A FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12538, 27 June 1901, Page 5

A FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.

—.» SHOCKING DISCOVERY AT EAST EYRETON. THREE PERSONS BRUTALLY MURDERED. A TERRIBLE SCENE. ROBBERY THE MOTIVE;

One of the most ghastly murders that lias even been perpetrated in New Zealand was reported to the police on Tuesday night. The victims -were Mrs Saralr Martin, 'Miss Ellen Martin, her daughter, and Lawrence Martin, a young grandson of the elder lady, all residents of East Eyreton. THE POLICE REPORT. The particulars of the tragedy available from the police are as follow: —The three lived in a house in East Eyreton, hawing with them a man-servant, named Alexander M'Lean. No neighbours lived very near the house, bub it was noticed on Sunday <amdMondaythat'mo one was moving about the Martins? premises, and 001 Tuesday one of the nearest neighbours reported thja to Mr/ Clothier, a son-in-law of Mrs Martin, who resided -some two miles and a half distant. Mr Clothier was n'ot seriously alarmed, but on Tuesday evening he went to his mother-in-law's house to make inquiries. To his Surprise ihfl found the house all locked up and, as far as could be judged from the outside, deserted. He walked round, and then broke open a, window and entered. A SHOCKING DISCOVERY. To his horror, on entering his mother-in-law's bedroom he found her dead upon the floor by ber bed, her head covered with blood and frightfully mutilated. He did not investigate any further, but hurraed off and related what he had discovered to the K&ap-oi police. Constables Joyce and. Simpson immediately proceeded to the Martins' house and broke open the door, and it was not until then that the full extent of the

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY revealed itself. Mrs Martin lay close by her bed. A deep cut extended for about N two inches across the centre of her forehead, the middle of her skua was cleft, open deep into the brain, and there was another S WCib cut behind beT right ear. She had apparently awakened from her sleep before the murderer had done his work and struggled on to the floor. In & corner of the room, on a mattress, lay the body of the little grandson, who was AGED ONLY FOUR YEAR'S. The chid had not moved a t all, and .must have been killed instantly in his sleep. A great gash extended ifrom his left eye to his right ear, and a second across the forehead! in a diagonal direction above the right eye. Beside, the poor little body lay the ball with which he had no doubt been playingbefore, falling asleep. In the Mtcb*n was ; found the body of Miss Martin. She , lay on her back on the floor, fully dressed. She had no shoes on, but a second pair of stockings drawn over faer feet. Her head and the upper' part of her body were covered with sheets SATURATED WITH BLQOD. There were no fewer than six wounds on her head, almost any one of which would have been mortal. The forefinger of her right hand was out clean through, as though she had attempted to protect, he:: head with her hand. EVIDENCE OF ROBBERY.

The pocket of her dress was turned inside out.-. In the bedroom in -whichtha first two bodies were found, which was downstairs, everything was turned upsida dow©, drawers turned 1 out and articlea throjm about in every direction. tW DETECTIVES SUMMONED. The two constables quickly communicated with the Christchurch station, and about xnidniight on Tuesday Inspector Ellison, Detectives Livingston*, Fahey-andFitz-gerajld and Dr Irving started ;oufc to drive to the sceno of tho murder. They found everything in tha house undistuibed, tho constables having been unwilling to risk destroying valuable evidence, and Inspector Ellison describes the scene as a sickening one. .A-MBSIWB SERVANT.

A hasty search showed that the man, Alexander M'Lean, was missing, and also the horse and trap belonging to Mrs Martin M'Lean is a man aged about twentythree, steads sft 9in to fift 10m, active, wirv build, dark hair and dark brown moustache. He has short club feet , botn having been once broken, and wahis limpinelv The horse is a large upstanding dark 'bay mare. The trap is an ordinary spring one, /.painted black, with red somewhere about the hubs or axle-boxes. Tho tugs pull *frbm the axle. THE VICTIMS.

