THE ASHBURTON TRAGEDY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9488, 10 August 1891, Page 2

THE ASHBURTON TRAGEDY.

CHARGE OP ATTEMPTED MURDER.

Since the eventful morning when the, town of Ashburton was thrown into a wild. state of excitement at the news that a horrible attempt at murder and suicide had taken place in its midst, the ques-; tion that everyone has asked and no one. can satisfactorily answer is, "Is the man; Moss mad?” So many stories have been; circulated, both true and untrue, that ifc is ■ very difficult to form anything like a fair; opinion. The public looked forward; with great interest to the ‘ public; trial, when the principal actors would give their own account of the affair.The actions of Moss since the time! that he committed the terrible have been an interesting study to' many., Prom Mrs Mackay, matron of the Ashburton Hospital, to whose unremitting attention and skill the unfortunate ma'nV, wonderful recovery is mainly due, we have, received the only reliable information as! to Moss’ condition, both physically and: mentally. He was quite conscious and! reasonable at the time that he w&a. brought into the Hospital. He was! , most anxious about his wife’s. condition,: and made constant enquiries ’ for her, welfare. On several occasions he seems to have been quite off his head, having at one time an idea that he had lost one of his toes. He never for one moment, appeal’s to have realised the serious nature: ot his actions, always being underthe impression that he was going back to hia situation as soon as be was well, and that, ho and hio wife would live together in the house they had formerly occupied. All’ sorts of rumours have been circulated about his motives, but many of them are, doubtless, the work of lively imaginations. There is no doubt that ho tried to poison his wife a few days before the tragedy,’ by giving her " Rough on Eats ” in some cocoa and oatmeal. It made her very ill, but her sickness she attributed'to biliousMrs Moss, although very much upset at first, when the shock was over, like the plucky little woman that she is,was most. anxious to shield her bus-' band from any blame. They seem verymuch attached to each other, and have spent a considerable time in eaoh other’s company at the hospital. The terrible; wounds inflicted fcy Moss upon His wife Bind himself have healed up in a most mWveV lous manner. Mrs Moss’ head and face, are now only slightly marked, and Mosp*; throat ia quite healed up with the excep-’ tion of s. little sore about an inch long on the front of the windpipe. > PROCEEDINGS IN COURT. The Court at Ashburton was densely crowded; and great interest was taken in Moss’ trial on July 30. Inspector Ponder conducted the case. Mr W iiding appeared for Moss. ; Moss, whose appearance in Court; excited great curiosity, bore the trying; ordeal tolerably well, although evidently, feeling keenly his sad position. He looked; fairly strong and well. After several; minor cases bad been disposed of, during! which time Moss sat by the Court fire, thej case was called on; Moss being charged; with attempted wilful murder. Mrs'Moss, who sat down in the bodyj of the Court, gave her evidence in a very! low voice, bub answered every question! Vjlearly and without any hesitation.! Sh\e deposed that she was the wife; of \ Albert Edward Moss. She knew him iff England for several years. Shel was eng aged to him there. . He camej out to Nt-w Zealand, and she remained at; Homo. Inhere was an understanding that! she was tovcome out to him; but there waa; no time mentioned. She communicated; with him after he came to New Zealand.; She left home and arrived at Lyttelton inj May, and bet husband did not meet heraaj he could nofcY get away, and she went tel Mr WiddowsojVs, friends of her husband'*! and her own. JHer husband came down fcd; see her on May at and arrangements were made for them m get married. She hadjno reason to think that he waa not pleased;' to see her, or did ncA want to marry herA He went back to Ashburton to bis work, and came down agaiff. rn June 8, and; they were married at \Mr Widdowson’d; house. They came up to Ashburton the; same day. He had a house in Barnett; street prepared. All /went well until 1 July 21, and they were happy together.! At that time he had some financial trouble, when the bailiff was put in. This’ worried him very much. This was on; Friday. The bailiff left. Witness was put about herself a good deal over this.! Got up on Friday morning about 7.30. She was well, only worried. Nothing particular occurred on the Friday. Her husband: went to work as usual. He had been very! restless during Friday night. On the Saturday morning she got up at 8.30, her! • husband at 7.30. They had no servant. Her husband was in the habit of lighting the fire. Her husband brought her a cup of cocoa about 815 that morning,' which she drank. Noticed that it waa bitter, but did not say anything about it. at the time. After taking the cocoa she: waa ill. and vomited. This was about half; an hour after taking it. She also felt; pains in the stomach and was very weak! and cold, especially her feet. She continued in this state all day. Her husband went away to work and she was alone in; the house. He came back to see her several times during the day. She told him; how she felt. She did not say anything; about the cause. Mrs Lane, a neighbour,; came iu and gave her tea, also hot water bottles for her feet. At the time she drank the cocoa she did not say anything to her husband about it, and drank it all. 1 Her husband seemed very troubled. She; remained in her bed all day, and nothing else particular occurred. On the Sunday. her husband still seemed troubled, and talked matters over with her. On the Monday mOrning her husband went to work. She felt better and got up. Nothingparticular occurred that day. On Sunday she spoke to her husband about the cocoa, and said she felt as though she - had been poisoned. He said, " Oh,. no.” On the Tuesday morning her husband, having spent a bad night, got up at 7.30, and went to light the fire. Shortly after be went to. light the fire, he came back again into the bedroom, where she was still in bed. He was carrying an open razor. He told her sot to get up for a quarter of an hour. He came to her, and rubbed the razor up and down her cheek she was in bed, and asked her is a joking way if he should shave her. He: then went outside. Hia manner wa> very changeable. He would be right for two; minutes, and then he would be very; strange again. His face was very white,' and at times he appeared excited.: She got up and dressed when he went out of the room. came back again and walked about with the; razor in hia hand. He said, " Shall I shave you." He put his arm round her and put the razor on her face. He had the razor in his right hand, and his left round; her shoulders. She told him not to be silly, but to hurry and get to the office. He then went out, she thought to the kitchen. Ho - camein again in about amiuute.and shaved himself and finished dressing. This would* be about 8,15. They then went into the? kitchen together and had breakfast. After, breakfast he went out. He seemed very! white. He came back again soon, and asked: her if she had any money, and she gave ( him her purse, which contained a small sum.' He went out again and returned in a few minutes. She met him at the front of the house and they went in to the kitchen together. She asked him what he had in his pocket, and he ran out to the frontdoor laughing, though he appeared very excited and in pain. Ho went right round the house and came in at the back door, still laughing and excited. He went into the kitchen, called her to him, and said h* thought ha would break some coal. He' broke one lump with the hatchet produced.: She was close to him at the time. He put hia thumb on the edge of the axe and then hit her with it. He held the axe in both hands, and hit her on the head, right on the top. The blow wa* given with force. He gave three blows in .

