THE TRAGEDY AT SYDENHAM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 765, 14 March 1910, Page 5

THE TRAGEDY AT SYDENHAM.

'V: V Vwji'JS'S ; EVIDENCE.'; '■'-■ ■''■- '■-'- ■')' ■■ . ... '- -;:-.: ■-.- -. ...-■■ ; 1,-.'." -.- .., ....... .; .1'.,"'.; '. . fßj; TeleeraDh.-Presa ABSoclaUoii J . ■• . ' '•' "•' Chrtstchurch, irarch 12. The inquest concerning, the death of James Frederick Trengrove, who commitBuicide :.at. Sydenham-- on morning after striking his wife a couple M blows, on the head Vith a tomahawk ,iras resumed. . . ';•■:'■■'■ ■■■_ Ethel Edith Trengrove- stated- in' ev{2> nence that deceased was her, husband His age ; was : forty,, and ho was a . la'- : £™rer. and'was of .'intemperate habits. ■ l.hey, had been 1 married twenty, years' Wid,: for .same time past, had lived very Hβ ill-treated her, ■ and she .nad psbtuted.-. proceedings ..for. sum-' maiy.lseparation. .He was aware of this, Jfor had informed him of her intention, and he asked,' for another «nance.■,- She,. however, had declined any sueir proposal. He had been drinking .m baturday: last, :and was recovering from the.effects.',. On ..Wednesday morn-" ang seemed depressed; but. he went to work,as usual,,: at 7.20. He-returned Jome about 7.90,: and. followed her:round: explaining that he had been seat: back to: town'on .business.: He went Jack, to .work some fifteen minutes later, i! , arnTe " '• h° me again at -9.50. He asked witness what she was' doing, and ,«he told-him-that she. was making a few Si °S. e A e T _ was 'going 'away.' He toarked that she would never leave the Jiouse, and then went straight out to the washiouse, and- brought- in the ■' toma■nawfc. He walked over to'where she ?rae packing a box, and: knocked it with vthe tomahawk. She told him that there this nothing belonging to him in the ■pox, and, later, when witness was stands=l ™ ft 8 ? ,1 } ho suddenly stepped the back door, and, putting both Jns,hands to the tomahawk, brought it aem on her head twice in succession mf fff i,h }°Y, 'slightly-'stunning her. tEno blade of the axe was • blunt, and, toparently the blow glanced off, m that W» did not. get the full force of it Her gead was cut, however, and she ■ fell ttown. .■• Trengrove.. stood looking at her - « n * said nothing. As-soon as she recovered sufficiently she-got up, , and rah into the street. Her hnsband had often said that he would "do; for her and' himself " iifjerwards he 'remarked .on Saturday anght that,'if he had a gun, he would shoot her.' She did. not take much notice of_his ■ tlrreats, as she was used to ton. Hβ had knocked her about before and she could not stand it any longer. ■J. hat was why. she commenced proceedings. She. had been compelled to leave ium once' before, but ; had eone back to him.-The disturbance on Saturaay mght finally decided her to. take proceedines for a separation order, and on the following Tuesday, night he seemed demented. ■-.-■.:"■ ..-..;-. ; .',:-. : . , . The coroner returned a verdict that d&leased committed suicide while in a state »f TuiEOund mind. . . - .