• Mrs Martin was aged about seventy years and is an old and highly respected resident of the district. Her daughter Edam,.was a.ged about forty, and the small grandson, as has been eaid already, was aged four. He was a son of Mr George Martin, a son of Mrs Martin, and his father also lives in the neighbourhood. i The house stands some distance baci; from the road, perhaps fifty or sixty yards. There was the bedroom, -sitting room, ■ kitchen, scullery, and two small cupboardu downstairs, and two or three small _ rooms upstairs, ono of which was occupied by M'Lean. > THE MOTIVE. The motive of the horrible crime has to all appearances been robbery. The whole house has been ransacked, every receptacle being emptied and its contents scattered over the floor. The police aro unable to say as yetavhether 'anything or hoAV much has been taken, but if anything of value was in the house it is evidently gone now. Detectives Livingstone and Fitzgerald are pursuing their investigations upon the spot. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. VICTIMS NOT SEEN SINCE FRIDAY. DISCOVERY OF A BLOOD-STAINED TOMAHAWK. JFeom Our Special Correspondent.] One of the most horrible eases of wholesale murder that has been perpetrated in the colony was discovered at East Eyreton on Tuesday night, the victims being Mrs Henry Martin, widow, aged seventy years; Ellen Martin, her daughter, aged ifortyeigbt, and Larry Martin, a grandson, aged four. Mr Martin died about three years ago, and Mrs Martin, with her unmarried daughter, continued to occupy the farm, hiring a man to do the work about the phuia!" A- short tame ago they engaged a young man named .Alexander M'Lean, who has not been seen since Saturday. Mrs Martin has a married son, Mr G. H. Martin, who lives aibout a quarter of a mile from th® form, and a married daughter, Mrs Obed Clothier, who resides at Olarkvijle, about a mile and a half away. On Saturday Mrs G. H. Martin called at the farm twice, but found the place locked up and ho one about. Although thinking the circumstances somewhat strange, she concluded the occupants of the place had gone to Mr Clothier's. On Monday Mr - Martin, with his family, drove into Ohristchurch to attend the Royal festivities, and; when passing the house, one of the boys ran in and found the place still - locked up and no signs of life. On Tuesday Mrs Martin again

went to the farm, and finding tie pl»e» still locked up, went oa to Mr Cflofehder's to mention the matter. Mr Clothier sad fcia \ brother in the evening went to tad ■'* plaoe, and failing to gain admittance ftt ti« j, doors, broke a pane of gHass in Mrs Mar*' ,\\ tin's bedroom, and, unlocking the lifted the lower sash and en* £ tered. Mr Clothier saw Mrs Mori ;'; tin lying on the flo&r in * j pool of blood, with hex head terribly ,* gashed about. He at one* gave informationl F to the police at Kaiapoi, and Constable* f\ Joyce and Simpson and Dr Mirrray vent the place. On making a further inspeotioft™ tho body of Mrs Martin waa found in. h*t ■ bedroom on the floor, lying face dcww«4f, 1 in a large pool of blood, with her bxm .1 fearfully 'knocked about, evidently witk • I tomahawk. Turning to a corner of ih*. I same room another horror was discovewdi in the body of the little boy, whoe* heal ,' was ako split open. Tho boy's bo%'waj partly covered over with, a quantity 'it, articles which had been, dragged £ro*» ft - chest of drawers beside his been made up on the floor, the little feEo*?,. being on a visit to tho place. Mist Mm* , t'u's body was fully dressed, eseepttnf, - boots, and it would appear asi if jsbe MO risen to go about her household «rowron „ Saturday morning, and had' twatabncß down when she entered the «™?™« F Mrs Martin waa to her / augM, :„j olothes, and there was every j*£»i | pearance that she had either bwJiWi .# or had rolled out-of bed, the bedsfothe* being partly on the floor. The whola ntm* had been ransacked, and the rooms vliJßft : the murders were committed and the I*** l ;* ( l were an inexpressibly shocking sight. Tin* h index finger of Miss Martin's right h*n4„ was cut off; showing that she bad: attempt-' V ed to protect herself. ■*! The last ■time tike deceased were seen aliv* r was on Friday afternoon, when & neighboureaw them washing their trap,* presumably •with the intention of driving to Christ- / church for the Royal visit. Ob Saturday •; the man Alexander M'Lean was seen to J drive away from the place in the trap. It is believed tha* there was a considerable sum of money in the house, which, cannot be found, and doubtless, robbery was the object of the murder. In searching tb* si house a tomahawk was found covered with blood and hair in one of the upstair rooms, ' and this, no doubt, was the weapon used to commit the deed. On Tuesday in lost week M'LeaaK -~ went „to Mr G. H. MastJn'« | place and asked for the use of this gun ta '| 'do some hare shooting. He made a remaek,' then that he felt very depressed, kd&\ > thought he would shoot himself. Mr Martin told him not to talk in that manner and he then left., . Mrs Martin, ;, sen., told a neighbour last week thatl ,' MLeaa had something the matter with, bil heart, and was depressed, but she * he would be well again in a few days. ,' On the Kaiapoi police communicating with Christcburch, Inspector Ellison, with Detectives Livingstone, Fitzgerald and ■« Fahey, and Dx Irving, started for the - and arrived at about three o'clock in. th*. - morning,-' The eldest victim of the tragedy is an *ls . resident of the district,.having settled-iher4i_ in the fifties. They were a quiet family* and highly esteemed. The tragedy, it i*. needless to say, created a profound sens*; tion in the district.

