ROYAL OAK TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 167, 11 April 1935, Page 22

ROYAL OAK TRAGEDY

Coroner Reserves His Finding SEPARATION PROCEEDINGS Circumstances surrounding the tragedy at the Royal Oak Hotel on March 24 last, when John Albert Duncan, manager, and Violet Ina Duncan, his wife, were found dead in their beds, with a revolver in Mr. Duncan’s hand, were investigated by the coroner, Mr. E. Gilbertson, J.P., yesterday. At the conclusion of the hearing, he intimated that he would deliver his finding tomorrow morning. Alfredo John Mazengarb, solicitor, gave evidence that he had been consulted by Mrs. Dunean regarding separation and maintenance proceedings on March 19. He had then written to Mr. Duncan informing him he had been instructed that he was agreeable to a separation and asking him to consult his solicitors. On March 21 he had received a letter from Mr. Anyon which, in his opinion, gave grounds for maintenance proceedings. “Just before noon on March 22,” Mr. Mazengarb said, “Mrs. Duncan again communicated with me per telephone, and I advised her 'that she would be entitled, if she so desired, to leave the Royal Oak Hotel. She informed me that she proposed to leave that-day and instructed me to issue maintenance proceedings. I thereupon wrote a letter which was delivered by hand immediately to Mr. Duncan’s solicitors, informing them of the fact that Mrs. Duncan proposed to leave.” On Monday morning he would have issued the papers for maintenance proceedings. Pathologist’s Conclusions. Dr. J. O. Mercer, assistant pathologist at Wellington Hospital, gave evidence concerning his examination of the bodies on the day of the tragedy. From this ho drew the following conclusions: In each case death was instantaneous, and was due to the discharge of a small calibre revolver.into the front of the head at short range. Death had occurred between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Both deceased had died about ,tlie same time. The external features suggested that Mrs. Duncan had been shot while asleep. He did not think that the wound which caused her death could have been self-inflicted. The external appearance of the body of Mr. Duncan, together with a detailed examination of the entrance wound of the bullet, strongly suggested that the injury was self-inflicted. Margaret Winifred Dunean, daughter of deceased, said that up to March 24, she was employed in the office of the hotel. She returned to New Zealand from Australia accompanied by her parents about January 1933. Soon after arriving back in New Zealand her father took over the management of the hotel. On Saturday, March 23, at about 7.50 p.m. her mother left the hotel accompanied by. Mr. and Mrs. I. Hart and she understood that they all attended a picture theatre. She herself went to a dance and returned about midnight. About half an hour later she saw her father and did not notice anything unusual about him. She heard him go into his bedroom next door to the sitting room. At about 1 a.m. she went to her bedroom, which was next door but one to that of her parents. Daughter Not Wakened By Shots. She did not recollect waking up during the night and did not hear any shots fired. At about 6.30 a.m. she was awakened by’ a member of the staff who told her of the tragedy. She did not go into her parents’ bedroom. Miss Duncan said she knew there had been domestic trouble between her parents for some time prior to the trti Her father had brought two pistols from Australia. One, an automatic, he declared, and this was returned to Australia, but the other he had retained. Isaac Hart, importer, gave evidence that he had known the two deceased for approximately 20 years. Since their return to New Zealand he had been closely associated with them. For about five months prior to November, 1934, lie lived at the Royal Oak Hotel arid saw a good deal of them during that period. To ills knowledge they did not have an quarrels of a serious nature. About 6.45 p.m. on the night of the tragedy, be and bls wife went to the Royal Oak Hotel and a little time later, they left with Mrs. Duncan. All attended a theatre, after which he drove the two women back to the hotel, where, with Mr. Duncan, they had supper together in the private sitting room. They remained in the sitting room until about 11.30 when witness and Mrs. Hart left to go home. Mrs. Duncan was alone in the sitting room when they left, and Mr. Duncan accompanied them to the door. That was the last they had seen of either, alive. “No intoxicating liquor had been consumed at the supper party. Mr. Duncan appeared to be in his normal state of health. I could see no difference in him at all,.and it was a great shock to me when I heard of the tragedy,” Mr. Hart stated. Shots and Discovery.

Sergeant J. Coutts said that about 3.35 a.m., on March 24, lie was standing on the footpath at the corner of Cuba Street and Manners Street when be heard a sharp report which sounded like the discharge of a firearm. The sound seemed to come from the direction of Dixon Street and he hurried in that direction. After a lapse of five or six seconds he heard a further report, which was exactly the same as the first and appeared to come from the same direction. Assisted by two constables, witness searched all the doorways in the vicinity, made inquiries at a taxi depot in Dixon Street, and questioned the men walking in the vicinity of the hotel, but was unable to ascertain the cause of the two reports. He then went to the hotel, and told a night porter what he had heard. At the time he thought that possibly the reports came from the hotel. Mr. Gilbertson: “What did you think they were?" Witness: I thought immediately they were the reports of a revolver. Aubrey Transvaal McCleary, a night porter at the hotel, stated that at 0.15 a.m. on March 24 he saw Mr. Duncan locking up the house bar. He noticed nothing unusual about him, and that was the last time he saw him alive. Mr. Duncan was in the habit of going to/ bed after witness began duty at midnight. He had never known" Mr. Duncan to be under the influence of liquor. Did Not Appear Depressed. He did not appear to witness to be depressed. Witness saw nothing of

Mrs. Duncan that night. About 3.40 a.m., as a result of, a visit by Sergeant Coutts, he searched the hotel with the other night porter to see if they could find any person in any of the unoccupied bedrooms, or about the lavatories or corridors, but found nobody. , It was the custom to call Mr. Duncan by telephone at 6 o’clock every morning, and when, no answer was received to repeated telephone calls and knocking on the bedroom door, which was locked, the police were notified. Witness managed to get into the bedroom by entering through the bathroom next door and going through the connecting door into their bedroom. On finding the bodies he opened the door and let the police in. Witness? said-he had not heard any shots in the night. At 3.45 a.m. he had been working in a different part of the hotel from that in which Mr. and Mrs. Duncan’s bedroom was situated. He did not know of any domestic trouble between them.

Sergeant J. Edwards described the finding of the bodies. Mr. Duncan held a revolver in his right hand. There was no sign of any struggle. Frank Brian Anyon, solicitor, gave evidence regarding the separation and maintenance negotiations as outlined by Mr. Mazengarb.

Detective F. N. Robinson said that the revolver found in Mr. Duncan’s hand contained three live and two discharged shells. The only fingerprints found on the revolver were those of Mr. Duncan.

Chief-Detective J. Carroll produced a letter written by Mr. Duncan which he said was a private document. The coroner: It does not disclose his intention to shoot her or commit suicide? 1

The chief detective: No. The coroner said he would give his finding at 10.30 a.m. to-morrow.