THE OWHANGO TRAGEDY

Evening Star, Issue 21511, 8 September 1933, Page 6

THE OWHANGO TRAGEDY

INQUEST ON VICTIMS

A BROKEN FRIENDSHIP

(Pur United Press Association.]

TAUMARUNUI, September 8. The inquest was opened to-day before Mr W. Thomas, acting coroner, and a jury consisting of Messrs W. J. Curtis (foreman), F. J. Redfern, D. Dougherty, and W. H. West, concerning the death of Jean Lucy Rosoraan, aged twenty-three, a single woman, and John Richard Grylls, twenty-six, also single. _ . Russell Vernon Ritchie, medical practitioner, gave evidence that he was called to Owhango on Sunday morning, and found on examination that Miss Rosoman was dead. Death had occurred at about 8.30 a.ra. Later, witness and Dr Welby Fisher conducted a post mortem. Death was due to severe laceration of the brain caused by a small calibre rifle bullet. Death was ■nstantaneous. Owra Bishop, a married sister of the deceased, said Rosoman lived with witness’s sister and brother-in-law, Mr and Mrs D. Laing. For about a year Miss Rosoman had been on friendly terms with Grylls. Rosoraan’s mother objected and she broke off the friendship on Friday, September 1. At a dance on Saturday night Grylls told witness that if Miss Rosoman went home with any other man he would cut Rosoman’s throat, and the throat of the man who went with her, Rosoman went home with witness’s husband and a man named Bassett. Grylls followed them home at about 1.30 a.m., and the last she saw of him he was standing smoking opposite Laing’house. Miss Rosoman appeared worried over the breaking off of the attachment. Witness then gave evidence of going to the cowshed and finding Miss Rosoman’s body with Mrs Laing, when called by Laing’s children. Maud Evelyn Laing, the married sister of the deceased girl, said Grylls was employed by witness’s husband on his farm at periods during the last twelve months. Grylls left the farm on Friday last, but there was no objection to him using the whare on the farm as long as he wanted to. Grylls did not shift the bedding or clothes from the whare. At about 8.35 a.m. witness saw Grylls running across the paddocks'* from the direction of the cowshed. He was then about 60ft from the cowshed. Grylls was heading fast for the Whakapapa River. Witness’s husband did not own a rifle, and there were never any firearms about the cowshed. Grylls did not say anything when he left her husband’s employ on Friday, other than that he was going away.' Witness corroborated Bishop’s evidence.

John Walsh, detective, said Sergeant G. Sivyer handed him two empty rifle shells of 22 calibre. One of these was found about 4ft from Rosoman’s body, and the other next separator room door. Examination of the buildings showed that a small calibre rifle bullet had recently been fired through the wall of the separator room, the bullet lodging in the opposite wall. Witness detailed the search for Grylls, and the finding of his body. He hail been dead for some days. Witness found a small circular wound in the centre of Grylls’s forehead. Alongside his body found a .22 single shot Winchester rifle. In the chamber there was a discharged cartridge of similar size and make to the shells found by Sergeant Sivyer near the body of Rosoman. Witness knew Grylls had been in possession of the rifle that witness found alongside his body since September 1, and that Grylls borrowed eight cartridges on that date. Witness was satisfied that Miss Rosoman was shot by Grvlls, and that he later shot himself. The verdict was that Miss Rosoman was killed by a rifle bullet fired by Grylls, and that Grylls died from a selfinflicted bullet wound.