THE MIDHURST TRAGEDY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 30 June 1898, Page 4

THE MIDHURST TRAGEDY.

■ ! .';" : ? '.- tA'MApMfeS'SitftlME. . ■:-■ -■'„. -A' STRANGE LETTER. '•.;■'}■:'■ .-'■>■'.. ■*so i- .t- - v'o "', >y The'-.oiwi'Qmatanceß of the horrible " frogefly wfiiotQjbc'irrod at MidKurat; ;-' • in tb.e A «>• anafe * district, last Wed" '. , nesday -week (as' to which the ' interiixptiuiitof; the .telegraph lines. ,' ou the ooaat hsw preventjai particu- ; jars reaching Ma) ate-. 1 elateu In! ex- : - changes tp liand. • . , ' ; The^nau^at* ori' tlie bodies 'of \' 1 ' Hnmi*?ey"H»ac6ok ) ,whp» cqm f -.mitted^Buicido, after ontting tha throal^fcPftjs : dangler, and of the wa^ held ,o«, Thuraclay r . We* sammanse ihe following eyijlence from the rep,rt " '.pablisbod'tiy the Post ' of that day :— ' ' ' Alireil Janifcß Hancock, a lb» year-old-ijißOn of the deceased man. btated '-ih'ii'h'is father's ago was 41, ' ann Ai^bi's enter Muia 20. His BisterTiiaa^kept ( hoase since her mother's death- about two years ago. , Jbiis father had beennll for some time, and away from work for ojrer a week, a.docior attending fcim. he •was ftr temperate man, but on the Sunday previous to the tragedy he quanelte#-"Wito* Maria »nd struck her— unusual behaviour on his part. ■On the.rVvbriririg^of the tragedy -they all breakfasted, together, after which witness* WeWto-the Midhurst factory for milk. He'got h6me again ehortly after., 9 o'clock, and dis cove^the tragedy. JDdtthj Mary Diokeneon, dreßHnakejv^^A/hacl been swying as a vi6itor,5 4 fith; the Hiincocks, stated that Maria and "her father had not agreed well ofjate. . They quarrelled firafc softie 1 w&eK8 v 'ago_abdut Maria "frizgpg/'nijgr hair. Her father threatenl'd-to cut her hair off, and. her brdttfer, h*i4o interfere to prevent it 'being done. There was Bnoihte^iArrelthe'evening before the tragedy. told her it was over BSl'P^»tograph of herself and two lady frienda taken 1a » group which a she missed from her box. She asked* her father if he had taken it, s and he replied " No." She then Baid } ihlt;hb 7 one else would go to her',.box,;ana htr father retorted '•Then you call me liar?" and struck .her. -Moria, spoke of leaving home and going into service. The same night Hancock told witness abbut ihe quarrel, and said his daoghter waß going to leave him, and tie^ supposed witness would leave «lso. She replied " Yes." He asked her 10 Uave with Alfred in the morriiDg f na there' would be a rumpus and he' did hot want her there. * MJ/itaeaß- advised him not to do anyihing he woald be sorry for and he replied that be knew there would be a row over the olothea, and Mftria was cot going to take A) the clitihes she thought Bhe was. He also. said, she- ; wouid never go into service';- Ne±t moruiDg she left with Alffed,- and/as, she, passed the house o'fijirß plwvpr, a neighbour, she sent in word asking if she would keep M.ari3 company ( until Alfred returHed. Th'fswds on ac« count of what Hancock had said, DrtJfoget,.who r^ade a post mor-. few of the bodies, said,- aB to the body of the girl, that there were three cuta in the throat, two running together, the/>maitt. cut really being two cutspßevering the windpipe, and being sufficient to canse. death. The other cut wais 'higher up under the chin, and was not so severe. The wounds had bldd freely. There was also a deep punctnred wound' 'lbp;tween ,the Bhonlders. There were also some cuts on the finger,- there 'beiDg a deep cut ; on the tope of the middle finger of tfce left hand, ,and another on the top of the .index finger of the right hand/ •• Mrs Cleaver said 'that after she got Miss Diokensbn's message she started I 'to'lgb to'Mr Hancock's. After gettiife¥alf^way across ih'e paddock the found it awkward to get ovtr 1 thebarbed wirefenoe and to go by?, another way. She saw Hancock outside in his shirt sleeves. When ahe got lib* the 1 houße five or tea mifiufol Jaiefshe knocked^ but could'gtitNlffTffißWer; so ciine'awaj againu*i£;;.r j -.: « Robert James Hancock, eldißt son ot ih'e deceased man, who resided in another part of the district, stated that the "following lettaaddrewqd to him was in his. father's handwriting :— •' Miohurst, 21st June,— Dear Bpb-^-lhope you will forgive me for this rash act, but ' Maria called me a liar, and said she would 'leavd me, bo 1 made up my mind for both to leave together. 1 could not stand that. 'My brain is . turnetf¥""Mr l " Tookefl, a'i. Stratford, has th^iWill, upd^you can ask Mr Fred Gate< about the cfeathbenfit and abbot the sick benefit. There are Jonahs bulbher's bills 10 pay, and ifjion have not enough for Mr HuBB jge* iit *ff' Willie Davensy.; Look fitter the two little ones for your bi9ltid«jjj|&rt' d father, . (goodbye, and^ S&!£s%B y°« a'L— H. K Hancock^ Midhurst. Jane 21, 1898. •' P.^S;'— Do not goih black for us, for we are not worth it, and do not go to any trouble about us. You yt ill find me down the well. . "H.E.H. "Bob Stewa_r| /has. got three booka belonging to me." On iihß back o^f the letter appeartd the ftflrbwfng pbataoHpt :— " There is Oh BlanChard^s bill to pay. Jones, the butcher, in paid up to Ist , J ppiember, 1898.— 8.E.H." '•^on,iake , the deeds and fire policy to Fookes, and then there is my life policy. You go to Eapley about that. .GooUbye, my boy. — H.E.EU,. June 1898."' Witness, continuing his evidence, said his father had r been peauliar in . his mirinfer' lately, and had several times said He>would go mad, De- ' ceased complained that his daughter had riot 1 treated him well, bathe expected her to do too much. She waß alwiys.kind to him, and had previouß)y>'refuaod to leave hini. Theory jrllDlWie'd a. verdict that the de'c;ej||e^'lii(ari'a, I Jane Hancock, met he^^gath through wounda inflicted by her, father while tempornrily^flsahe,^ajid that Humphrey ' Hancoc^ Jib^H^'tted'jnjoide while of temporajbly [Uiisarjnd'iiiind. .

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