.FURTHER- DETAILS. THE HISTORY OF THE FAMILY. ~ A neighbour who has lived kt Eyreton for over thirty-five- years give* the following history of the JJartaa family:-* "j"; Mr Henry Martin came out to the oolonj,' J in tha ship Olontarf, about forty year* f: ago, and after living at Kaiapoi for %y short period bought the farm o£ fifty acres " from tha Government, on which the house " 1 stands. He 'brought bis- wife and his '/-. daughter Ellen, and a'son George"'-with ,", him. After the family had settled a-fc u Eyreton another daughter was born,* who J" afterwards married Mr Obed Clothier. Mr, - Martin, was a nephew of the la.t« Mr ~ Martin, for ,m«ny years proprietor of tha ,•• well-known''' Black Horse Hotel on the r Lincoln Road. About three years ago Mr -i Martin died, and since that time Mrs _ v Martin, who was about sovearcy years old, "* with her daughter Ellen, 'had resided the farm. It was Mrs Martin's practice "to £ have several of her grand'chiidreri- staying ' K with her during the holidays, and at tha ."■ time of the murder she had with her L*u- ■ -.. rence Martin, a bright Htttle fellow of tour years of age. Mrs Martin- and her daugh- l ter were very fond of music, and on th*,, Thursday evening they, with the chile?, the .roan M'Lean, were singing SanieyJ*,;;; hymns until ai late hour, and they ©fteni spent their evenings in that way. The, y family were in comfortable circumstances, :. and were very highly respected in the district. Mrs Martini was of a charitable disposition, and in her benevolent acts was aa*. ' sisted by her unmarried daughter. Indeed, rb was from sheer charity that they tookt the man M'Lean, in about a couple of -: months ago, and as he appeared to be un* well the family several times drove hisj' • - into Kaiapoi to consult Dr Murray, th* last visit having been made as late aa _ Thursday, when- Mis s Ellen Martin drove him to Kaiapoi. - ' »_ THE SCENE OF THE TRiAGEDY. :'." The house in which the hor-rible anurdew ', were committed stands on a farm on, the South Eyre road, about three chains frosa tho road, behind a clump of pine-trees and ] surrounded by blue gums. The stables,,'', also, are between the house and the road; The nearest house is that of Mr Ellis Lord'; • , about eight chains away, and .the nest is , ■that of Mr Mark Beale, about fifteen:chain* . away, so that there was no possibility' of ~" any outcry by the victims being heard by,; the neighbours. The house is a two-storeyiw ed one, and, as additions have 4»tin made to it from time to time, it is straggling in appearance. The kitchen and , bedroom dn which the victims were found, are both on the ground floor. The kit* x chen, in which Miss Martin was murderei, " is at the west end of the house, and com* nvunicates with a staircase leading to the upper rooms. The bedroom, in which the bodies of Mrs Martin and the child were discovered, is at the north-east corner of the buildings, and access is gained, to taia part by a door from the outside, and riso. - by a second staircase. Miss Ellen Mar* tin usually slept in a room at tho jbec3 of this staircase, and>M'Lean occupied a JW>m ,' -at tho head of the kitchen stair.. Frcca - what can be gathered, it seems that on the • night preoeding the munfer Miss Martin „ i occupied the saane bed as her mother iot -1 safety, as they had evidently. become alarmed at the peculiar manner of.M'Lean.', ' THE THEORY OF THE TRAGEDY: It is surmised that the murders took placeearly in the morning, and! it is thought that tho murderer entered tfco kitch*u wpmr ,; after Miss Martin had lighted fhs fire, and '. attacked her while sho was 0* !&* as there is tho mark of a hot store pok«« $ .- the oilcloth close to thebodJy,ai ta«igVsßj s i> ' had tho poker in h« hand atf the time,- a*MU ; had used it to defend ,hersdl. She :**■. jfl i fairly strong woman,, audi the straggle HIHH i ha<ve beeji a desnerate one£-as &e pE>sj^M

