ONE OF LIFE’S TRAGEDIES

Evening Star, Issue 14572, 22 May 1911, Page 6

ONE OF LIFE’S TRAGEDIES

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEV. May 21 A family, consisting of a man and ills wife and a son aged e.gbt, were found dead in their residence at North Sydney. They were lying with their hacks close together, and a bottle of noison alongside. The police think the parents murdered the child and ifi-m committed sni j cido. The house was bare of furniture, j The. name of the deceas’d was Sugar Sri!- | ford Bastord, a chemist. With his j wife and his son Evelyn, he came j either from Wellington or Auckland. lie j war. out of work, and wis absolutely destitute. He wrote to ;he police asking 1 them to remove the bodies, a-3 they in- j tended to take prussic acul | A MYSTERY. i ~SVDNEY, 31 ay 22. j (Received .May 22, at 9.55 a.m.) Although the complete absence of fur- | niture in Bastcrd's house seemed to denote I destitution, the bodies were all well nourished, and a quantity of food was found in the house, and tho. deceased enjoyed good credit. The motive for (he tragedy is a mystery. THE VICTIMS’ NEW ZEALAND RECORD. [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, (May 22. The victims of the tragedy reported in the cablegram were Mr and Mrs Segar Bastard, tovmcrly of Auckland. Bastard was about thirty-live years of age. He was tho only son of Mrs F. S. Bastard, of Ponsonby, and was married about eight or nine years ago to Miss Bisley, of Auckland. He carried on business as a chemist for some years, hut as a result of a speculation in the Hidden Treasure, a Golden Bay (Nelson) mining venture, ho lost heavily, and four or five years ago he went to Sydney. A year ago Mr and Mrs Bastard" and child returned to Auckland, and remained here for some time, afterwards going back to Sydney. Bastard suffered very acutely from neuralgia. On his return to Auckland last year it was noticed i that ho had aged considerably through this j affliction, his hair being almost white. ! The child was six years of age, not eight years as stated in the cablegram.