WELLINGTON TRAGEDY

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 July 1933, Page 7

WELLINGTON TRAGEDY

MOTHER AND SON DEAD HUSBAND IN HARBOUR [PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, June 30. The drowning of a five-year-old boy at Halswell early this morning, and the rescue of his father from the water at Thorndon this afternoon, led the police to visit a flat in Wellington, where they found the dead body of the child’s mother. The victims are: — Dead: —Mrs. Janes, aged about 40 years, and her five-year-old son. At the Hospital:—George Janes,aged 54 years. The flat in which the three persons lived is at the bottom of a threestoried house at No. 27, Ohiro Road. The bottom storey is well below the level of the road. While gathering mussels in the vicinity of Point Halswell, shortly after midday yesterday, a man found the body of the child on the rocks at about high water mark. Apparently, the boy had been drowned some time earlier in the morning.

■ The boy’s parents were not known until several hours later. At about 1.30 cries were heard from a man struggling in the water near the Thorndon breastwork. Men near by pulled him out unconscious, and he was taken to the hospital, where he was identified as George Janes. He is making satisfactory progress. The police connected neither the child nor the man with the house at Ohiro Road until an occupant of the top flat, hearing of Janes being found in the harbour rang the station. When a constable arrived at the bottom flat he found the dead body of Mrs. Janes. It is understood that neighbours heard cries just, before one o’clock this morning. The cries lasted for about four minutes, but as there were no shouts for help, no attempt was made to interfere. A little later the man and the child were seen leaving the house. The three occupants had been living in the house for only a fortnight. The body of the woman will remain at the house to-night, guarded by two constables. . .