r ; M''disarranged, and! the body was found •bout nine feetawayfrom'thefireplace. The rvictim must have been finally despatched with.a tomahawk, as there is a clean, deep .cut across the skull, extending from,front , " to back, 1 and at "the time of the blow she ' ' must have had her right hand on top of her '" .• -kead, as the index finger was completely se- ," ' rered, and was lying beside the body, which . .'■' was on its back on the floor. The murderer past then have gone outside the house, and ' |b" .through ' another door to the : fcedroom wlere Mrs Martin and: the child were sleeping. The old lady could - . nob. 'have made more than a feeble resistance/ and was evidently first pullfti out of bed, falling on the floor on ' • iner face and ■ then torwalawkedl from behind as her skull showed a similar cub to that on her daughter's. The child, who ;.waa sleeping in a bed on the floor, in the oaroer, was probably awakened by tine noisej and; wa® also l despatched with a tom- ' ahawk, aa he lay on bis back, the forehead <-''■'and, skull being ckifib very deeply. The ,'., -f murderer tlcm appears to have pulled out "'■ the'two top drawers in the chest in the -,!'.. ..bedrooßi/'and' ransacked! tibs contents, the '..' drawers'..being foundl on the floor, and l the " ,r .- ccirbents' strewtoi about the room. The ;." : body of tthe child 1 was lying just in front /-'.'of/the chest of drawers with the' clothes .V,; drawn over its'head. The perpetrator of Vs,'-the'terrible crime then appears to lave upstairs, for in a room between the ;J-,.'two staircases the tomalawk was found, y, 'covered with blood l and hair, and-partially concealed. -Every room in the house laa •,">;.,.;,been .ransacked. Cupboards aind> drawers '•},<, bad been turned out and their contents to- about. After completing this r i ,work the murderer locked up the plaoa and ;i'."'t<H>k the keys with him. In the garden sJ /there is an .outhouse with a small safe ';£'. built in, in concrete, and as the key of this p ' m missing it is .supposed that it also was :,' ; . ~ ' THE MISSING MAN M'LEAN. • About half-past seven on Saturday V. • ittornmg M'Lean was seen driving up the '--'•road towards Swannanoa, and: when he ''came.to a place where two roads brarach .\/off he hesitated, as if uncertain which was. < '.,■', *'° B'°> and finally tunned! up the road kad- ■' 'ing out towards Fernside. Later information is to the effect that a mam answering the description of M'Lean .' ' ''and driving a horse and trap, lad dinner. Kb- an hotel in Oxford on Saturday, and ' '" While there inquired.' the way to the West Coast. A man of a similar description '. atayed at the Sheffield' Hotel on Saturday . -,''/ .sight, axid upon leaving on Sunday morn- , r ' ing he inquired the road leading to Green-''-dale'and the Kamgitata Bridge. However, , = the man, instead of turning off to go over . /the Hororata Bridge to the south, in the .'■way in whkihi he bad been directed,, was ecen to turn, to the; left ab Waddington, | . and could then take the West Coast Road , • to Christchurcl, through Courtenay or any ' ■, of the brarach . roads. Inspeotor Ellison . /has detectives out in.all directions, and '' as it is saidl that M'Lean. has been in. th.t> ■ hand's of the police on moae than one cc- '. ' eattion, and served a, sentemee for lousebreaking aib Temuka, and his photograph i» in the police album, there is very little ■ • iJhance of-his escaping apprehension. The man M'Lean has been peculiar in his .- manner for some 'time, and the neighbours and her family have on several occasions endeavoured to persuade Mrs Martin t& ; get- rid of him, and it is the opinion of •ome of the family that it was 1 Mrs Mat- . '.tin's intention to send him away on the '; very morning on which, she was murdered. ' About a fort-night ago he went to Mr G. Clothier's and borrowed a gun, which ,■■, -fee said he wanted for hare-shooting* / He laid previously h/aa' it for the same purpose and Mis Clothier let him take it away. ■ - As she had no cartridges, M'Lean went to "' a - neighbour's and borrowed some. As- :' . tie lad not returned to the house at dark - , Miss Martin, fearing that something had happened to him, went to look for him, ', and ■ eventually found shim in one of the ' paddocks, but without the gun. He would '-• not. eay .where the gun was, and a search was made, which resulted in its being found, * -With the cartridges, concealed, in the loft of- the stable, and it was-returned to its owner. On .Thursday last ihe again went to borrow tha gun, saying-that he wanted : _/Jx>_ shoot himself, and, Mrs Clothier persuaded him to go away without it. On ■* Friday he again went to Mrs Clothier, and apologised for having frightened ler, and said that he had been very low-spirited at the time he spoke, and lhad no inten- ' tidn of carrying out lis >threat., '. • HOW THE MURDER WAS DlS- ".'•'. COYERED, .. ' Several members- of the family having . -gone to the house on Saturday, Sunday ■; .'md Monday, and finding the place locked '" up, 4 Obed> and George Clothier *' were informed, of the fact, and, fearing that something serious -had! (happened, -" they went to the house about lalf-past six k. ,on Tuesday evening. Finding the doors ' locked, they broke a pane of g.ass in the ■ window of Mrs Martin's bedroom, and, ~ opened the eaeh. Mr George Clatlier en- ' tered and, passing round the bed, le was '_ kftrror-struck to find- the bodies of Mrs ■"* Martin and the child. The police were •- immediately sent for, and on breaking open ■ tba door they 'discovered' the bodies of the victims an the various rooms.