■necession, all of which struck her on the head, each blow cutting her head. She did not fall. She caught at his hands, but did not Btruggle much. He then dropped the teC and took the razor out of his pocket. Re opened the razor and tried to cut her throat. He caught her with his left hand and the razor cut her neck. She struggled with him. She was cut on the neck and on i her cheek. She struggled with him, raised her hand and caught the razor, which cut several of her fingers. The struggle did not continue long. She got away through the front door: As she ran out of the kitchen she saw him cutting his throat with the razor, and he. fell on the floor. She ran out of the front door screaming. She., screamed before she ran out. A stranger first came to her assistance, and she was removed to the Hospital, where she, still was. She knew the razor produced, and thought it was the one used. She knew the shawl produced. It was the one she had' round her neck at the time. Her husband bought a box of “ rough on rats” about a week before this occurred. He said he bought it to poison cats. She did not know that he used any of it. The letter produced was in her husband’s handwriting. She did not know that ha had any use for prussic acid or a revolver. Dr J. E. Trevor, surgeon to the Ashburton Hospital, in the course of his evidence, said : —Speaking simply from what he had seen of the man, be thought he; was perfectly, sane at the present moment, but did not think he was sane when he committed the act. Had heard Dr, Tweed’s evidence, and from his own observations thought that Moss was a man of very unstable mind, and although perfectly sane at present, was nob safe to be at large, as any trouble would upset liia mind. Mrs Moss’ wounds were serious, but nob dangerous unless inflammation or lock-jaw supervened. Moss should be kept under restraint. The shock to Mrs Moss’ system was not so severe as he should have expected. She was a very brave woman, and had borne the trial wonderfully. Accused reserved his defence, and was formally committed to take his trial at the next Bitting of the Supreme Court, to be held at Christchurch on Angust 10.