MAEREWHENUA TRAGEDY

Northern Advocate, 30 May 1936, Page 6

MAEREWHENUA TRAGEDY

A FAMILY WIPED OUT j 1 * — i i INQUEST ON VICTIMS. ] • • I [Per Press Association. —Copyright . 3 j OAMARU, This Day. j The inquest ino the Maerewhenui j tragedy on May 26, when Arthur j Douglas Nolan, Thelma Mabel Nolan, | Linton Patrick Nolan, and Anthony j Francis Nolan were found incinerated in a burned house, was held yesterday at Oamaru. Dr. Fitzgerald described the positions of the bodies when found. In the front bedroom were the chrared remains of a man s body bn a wire mattress, and the female adult was on the floor. In another room were found the remains of two of the children. It witness’s opinion the man’s death was caused by an injury to the j heart consistent with a bullet wound. A post-mortem : on the bodies of the children 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. He arrived too late to enter the house. Nolan, he said, was an agreeable man, who got on well with his wife. Several witnesses testified to the good relations between the couple. James Joseph Hore, the father of Mrs Nolan, said his daughter had not been too well. If she was responsible for the tragedy her brain must have, snapped during the night. He was sure it had not been premeditated.

William Brash Hutchinson said: “Nolan was a very decent type of man and a cheery worker..’’

George Roland More said his sister appeared to be worrying about the baby’s health when he saw her six weeks before the tragedy. Elizabeth Alison Hore said Mrs Nolan had been run down in health. William Arthur James Hore said his sister had suffered from nerves, and he thought this had got the better of her, and that she had destroyed her husband, her children and herself. If so, witness was sure her action had been unpremeditated. Other witnesses said Mrs Nolan had not been well, and had worried about the children’s 1 health. Detective Ernest Thomas said his investigations had failed to reveal the cause of death. The Nolans had been very popular, and had not had a single enemy. Sergeant McGregor said that when the bodies were found, the barrel of a repeating rifle had been found near the woman’s body. There had been no trace of strangers in the district at the time of the tragedy.

Returning a verdict that the deaths of Nolan and the children were due to rifle bullet wounds, the coroner, Mr W. Frith, said that a thorough and conscientious investigation had been made by the police. He was convinced that no outside person was connected with the affair. The bodies had been so badly incinerated that identification had been very uncertain, but he had no doubt that they were the remains of Mr Nolan and the two children. Owing to the body of Mrs Nolan being so badly charred, it was impossible to state the cause of death. There was no doubt that the rifle found in the ruins' was the one used.

The father of the woman, Mr J. J. More, expressed the relatives’ appreciation of the thoroughness of the police investigation.