: INCIDENTS. , • ' It is stated, that on Thursday last, a - couple of days 'before tl© 'tragedy, McLean .' -went over to the house of Mr 'George Mar- , tin, whose little son • was murdered, and 'j used the grindstone there to sharpen a tomahawk. While he was grinding it, ho -. fc#ked a couple of the brothers of the nurrX- dered 'child to go with him to cut scrub',' 1 ■?,;■ whjen the eldest son, a smart looking little ''■,'. fellow of «leven years of age, replied that •. he -was not going with the man to let him \kßl Mm. "' A 'Miss Rowell, of Springfield, who is a ] .relation of the 'Martin family, had intend- ".' ed paying them a visit on Saturday last, *nd had come to Ohristchurch for the purpose,'but meeting some friend? in town, ... «h^' was persuaded to put off the visit, 'Otherwise she might have been the first to '■' discover the awful tragedy. JR. has been- ascertained that McLean \»A on several occasions practised tricks ' en the -household, often creeping into the Jfcaasly circle at night on '•ip-ioe, and startZJng them with his unexpected appearance, --.and.in other ways has 'behaved in a, pecu- - liar anauner. , The family were very religious, and Iheld . ' frecpioit prayer meetings in the evenings, ". in which' McLean joined. On the Thursday eight before the tragedy, a 'Mr Field, who is an evangelist, formed on* of the family circle and took part" ini prayers andi in ' • tinging 'hymns, but afterwards left to stay «t a neighbour's. A shirt was found in- the washhouse in the garden with blood-stains on it, and which had: been washed, probably with a view to removing the marks. ■ Several members o£ the family declare that they weeogoiKcl it as belonging to the missing , «ian McLean. A couple of bloodstained itert» were'also in- <tho washhouse. „ THE INQUEST. / FORMAL PROCEEDINGS. INQUIRY ADJOURNED. **t S. "VV. Biohcpt Coroner, with Injweter Ellison and a jury composed of 11 "perna E. - FeJdwick (foreman.), A. H. ;Itait, T. 'Clayton, A. Whitley, R. W. - /MflTwifrig' ao'd G, H. Blackwell, who had pen got together in Kaiapoi, arrived-on , ffc* scexte*.at 4.30 p.m., and' the inquest opened at itha house in which the fcagedy- took .place. The Cor«iflrj in opening tibe inquest, 'flrfd the jury 'nad- been summoned to- iu- ' anira - iato the laamiOT in which Sarah ; Martin, EU*n Martin amd 1 Lawrence Mar- / ;tin bad'-met theis "deaths. It would ba ' ' impoi«bls'.ihu.t -day to go into the whole ', vt 'the evidaoc* which would enable the ;• lory to ecaaerto a verdict, and he there- »-" low thought it better to hear the purely =. fcrmal evidenoe as to identification of ;txti« \l 4kffM bodlSK, and then to o&owl -the da- £■<&,''

