FIRE TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 154, 1 June 1936, Page 2

FIRE TRAGEDY.

INQUEST CONDUCTED. Per Press Association. OAMARU, May 30. The inquest into the tragedy of February 26, when Arthur I>oiigla6 Nolan, Thelma Mabel Nolan, Lindon Patrick Nolan, and Anthony Francis Nolan were found incinerated in a burned house, was held yesterday at Oarnaru. Dr. Fitzgerald described the positions of the bodies when they were found in the lront bedroom. 'there were the charred remains of a man’s body on a wire mattress and a female adult on the ground. In the other room were the remains of two children. In witness's opinion the man’s death was caused by an injury to the heart consistent with a bullet wound. A postmortem examination of the children had indicated wounds consistent with bullet wounds. The woman’s body was too badly incinerated to indicate the cause of death. Charles Douglas Adams, a farmer, gave evidence of noticing the fire, lie had arrived too late to enter *the house. Nolan was an agreeable man and got on well with his wife. Several witnesses testified to the good relations between the couple. James Joseph liore, the father ol Mrs Nolan, said his daughter had not been too well. If she had been responsible for the tragedy her brain must have snapped during the night. William Brash Hutchison said Nolan was a cheery worker. George Roland More said his sister appeared to be worrying about her baby’s health when he saw her six weeks before the tragedy. William Arthur James Hore said his sister suffered from nerves and he thought this had got the better of her and she had destroyed her husband and children and herself. Detective E. Thomas gave evidence that the investigations had failed to reveal the cause ot death. Sergeant McGregor said that when the bodies were found the barrel ot a repeating rifle was found near tne woman’s body. Returning a verdict that the deaths of Nolan and his children were due to rifle bullets, the Coroner (Mr W. Frith) said that a thorough investigation had been made by the police. He was convinced that no outside person had been connected with the affair. There was no doubt that the rifle found in the ruins was the one used.