OEO TRAGEDY

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 7 January 1930, Page 6

OEO TRAGEDY

INFANTICIDE AND SUICIDE

DEPRESSED MOTHER'S ACTION

VERDICT OE THE CORONER

At the Alanaia Courthouse yesterday Air R. S. Sage, J.P. (district coroner) presided over an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Airs Theresa Zimmerman and her two infant children, Alfred Josef and David Leo Zimmerman, at Oeo on Friday. Airs Zimmerman was 40 yeans of age, and the deceased children were aged three years and sis months respectively. The hearing was conducted by Sergeant J. Henry (Hawera) for the police, and on behalf of David Zimmerman (husband and father of the victims of the tragedy) Air W. B. Frank attended in the capacity of interpreter. David Zimmerman, sharemilker in the employ of Air C. Aluggeridge. of Oeo, gave evidence that Theresa Zimmerman was his wife and Alfred Josef and David Ten Zimmerman were his sons. Alfred Josef was bom on Februarv IG. 1927. and David Leo on June 26. 1929. Witness had been resident in New Zealand for three years, during wliieh time ho had worked for W. B. Frank and later for Charles Aluggeridge as isharemilker, and was assisted on the farm hy his deceased wife. Eighty cows were milked. When leaving home on the morning of January 3 he had asked his wife to wash the cans returned from the factory. but- she bad not replied to bis request. His wife had suffered periodic, nllv since the birth of the younger child, hut not seriously enough to interfere with her work.

At 10.30 witness left his home in comnany with his brother to engage in ensilage making at- Air Aluggeridge’s borne farm, which he loft at 3.30 to return home to engage in the daily duty of milking. SEARCH OF THE FARM.

Arriving home at 3.45 p.m. he found the house clean and tidy, but his wife was not there and the baby’s perambulator was empty. Search for his wife revealed that her clothing had not been removed from the wardrobe. On further search he found the bodies of his two boys in an adjacent creek, the elder child’s being in deeper water than that of the younger, though close together and face up. Witness’ brother Leo removed the bodies from the water while witness went to communicate with the doctor, police and Air Aluggeridge. Returning to the scene with the latter, witness was advised by his brother that he had found the body of Airs Zimmerman in the dam. Witness and his wife were, apart from occasional wordy differences, always on good terms. Of late she had not slept well and usually left her bed at about 3 a.m., though there was no need for her to rise until 5 o’clock. She was a hard-working woman on the farm, and did not seek the company of others of her sex as she could not speak English. His wife had once told him that if she ever became seriously _ ill she would know what to do. Witness did not connect this statement with a threat to take her life, but that sbe mean she would invoke the assistance of Swiss friends or return to Switzerland. She had never threatened witness that she would take her own life and was very fond of her children. Witness had no idea that she would do away with herself. Occasionally she was moody and wonld not speak to witness, who could not suggest any reason for her to take her life.

Witness thought the yonngex- child could not have got into the water of his own volition. Mrs Zimmerman had not expressed any special desire to return to Switzerland, where her mother, sisters and brothers still reside. She conld read and write in Swiss, hut for private reasons did not correspond with her people. Witness had known his wife in Switzerland and they were married in New Zealand. Mrs Zimmerman coming to the Dominion expressly for the marriage. He was not acquainted with his wife’s people, and was not aware that they were opposed to the marriage. When in Switzerland witness and his future wife lived in different cantons. His wife knew there was no immediate orospect of them returning to Switzerland.

LAPSES IN HEALTH.

Dr. C. R. Davies, resident at Manaia, gave evidence of being summoned by telephone. On arrival he viewed the bodies of Mrs Zimmerman and her two children. He found no marks of violence on any of the bodies, which were well nourished, and there was no trace of corrosive poison in the mouths or on the tongues of deceased. Death in each instance was due to drowning.

