FARM TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 20, 25 January 1939, Page 14

FARM TRAGEDY.

MAN FOR TRIAL. DOUBLE MURDER CHARGE. WOMAN AND BON SHOT. (By Telegraph.- Tress Association.! NELSON, Tuesday. After evidence for the Crown had been heard, Arthur Frederick Kerr, nged fto, • farmer, was committed to the Supreme Court for trial on charges of murdering his wife, Lama May Kerr, and his younger son, Roy Robert (".lack") Kerr, aged 10, at I'ruwheniia, on December 111, Mr. T. K. Fell was in charge of the prosecution and Mr. W. V. Rout appeared for accused. The charges were a sequel to a tragedy In which Mrs. Kerr and her son were found shot. Max .lames Arthur Kerr, aged 11), a son of accused, said he lived at home and went out to work. Tli • ,2'£ c;ilihr» rifle produced belonged to him and used to be kept in his hut, hanging up on the wall. The first thing he heard on the morning of December 1(1 was his father calling out at. about 4.:ii> o'clock. His father was yelling and vvninjr his i«rms about. Witness saw his sister running toward his father and he started to rush out. When he reached his father his sister had run inside. Witness caught hold of his father, who sot zed a tomahawk near by, swinging it at witness. He took it from him. Hisister came back to the door and there was talk of going for help. "Just Yelling." Witness said he telephoned for the police. While waiting for the police and a doctor his father wanted to know where .Jack was. Witness did not remember If accused said anything about his mother. He did not say anything which showed he knew what had happened. Witness did not think he knew. A lot that his father said was unintelligible, just yelling. Accused owned tlie farm ami wished to pay cash for a milking machine. Accused was ~>4 and his mother 40. Accused thought a lot of Jack. Ronald Hope Simpson, farmer, of tJruwhenua. a neighbour of the Kerr's for 12 months, said he had been in their home on many occasions and they all got on well together. Kerr seemed to bo in good health, hut had complained on occasions of being diausy when he stooped. When witness reached Kerr's house Kerr was yelling ami Inter kept calling Jack. Otherwise what he said waa not understandable. He did not appear to recognise witness. Accused did not say anything that showed he knew what had happened' to his wife , and Jack. Another neighbour of the- Kerr*, Robert Alan Scott, said the conditions In tH* home were excellent and they had more than moat farmers. The flight before the tragedy Kerr had teemed quite cheerful. Ila Kerr called him at Ave o'clock the next morning. He found Kerr and Max at the back of the house. Kerr waa waving hie arms and yelling. Accused mentioned Jack now and again and seemed to be worried about him. Kerr said: "You know I love my little boy." While witness waa holding him accused made a dive for a tomahawk. Me once turned to the back door and said i "Mother, cone on out." Apart from the statements referred to the accused said nothing intelligible. laquirtd For His foa. Constable Strawbridge, of Takaka, said Kerr frequently asked where Jack waa. The constable took charge of the accused, and kept him at the station at Takaka until the next afternoon, when ha waa taken away. Accused's condition improved during that time. Witness found two used .22 cartridge eases, one outside Mrs. Kerr's room and one in Jack's porch. Accused was charged on December 17 with the murder of his wife, but he did not appear to understand. Dr. E. C. Byclder said that when he saw Kerr at his house on the morning of December 10 accused did not recognise him for quite a time. Witness found him very maniacal, violent and delusional. He waa confused and disorientated. He recognised the doctor for a few seconds. He also recognised his son Max for a short period, but appeared to recognise no one else. Witness examined Kerr again in the evening and found him not so violent, hut mentally aa bad as ha had been in the morning. Physically there was nothing to find fault with, but mentally ha was depressed and confused. He did not recognise the doctor and answered no questions. Accused's apparent belief that the boy waa alive and unharmed waa consistent with hia mental condition whan witness examined him. Detective's BvMaaea. Detect!**-Sergeant F. Hayhuret, of Kelson, said that between December 1(1 and 24 ha aaw accused on a number of .occasions, and ha waa irrational throughout, but improving. On December 84 witness waa present at the Ngawjmtu Mental Hospital when Dr. Williams Informed the accused that he waa being held by the police on a charge of murdering his wife and son. Accused was not normal at the time, and the significance of this statement did not appear greatly to impress him. He did not appear able to retain any subject in Ma mind for a sufficient length of time to five the matter thought. The position was explained to him a number of times. The accused then said: "You are only telling me a yarn. They were all right when I left." The matter than seemed to slip from his mind. , He' was a much improved man to«dafc' r '*''• >''■ Mr. Felljaald that. In. fairness to.the accused, as the evidence would be published end would go probably before the jurors, he wanted to point out that It was not in, the province of the Court to go Into the mental condition of the accused.,,,, ~„,.,;, ..„„,.,,,. ~..., ,