THE TOZER TRAGEDY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18599, 29 December 1920, Page 10

THE TOZER TRAGEDY.

MYSTERY OF “ INGLEBRAE."

THE LOCKKD-UP DRAWING-

ROOM.

Australian files to hand yesterday oontain fuller particulare of the shooting of Dr Claude John Tozer on December 20. The following account is from the “’Sydney ’Stitt” ot December 21:—* Sergeant IS. Fowler furnished th© following report to the City Coroner upon the shooting of Dr Tozer and the wounding of Mrs Harold Sutchuo Ajort. ... ; - “ I beg to report that about 2.30 p.m. oa D’ecembor 21 Claude John Tozsr, .about 30 years of ago? single, medical practitioner, native of Wow South Wales, and lately residing at “ Shireeu,” boundary Street, ltoseville,* was found dead at the residence of Mr Harold Sutcliffe Mort, “ Inglebrae,” Howard Street, Lindfiekl, and Dorothy Mort, tho latter’s;wife*, about 30 to 35 years of age, domestic duties, native of Victoria, was discovered to lie wounded and poisoned. “ It appears that at about 11.30 a.m. on th® date in question Dr Tozer paid an allegedly professional visit to Mrs Mort ; and was dose led’ with her in tho drawing-room for., a fairly lengthy period. About, noon, when the lady help, Mjhs Florence Fizelle (PFrazer) thought she heard a noise in' tho room, she wont t« the door and asked if anything was wanted. She received the* reply from her mistress that nothing was required, and she was not to enter. Eventually Mrs Mort roust have crossed the hallway into her own bedroom unnoticed, as about 5 p.m. she called for a drink of ‘ ice cold water.’ She repeated the order soon aftor, as she ■‘.was terribly thirsty.' - The help was not allowed to enter tho room, but had to leave th© gloss of water on each do.roand at the door, when it ■would be surreptitiously, taken ■by Mrs Mort. the girl afterwards effected an enhance into her mistress's room, found n«L m a state of collapse and covered end nss : st«i her to bed. On Constable .Harden’* arrival at wig scene about 9.50 p.m. deceased, Dr iozer. was found in a sit.Hmr post*ir e , tjh ® «\S» or" a OhostcrfiaM <xmch. S J h * lo Z s stretched out in front and' the bend resting on the back

■ FINDING TTTF 7RfiVt?r,VER . A Colt’s automatic pistol was found ymg on top Of ids right thigh near to his right hand. Fhiec ejected cartridge shells were picked up in the room, anu at least two live cartridges were observed in the inr.gazina. Two Holes, apparently from bullets; nr© to bo soen uiUh© back of the couch, and ouo about tiro feet from tho floor in tiio wail at th© Gild of the couch- An examination of the body by Dr Alurrair lyronvltoad, Dindfield, disclosed a punctured wound on the right temple, probably caused by entry of a bullet, with tho supposed exit of sjimo on loft side of head near the ear. At the examination of- tho unconscious Mra Mort immediately after, Dr Murray found wliat was roost likely a wouud caused by the entry- of a bullet oa tho left breast, with a wound on tho back under the left shoulder blauo, probably th© exit of the bullet, or vice-versa. The doctor also - disclosed that the woman had the appearance as of morphia poisoning, and the Sliding of a laudanum bottlo in tile drawing room confirmed bis opinion.

“ Mrs Mort is receiving medical 'attention at her home."-

WHO FIRED THE SHOTS? The affair is a mystery at present, as tho police have not the, faintest idea as to who fired tlio shots.

• A letter was found in the house. It was written, so fcho police say, by Dr Tozer. ' 'file terms of it were calm. There were also lottcrs, they state, written by Mrs More. The case of the roTolrer was discovered. The weapon, which is a Colt automatic, was, the police believe, only recently purchased. Mra Mort, who is thirty-jive years of age, is the wife of Mr 11. S. Mori, who is a surveyor in the Railway and Tramway Department. For some time past Mrs Mort has been suffering a great deal from nerve troubles and. insomnia. She has had a very trying time of it. Naturally, Mr Mort has had his worries over his wife's illness, but he has had -the assistance of Miss Frances Fraser, a friond of tho family, who has ably assisted Mrs Mort to look after the House and also her two children-—a girl aged nine, and a boy aged live. Somo weeks ago Mrs Mort explained her case to Dr Tozer, who lived in Boundary Street, Roseville, and he treated her for her troubles. -At times sho appeared to be *mproving, while again thero were little sotbacks naturally attendant on nerve troubles. • Yesterday morning Mrs Mort was feeling very poorly, and the police have been informed that Mr Mort telephoned to Dr Tozer, asking him to come to tho house to sco Mrs Mort again. Ho left home shortly after the message was received, and arrived at Mrs Mort’s house about 11.30. r MYSTERY OF THE DRAWINGROOM. Miss Frances Frazer, iady companion to Mrs Mort, was still in a highly excited state when seen tills morning, but she was able to toll ner story of tho tragedy. , , • Dr Tozer, she said, at the home shortly before noon. He seemed in pleasant spirits. She showed him into Mrs Mort’s bedroom, where Mrs Mort lay ill in bod. Miss Frazer closed the door behind them, and went out t 0 the rear of the house. A few minutes later she henru shots • (or at ‘ least she thought they wer© shots). • • • , She went straight away fo the door of the. drawing-room adjoining the bedroom in which she had left Dr Tozer and Mrs Mort.' It was the drawing-room from which the reports seemed to have come. Sho tried the door, and found it locked- Then she went back into tb© adjoining bedroom and tried the drawiug-rocm door there, but it also was locked. There was no on© in the bedroom, bo Miss Frazer concluded that both Dr Tozer and Mrs Mort had moved into the drawing-room, although Mrs Mort’s health was such that Miss Frazer did not think sho would have been capable of . getting out . of bed. However .Miss Frazer knocked At the-, floor of! the drawingroom, and called out, Whatever is th© .master ? ' Mrs Mort’s voice answered, 1 am Tight.” Miss Frazer, however, was not satisfied, and without waiting further she rushed out of tho house and raced away to a neighWs Mace in order to ring for a doctor, but the telephone was out of order ' She tried a number of times, and eventually returned to tho house. There rfie found Mrs Mort’s little girl, wlio had been away playing- She told the child what she had heard, and tho pair of them knocked at the drawingroom door. . Everything was 'quiet, . They received no' answer. Then they walked along to the bedroom door. This door, when Miss Frazer went to ring up, was ’open, but now they round it locked also. Ttiey both banged at the door and Called out, asking what was wrong. The door remained locked, but Mrs Mort answered that nothing was wrong. Her -voico came from the bedroom. Apparently after the t shooting she had returned from the drawing-room where Dr Tozer was lying dead. During tho afternoon Miss Frazer and Mies Mort repeatedly knocked at fcho. bedroom door, and inquired what the trouble was," but on each occasion the answer was to tho '■*- effect that there was nothing wrong. . These, re*

