy says that after being awakened by the screams of his mother he heard a man approaching his room. He climbed out on to the roof and the younger boy hid under the bed. As the boys’ room is right at the hack of the house, andi upstairs, the theory is that the murderer intended to kill the hoys also, hut became alarmed at the noise and fled.