quiry to a future date at the Courthouse at Kaiapoi, when he hoped that the person who was suspected of the murder would be present in custody. It would now be the painful duty of the jury to view the bodies of the three victims. The jury having done this, the Coroner said that having see.i the bodies the jury would understand the necessity for ai inoit exhaus-, tive inquiry into *ho cause of death, and the necessity for an adjournment after taking purely formal evidence as to the identification of the bodies.

The following evidence was then taken:—

Obed Clothier, a fanner'at Kaiapoi, deposed that le was the son-in-law of the late Mrs Sarah Martin. • He also identified the two bodies of Miss Ellen Martin and Lawrence Martin, the daughter aind grandson of Mrs Sarah Martin, Lawrence being the fourth cnild of Mr George Martin, the only son of Mrs Sarah Martin. These three all lived together in the house, and there was also a labourer known as Stewairfc M'Lean, who was employed by Mrs Saraih Martin, and had lived there for about two months. There were no other regular inmates. He had last seen Ellen Marbim driving M'Lean to the doctor on June 18, when she passed .the house of witness. Had not seen M'Lean,since. In consequence- of what he was told, he went to 'i— house at 6.30 on the previous evening, and found all the doors and windows locked. AVi .

the help of his brother he forced a window open and gob through it. He entered the bedroom used by Mrs Mai tin, and going round the bed found the body of Mrs Martin, lying on 'tie floor in a pool of blood. Ho immediately sent word to the polioe at Kaiapoi amd Dr Murray. Constable Simpson, station-td at Kaiapoi, deposed! that, in consequence of information he had received, he went to the house with Constable Joyce and Dr Murray, reaching there about 9.30 p.m.. Found the doors all locked. They burst open the back door, and on goiror into the front room found the bodies ider.lified by the last witness. Mrs Martin's, was.on its face on the floor, and was completely covered with bedclothes. The head was in a pool of blood. She was in her nightdress, and had stockings on. Tie body was lying parallel with the bed, as though she lad fallen off it. There 'was a chair on the left of the body, the seat of wnicl was smeared with blood, and standing in the blood was a candlestick. On tie left hand, behind the door of the room, stood a chest of drawers, with the lower drawers half out, and the two top drawers had been pulled right out and were on tile floor* A large bundle of miscellaneous clothing was lying on the floor in front of them, as |if the drawers had been ransacked. Upon lifting the clothes back they found the body of the little boy, lying partly on its back. The head l was covered with blood. They then went upstairs, and passing through some bedrooms they went down another stair into the kitchen, where they found the body of Miss Ellen' Martin, lying on its back near tie table oa tie floor. The head was lying in a pool of blood which extended nearly across ibe room. On the body and over the neck were several sheets, which were also saturated with blood. The body was fully dressed, with the exception of sloes. Close to where the right hand was lying on the floor was a small stove range poker. Tie fore-finger of the right haoidi was cut off near the second joint. On the table, was «, cheque book and also several kitchen utensils. The door leading out of the kitchen to the yard was locked, and the key was missing. All the beds were made upstairs, with the exception of .that'occupied by M'Lean, which had evidently .been slept ,jn- . , The Coroner saiid that was sufficient evidence for the present, and tie inquest was adjourned-until tie following Wednesday (July 3) at 9 a.m., at the Courthouse, Kaiapoi.