TRAGEDY NEAR OAMARU.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7196, 23 June 1885, Page 2

TRAGEDY NEAR OAMARU.

; .- OAMAEXJ,^Tonday. -• X^ A fejttfnl tragedy, took placet' Her-i'^t^ Bert on , Sunday night. Henry "TOii};,!?. ; :-^P^ a young man of 24 years,. sbot'Ai2;i r^felspl|| tersqn, aged, 11 years, with' a-irevblveMl^S and then, after shot himself., Peatiii^a^^^ almost ; instantaneous <in • both White *ras the Bon^

C%i' f ? otbe * fc i » nd Ada - Patterson was the of Mr Ohas. Patterson, a M?M;l !*6telkeeper residing at the same place, ■fcr; edee <l was committed at the hotel, ||^/f The tragedy was the result of jealousy v on the part o± White, who was rather IMf In his habits, and who had <0£ i' threatened to shoot the girl on Saturday s|^v Jflfit. The aot was evidently premedi.stated, as White went into the kitchen 'M'-'-'^ ; armed with a five-harelled revolver fully ; loaded. -The girl replied to his threat, %-V'V *' If yoi shoot me you will be hanged rv;: t for it.".- To this he said he would also tg shoot Himself; The affair, has cast %, '■'"■ .. t ? D ite a gloom over the township. |.!f ".'. ne revolver was purchased in Herj r :' ». Bert last week, and since it oame g> into White's possession he had been V practising with it at telegraph poatß, /; and on Saturday nearly Bhot a resident <.->- who was trying to pick one of the bullets out of a telegraph post. White's . 0. eooefctribity went the length of wearing v;., . his hair long and tying it with ribbons. ■ ' : An inqueßt was held this evening at ;; ; Herbert, when the father of the young ;\ man said in his evidence that his son had \.\ i not been right since he had had rheumatic . fever some years ago. Evidence was »• , also given to show that White had threatened the girl, who ,•; always appeared to imagine that he was V joking. ;s The followiag letter was written by £;•-'_, White the day previous to the tragedy j / with regard to the young girl, and a s, copy was addressed to Mrs James i\- . Patterson:— "Herbert, June. 20th, v./ 1885. The last wishes of Mr Henry D. ir. White regarding disposal of my effects. ii^ I desire that £100 be given to the \i{ family of James Patterson, Herbert ; '$i; ', and £100 to Alexander Gillies, uncle to ft'" the family. Although this is not £•'; a legal will I expect it to be %l carried out as desired. There will be ff some money over the £200, but that can '•< go to whoever wants it. These wishes if., are writteu under the impression that \ii\ most probably I shall very soon shoot V,, : Ada Patterson and then myself. There ;',-■■ is no very ejreat need that I should cxx'} J plain matters, &c. Let it suffice for the present to know that it is simply j^r Jkttmsh love and regard for the girl !*rthat I should think of ending her life ?;-' here. I believe that knowing her .. as I think I do she would ; ". r< lead .an unhappy life without L moi (Here there was a lot of f ; : - writing . which had been crossed out.) f- Supposing cve f n she had never been S I ?* ne - (Here again a few lines had been written which had been crossed out.) •j ;> The money is lodged in the Bank of New ;., Zealand. The receipt is in the little , leather box in the bedroom.—^Henrt D. . White. Most likely Uncle Alex, will , understand my action. Adaisoftoogener■g ; ousand kind a nature and too impulsive k and sympathetic and unselfish and too ■ .sensitive to the highest emotion to be ■ v anything but unhappy in this world. I B 4 have left a copy something like this for ■ Chas. White. Ask leave to show it also Mrs Patterson." <| The jury returned a verdict that the '-' deed was committed while White was p , suffering from temporary insanity.