AWFUL HOMECOMING.

Grey River Argus, 17 May 1922, Page 4

AWFUL HOMECOMING.

RAILWAYMAN’S SHOCKING DISCOVERY. WIFE AND FOER CHILDREN DROWNED. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Alay 16. James Arthur Thornton residing in Gardner Road, Epsom, on returning from his work in tho city about 10 o’clock last night, found his wife and his four children, a boy seven years, a girl four years, a boy two years, and an infant aged six months, drowned in the bath. Thornton is a foreman cleaner on the railway, and he left his wife and children at home about 12.20 midday yesterday, the wife and family being in ordinary health- and spirits. Returning home after work, he found both front and back doors locked, with the gas alight in the breakfast room. Gutting no response to his knocking, he burst open the front door and found his wife naked in the bath, with her infant child on her breast. Both were dead. The bath was empty of water, probably through the woman’s feet dislodging the plug. Ascertaining that life was extinct Thornton looked for his other three children, and found them all dead in bed in a bedroom facing the bathroom. Each body was draped in a separate sheet. Their hair was sarurated with water. Froth was oozing from their mouths. The theory is that the mother stripped each child, drowned it jn the bath, wrapped it in a sheet, and laid . the body on the bed, and pulled bedclothes over it. There was no other sign of violence on the bodies. \\ ithin about 10 minutes of his arrival home ami awful discovery Thornton aroused the neighbours with his terrible story. Thu police were commut nicated ’with and a doctor called. Alost of tho wife’s clothes were found hung over the door of the bathroom, and the clothing of the children was lying on a table in the kitchen. Apparently, Hie last any of the neighbours saw of the family was at 3 o’clock on the afternoon. The house is a llve-roonied dwelling owned by Airs I hornton, well furnisiied and spotlessly dean. Everything was in order and there was nothing to indicate in the least degree that there had been any struggle or disturbance preceding the tragedy. SOME GRUESOAIE DETAILS. LATER. When Thornton returned from the City last evening at. about 10 o’clock, lit found the doors of his pretty little suburban home, at 11 Garden Road, Epsom, barred; and was unable to effect an entrance. When he left his wife earlier in the day, she appeared in her usual good spirits and expressed no intention of going out. Becoming alarmed ho forced the front door open and on searching the house found his wife, Beatrice, dead in the bath with her youngest child, Eileen Frances, six months old, clasped in her arms. No i sign could be found of the other child- | ren. After making another hurried ! search of the house, he communicated | with the Epsom Police Station and I Constable Wales assisted in another I search of the premises. In a bedroom > the children were found, each wrapped | naked in a sheet and placed on a double ■ bed with the bed clothes carefully ar- • ranged over them. Nearest to the wall I lay James, beside him was Alary, while I on the outside lay the youngest sister, Evelyn. The unfortunate mother had apparently carried tho children and placed them on the bed after drowning them in the small bath room. Dr. Reid, who had also been summoned, pronounced life extinct. The bath was a small tin one could not have contained more than two feet of water. A few blood stains on tho floor at the head of the bath is the only indication of the struggle that must have taken place when the mother placed the children mere. There is no evidence that Airs Thornton had intending bathing the children as soap had not been used. The bath was devoid of water. This is accounted for by one of the final convulsive movements of the woman’s foot striking the chain and pulling out the plug. The bodies, which were all found without clothing of any description, bore no mark whatsoever. A search by the police failed to disclose tho presence of any poison in the house. Everything was in order and there was nothing to indicate that there had been a j struggle or disturbance of any kind. I AVhon the husband left home the wife i gave him no indication of any suicidal intention, and appeared quite normal. llt is under:". 1 that she had apparent- • ly been in satisfactory health, although ' it is believed that she suffered severely | at times from her last confinement, six months ago. Her neighbours regarded i her as a quiet and industrious housei wife, whose conduct gave no indication I that she was otherwise than perfectly normal in .her actions. Air and Airs Thornton are believed to have formerly resided in Wellington. but they had been living in Epsom for tho past three and a half yearsThere is no evidence of any reason for the tragedy.