KUROW TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 123, 28 May 1925, Page 5

KUROW TRAGEDY

A SUICIDE PACT

THE CORONER'S: OPINION

<BI mBORAPH.— SPECIAL TO THB POST.)

DUNEDIN, This Day. That the lives of Olive Jean Eutherford and Philip Richard Hudson were ended in pursuance of a suicide pact between two young people, was the view taken by the Coroner, Air. H. W. Bundle, when the inquiry into that sad happening of five weeks ago ended at Oamaru yesterday. Their reasons for entering on the arrangement whereby they both would die were, he said, known only to themselves. His conclusion was that with the girl in it the car was driven over the cliff above the Waitaki River. The fall left lier still alive, and Hudson shot her with' the rifle. He then shot himself, and wandered into tho river.

Dr. Douglas described the girl's injuries, and said there was no pregnancy and no sign of -pregnancy. To the Coroner he said that there could be no doubt but that the car was intentionally driven over tho cliff, for, though the morning was foggy, the road was quite clear ahead. There was no breaking away of the cliff, indicating that .the car must have gone over at a fair rate of speed. Everything possible was done for the unfortunate girl, but without avail. There was no sign of the other occupant of the car, and various rumours were current, but there seemed very little doubt that the. unfortunate boy had gone into the river. That turned out to be correct, and the body was recovered on 19th '.May by watchers employed by the Hudson family.

"1 may here say," said the Coroner, "that there is no possibility of any third party having been connected with the death of these two young people. I need not go into details as to my reasons for that conclusion, since, there can bo no possibility of a third party being implicated. It seems hardly necessary to" touch on that point, and I merely mention it in passing." "Looking at all the circumstances, after seeing the scene of the accident, and hearing the medical evidence," he proceeded, "'I am forced to the conclusion that these two young people had decided on suicide for reasons best known to themselves, and known only to them. It would .seem that the girl remained in the car when it was driven over the bank. I do not think that Hndson could possibly have been in the car, for, the fall would without doubt have rendered him unconscious. From the evidence of the witness Bell, it is plain that the rifle was in the • car when it left Dunedin. Hudson must have. carried the rifle down the cliff. His watch was found above, and it must have been detached dm-iiig his descent. Miss Rutherford was not killed by the fall, and finding her still living Hudson, in pursuance of their arrangement, discharged the rifle and ended her life. He then shot himself, and in a semiconscious condition wandered into the river. Neither party can have been in a proper' state of mind at the time. I can only find that Philip Richard Hudson committed suicide by shooting and drowning himself, and that Olivo Jean Rutherford died at Kurow on 25th April from the effects of a bullet wound inilicted by Hudson on 22nd April. In the interests of the parents these sad details should as far as possible, and as quickly as possible, be forgotten."