plies cam© all the time from Airs Mort. There was no sound of Dr Tozei-’s voice.

WHAT THE YOUNG LADY SAW. It was about seven o’clock in the evening when the door of the bedroom was first opened. Mrs Mort eallod out for some ice water, and Miss Frazer brought it to the door. There was a movement inside the room, the lock clicked, and Mrs Mort half opened the door to receive the, water. As sho did so Miss Frazer pushed the door open. She was horrified at the state of her mistress.

At this point of the story Miss Frazet broke off. She said that she could hardly j mnember anything more. Who was so upset. Tlio home of Mr and Mrs Mort is a big brown and white bungalow, “ Inglobrao," standing alono on a rise off Howard Street, near Owen Street, [/iiidfield. It is about a mile from the station. Giant trees stand on each side of the home, anti in tho front is a picturesque little garden. It is a comfortably furnished plaoo, and stands out prominently as a visitor walks down to it along the Tryou Road. SITTING DEAD ON A COUCH. It has been stated that when the locked-doors _ wore opened, on a cottch in tho drawing-room, close to a window, sat Dr Tozer, dead. He had a bullet wound in his right temple. A bullet had passed through his head and e'mbedded itself in the wall. On his lap, near his right hand, lay a Colt’s automatic revolver. Tlio body was stiff'. Beside him, to his right, lay a blood-stained kimona. There were no signs of a struggle. Tho carpet and tho couch were covered with blood, and Dr Tozer himself presented an awful spectacle, with all the front of his clothing bloodstained. The next event was the discovery of Mrs Mort, with a bullet wound under her heart. .All the police wore able to learn last night was that Mra Mort was in her bedroom. Dr Murray, . Dindfield, who was sent for, was quickly on the seem-. He attended to Mrs Mort.

When Mr Mort returned home at night, Dr Murray met him and told him wliat had happened. Ho was greatly shocked. Here there is a conflict as to times. The police say that Mr Mort was informed of the shooting.by ’phone about four o’clock in the afternoon, and that he immediately left the city. That would mean ho would arrive soon after five o’clock. Mies Frazer, , however, states 'that it was seven o’clock before tho door of the drawing-room was opened and Mrs Mort found bleeding from her wound. Again, according to the police, the Pyznblo station was not informed of tho tragedy till ten o’clock at night. Mr Mort declined to make any statement to Press representatives. PUZZLING SITUATION.

The police have never had such a peculiar case to deal with for many years. But they have hopes of clearing up the mystery soon. Tlio Government medical officer who conducts the examination Lo-day, will, of course, report as to whether or not there are any powder marks around the \rounds on both persons, and tho finding of the . revolver on Dr iozer’s lap will also recoivo special attention.. It was learned that the bullet which entered Mrs’ Mort’s chest went through ,hor body and cam© out behind her shoulder.

DOCTOR, SOLDIER, CRICKETER. Familiar to Sydney by Ins deeds at cricket, Dr Claude John Tozer was also well known amongst the medical profession. , , ■ His death lust night found him a liit.lt> over thirty years of ago. 110 graduated as a medical practitioner, from the Sydney University shortly before war was declared, and after serving a period on tho resident staff or the Sydney Hospital enlisted with the A.H.O. During the four years ho spent at the war he was seriously wounded, and also suffered from influenza. At the- beginning of the year he wns again dangerously ill, this time with diphtheria, but was able to attend .o his profession enough to look, after an increasing practico in Roseville and. the North Shore districts. iiis + home was in Boundary Street, in the formei Sll ln r crickot Dr Tozer;was ft player who wae well in the limelight owing to hu high standard of batsmanship. Ho iiKved first with University, and later S e th? Gordon Club. He won the Sting average last year amongst the Gordon team, and this season was leading with the highest avorago of runs for grade cricket. He practised with the fifteen who had been selected ns material for the New South Wales team •mainst the Englishmen, and was picked ivs twelfth man, n selection which protrnVr'd much criticism. Dr Toner’s father was an 1 „„ Atndo-ce. and was also an SmrUd, a Sir Horiwe Tozer, ofQuecnslpn .