WIFE MURDER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 7

WIFE MURDER.

COMMOTED ON. GROUND OF INSANITY. ** TELKQitAPn—piiEsL ASSOClATlON:—copyright Melbourne, May 30.' . • Manning,- • sentenced • to death for wifehas' been declared insane, arid 'His.-, sentence cofnmuted to one of imprisorimeht for life. -'. , On the night of i February 8, [it Beridigo,.Tohn C. Manning, 62 years,: of agfe, murdered Kis 'wife,, aged.s7,years, .and 'attempted to cut his. own throat. A diary and memoranda were found on him which, says ah Australian paper,' indicate ; that, Manning Was /either Mentally weak or was labouring : under a • delusion respe'etiiig his wife. .The .entries in the diary Wore as follow:— Nov. 1, 1907 : "I am pencilling these fetf 'lines so that the outside world > will ' know when I am. no more what -I •• have, had to fcontend with ; during my married lifp of 33 years." Bee. 31: "I will write no iriore; talking is no good. I must act tho part with, good heart." .ran. 20: "To God I keep praying for me to keep riiy haiids off her. I. ani one out of ten thousand, biit I cannot endure it much longer. To save any further trouble; dear Coroner, by reading, all .niy.writings from day .to day yon' can judge how sho has driven mo to despair." Saturday, Feb. 3: "It has c'orhe to that I cannot stand it any longert l am getting luny, and am. d—d sure I won't get into a iriaahouse. It must end now, I cannot longer stand.'.' Pasted' on one of the leaves in one of the diary books was a clipping from a paper giving a description of a recent tragedy at South. Melbourne. The headlines rau—"Horrible Double Tragedy. Crazy Husband Slaugh-, tors; Nagging. Wife." Underneath the. second headline Manning wrote .in pencil,- "J\io no crazy." The police asked Manning why he had taken Mrs. Manning to'the spot. Manning replied: "I wont there to look for treasure, I had a trowel with me. Sho sat alongside me while I was looking for it. Sho started «tin argument; and called me a liar; I threw some gravel in lier face. then. I upset her backwards, and finished her." I am sorry I did .not finish myself.". '. . Referring to the agitation for a reprieve, a daughter of the condemned man recently declared that her father is not insane, but that it pays him' to be insane just now.,. She said: "If lie was insane lie would have killed my mother' at honio and not lured her 'to a lonoly spot." The daughter added: "I think he should be hanged—the wicked man; Ido not icare what becomes of liim so long as he is riot let \6ir. • Hanging would .be a just punishment. H? has broken up our'liome and taken, the life of a loving mother and. a good wife." ■