The doctor had attended Mrs Zimmerman at the birth of her last child, and had no reason to believe she suffered from any form of mental aberration, though in his opinion she appeared to miss the company of women of her own nationality. He did not see her in the interval between the birth of her child and January 3, hut thought the fact of her periodical lapses in health would have a depressing effect on her mind. It would, in witness’ opinion, have been impossible for the younger child to get into the water of his own accord.

Leo Zimmerman, brother of the first witness, whom he assisted in sharemilking, gave corroborative evidence as to leaving the house on the morning of the tragedy and the subsequent discovery of the bodies of the children. Witness had been on Muggeridge’s farm with his brother for the past six months, during which lie had not known Ill's brother and wife to have anv quarrel. She was a hard-worldng woman and. in addition to performing household duties, regularly assisted in the milking shed. Witness knew Mrs Zimmerman in Switzerland and, as far as he knew, she always enjoyed good health. He could not advance any reason for her actions on January 3. _ To the coroner: Witness lived at his brother’s house, and could see that the couple were on good terms with each other. To the best of his knowledge Mrs Zimmerman had no close women friends, though occasionally Swiss women called upon her. In answer to Sergeant Henry, witness stated that he and his brother did not leave Muggeridge’s home farm until 3.30 p.m.

HARD-WORKING WOMAN

Charles Mnggeridge, farmer, residing at o<M>. on affirmation stated that he employed David Zimmerman as a sharemilker on an adjoining farm. Zimmerman employed his brother Leo

in sharemilking, and was also assisted by his wife Theresa. He was aware that David Zimmerman had two children, and he knew Airs Zimmerman was a very hard-working woman. She could not speak much English, and beyond passing tbe time of day witness had nothing to say to her. He gathered that she liked work as a means to the advancement of her husband.

Witness detailed the finding of Airs Zimmerman’s body in the dam, and said that so far as lie knew there was no necessity for her to visit it on the day in question. He always understood that Zimmerman and his wife were on good terms. The two farms were about GO chains apart, and witness visited Zimmerman’s at irregular intervals during the 18 months he had engaged him as a sharemilker. Witness could assign no incentive for Airs Zimmerman to take her life. Werner Benedict Frank, farmer, of Oeo, said that previous to entering Air Aluggeridge’s employ David Zimmerman worked for two months for witness, who noted that Airs Zimmerman worked very hard and was on good terms with' her husband. There was never any indication that she would take her own life or those of her children. As far as he knew, she had no relatives in New Zealand. In frequent conversations with Airs Zimmerman, whom he had not seen for about three months prior to her death, she made no mention of her relatives.

CONSTABLE’S INVESTIGATION

Constable J. Scanned, Alanaia, gave evidence of proceeding with Dr. Davies to Aiuggeridge’s farm on January 3 in response to a telephone call. On arrival lie saw the body of Airs. Zimmerman lying on a coucli in Zimmerman’s house. The bodies of the two children were reposing on the mother’s arms- There were no signs of violence on the bodies. Witness examined the creek in which the children’s bodies were found, about a chain from the house, and afterwards interviewed David Zimmerman, asking him if he could assign any reason why his wife should commit suicide.

In the- .presence of witness, Dr. Davies, aiul a young man named Hail, Zimmerman said she had threatened to do so on three or four occasions.

Proceeding to the dam in which Airs. Zimmerman's body' had been, found, witness noticed marks indicating that she had walked down the bank. The dam, located about ten chains from the creek in which the children’s bodies were found, contained about six feet of water. One’of Air's. Zimmerman’s shoes was lying at the bottom of the dam and the other was on the bank.

On again viewing the bodies of the children after they had been washed, witness found gravel rash on the right side of the elder boy’s face, which he took to be evidence of a struggle under water.

The coroner’s finding was: “That the deceased Theresa Zimmerman drowned her two children, Alfred Josef and David Leo Zimmerman, in a creek adjoining her home and then committed suicide by throwing herself into a dam whilst in a depressed state of mind.”