CEMETERY TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 223, 13 June 1908, Page 5

CEMETERY TRAGEDY.

A SEXTON'S DISCOVERY. MAN SHOT IN THE HEAD. ■ LETTERS ON SPIRITUALISM *AND SOCIALISM. A little before two o'clock yesterday after i noon Mr..White, sexton at tho Sydney Street | Cometery, was passing along by the shed, which covers tho mausoleum • of : the late Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, when'lie saw a man lying prostrato at the corner of the shed. On coming up to tho man it was found - that there .was a pool of blood under bis hoad. . : r-.; ■ r. Mr. White set off for,,tho Lambton Quay Police 'Station iraniodiatelj; .to inform the police. Mr. Andrew Collins passed soon after, and also saw the man, and found a revolver lying under his left leg, the right hand being close to tho revolver. The man was breathing, ajid ■akmgsido him a number of scaled letters were found.' These Mr.' Collins took charge of, and together with the revolver handed ; them to the police. . ' Letters found in the man's pockets showed that his name was 'Albert E: Freeman, and .that ho had been boarding at Mr. Jew's boaidinghouse,' Lambton Quay. He is a man about 37 years of age. Fragments of letters and envelopes were found in Freeman's pockets indicating a per- . tu'rbed and unsettled state of mind. Most of the communications were of a'Socialists . character. A. BULLET-WOUND. An examination showed that a bullet hsi apparently penetrated tho right templo and traversed the brain, evidently breaking tha ' frontal'bone on tho opposite side without escaping, as the skin was unbroken. . After some unavoidable delay tho man,who was still breathing, was removed to the . 1 Hospital. 1 Constable Brown, who has been on duty at the Botanical Gardens for some time past, stages that for tho past thrco weeks he has • . seen- . Freeman about " the gardens, and al- ' though his notice had been attracted by him . on several occasions, the man had never bo- } Haved in such a way as to causo tho policeman to takp any action. SOME OF THE LETTERS.- , In.oludod in tho correspondence and papers l'ound in Freeman's pockets were a Post Office Savings Bank receipt dated March last for ' £120, also a letter from the Western Federation of Denver, enclosing a' receipt for a subscription to, the " Miners' Maga--1 zine." A booklet entitled "Spiritualism : Vindicated and Clerical Slanders Refuted," and.a leaflet, "What Socialists Want," issued by the Socialist Party, Wellington, was Mso " amongst his effects. "Grievances from Ireland " was the title of another booklet, o Addressed letters found in. the'' man's '- pockets included a foolscap envelope o directed to the members of the dramatic prot fession, and letters to Messrs. Wm. Freeman ; and Frank Moore, of johnsonville, Mrs. Seddon v and the City Coroner. Another bulky e letter was labelled. ".Suggestions to Capin talists of America," with a side note signed; by Freoman, asking. New Zealand papers to -- pleaso copy. d -

NOTE ON. A, RECEIPT. The. following noto was written oil tho back of a receipt from a Wellington firm for a suit of clothes:—"The same cau be done in the land of spirits. Ethereal suits for tailors here, their occupations being tho same in the two worlds. In astral cities. I have frequently been donned up in ethereal attire, but everything vanished returning from the trance." •Written on the outsido cover of a copy of tho " Western Magazine " tho following appeared in tho" writing, of Freoman;— ".This is the last shot on the Tampart this side of existence, and consoled to. die alongside the mouthpiece of the famous Western. Federation. .. May justico come, liberty dawn with tho rights of man. Supremo is my last wish, hope, and prayer in the graveyard of tho Wellington dead, and here goes to the" land of spirits being a necessary jump to tako. Farewell, old world, • you. have been hard'to mo, yet the, sun of tho old passes out in tho'wost, and,.the sun of Hope, Freedom, and Happiness rises on the Eastern horizon for a world's splendour and happiness of all—farewell. SPIRITUALISM AND SOCIALISM. Tho bulkiest budget of manuscript found ifi possession of Freeman is made up of 41 pages of closely written matter dealing with various of socialism and spiritualism, tho copy anpoaring to be in the form of notes of a lecture to be delivered.-., The contents of tlio lottor appear to he of ft rambling'.naturo, .and aro hardly comprehensible to tho "Metropolitau Police I'orce." to tho members of which the budget is directed. The opening of. tho document is as follows:-^. 1 ■'" Gentlemen,—! am .osteemoly'sorw to be driven to this, estremo act, but -it is from things boyond • control and- power I cannot overcome. I was selected by certain responsible circles of spirits as Ivan D'Arc, bwedeuborg, and some others woro selected as 'agents of tlio spirit world (in my case) for "tho "fulfilment of a mission and carrying out of comprehensive plans that would have an important boaring on the ( wholo world's des-tiny.-—Tho.. execution. of these plans was to be brought about by opening up rich producing; mines in tho'miueral regions and moun. tains of Idaho,'U.S.A. I was given full instructions in trances about these extensive ore -bodies and gold (jiggles by fully competent spirits, former, miners and mineralologists, who gavo tho exact places, so that |„I engaged .at. the work of exploration introspecting for minorals under, instructions, and found splendid indications of rich oro bodiep with depth." ' THE SPIRIT WORLD. '* . " Troubles began over in tho spirit world just the same, for I was and am a socialist," continued the lottor, "and was aiming to work for and advance to a final issuo this splendid cause and movement of socialism which aims to lift all, elevate socisty, and bring about a better world. - Now things are conductod over in the spirit world identical with, and just the samo, as here. They have their astral cities, follow tho samo* pursuits, have banks, coins and currency, in the ethereal state. Capitalists alid workmen, police officers on their beat, strikes, too, with no marked differences in tho mode of life and manner of living." ... .. And so tho story Gambles on • through/its 41 pages, ending up with the following:— : "Thiß is the tale and'thread of the story, and thanking tho patience of tho vast\spr'ead audienoo. I- will say good-byo—au:.r6voir— faroweil—until lam heard from again.— (signed) " ALBERT E. FREEMAIC." : On inquiry at the' hospital late last'night wc wore informed that there was no improvement in Freeman's condition, : which was critical. . 1 ' - - ■