A SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10752, 13 May 1898, Page 5

A SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

FIGHT BETWEEN V AN OLD MARRIED WMS.h •.■■-■!COUPLE. ■■'■ '•■■"■ BOTH FEARFULLY WOUNDED. ■■ ■■-. j t AFTERWARDS ROASTED TO DEATH. Oakieigh was the scene of a fearful tragedy on April 25, during the early hours of tho morning. The parties were an old married couple named William and Ada Brialey, who had boon residents of tho suburb named for the previous 12 months. The old couple deponded largely on tho charity of local residents for their subsistence. They had frequent quarrels, to wlu'oh their neighbours in Tamar-street had become so accustomed that they paid little attention to them. Brialey was a man of sober habits, and is in faot believed to havo abstained altogether from intoxicating liquor. His wife, who was 54- years old, occasionally indulged in a "spreo," but from all accounts was perfectly sober on tho night of tho tragedy. She at timo3 attended meetings of tho Salvation Army. At night the old couple commenced to quarrel, and high words emanating from their house were constantly heard by the neighbours. At midnight, Mr. 0. Wilding, iwho lives opposite, heard them fighting, and saw tho window curtain on fire. The flames were quiokly extinguished. Presently Brialey put his wife out of the house, and she paced up and down tho street, calling out "Eire! Murder I 'Police I" Mrs. Brialey at about this time went to tho house of her next door neighbour, Mrs. Annio lamb, and asked to be let in. As there was no other grown-up person in the homo besides herself— husband, being away —Mrs. Lamb was rather apprehensive, and refused her admission. At about one a.m. Mrs. Lamb saw Mrs. Brialoy setting fire to somo straw on the footpath, and calling out ''Fire I"

What occurred during the remaining three hours and upwards is a mystery, and must remain so. Some time after three o'olock the noun was noticed by the neighbours to be in flames. Mrs. Brialey was found orouching alongside tho fence, at tho rear of tho house. She presented a terrible appearance. •■ The only vestige of clothing that remained on her was portion of the sleevo of a nightdress, about 2in long, encircling her wrist. There were ugly wounds on her head, whioh was bathed in blood, and the skin, roddoned by the fire, was peeling off her body. Slio was partly conscious, and was able to make it understood ithat her 'husband was inside the house, but tliat was all. Some covoring, in the shape of old clothes, was provided for her, after which a message was sent to tho police station and tho fire-alarm was given. This was at a quarter to four, and the members of the Oakhigh and Caulfield firo brigados, and Sergeant Ryan and Constables Toole and Martin, came to tho scone. The house was gutted with flame, and there was no hope of saving it. When the fire was got under, after praotically destroying the house and everything in it, tho police found amongst the debris tho remains of William Brialey. Thoro was a large wound in the skull, such as might have been inflicted with an axo. This discovery was mado in the room whore tho old man used to sleep on a strotcher, with very rough bedclothes. In the place whero the kitchen had stood was found an axe, tho handle of whioh had been burnt off. All the flesh, with the exception of a little on one thigh, which had rested op tlie floor, was burnt off, and the left arm was entirely missing. The bone of tho left log, below the knee, was fractured. Constablo Martin took Mrs. Brialey to the Melbourne Hospital, where she died without having mado any statement. It is beyond doubt that Mrs. Brialey received tho injuries to hor head prior to the house becoming ignited. Traces of blood, which there can bo very little doubt came from hor wounds, wore followed to a distance of 40ft. Tho pickets of tho fence between her houso and that of Mrs. Lamb were besmeared with blood; and thoro wore blood marks on Mrs. Lamb's front door. Tlie unfortunate woman had evidently kopt putting her hand to her head as she walked along. It is not known whether the blood marks on the door wero caused at tho time the deceased woman spoko to Mrs. Lamb and asked to be let in, or subsequently. Her movoments during tho whole of tho night wore very erratic. It is likely that 6omo time after ten o'clock, when Mrs. Lnmb saw hor firing some straw in the street, Mrs, Brialoy returned to tlio house, mid so far provoked hor husband as to cause him to inflict the wounds on hor head with some implement or piece of furniture. Then, it would Boom, she soizod tho nxo and inflicted tho wound on his skull. This injury is of such a torriblo nature that lie oould have ' had little chance of molesting her after receiving it. Tho position of the incision, also, is such as to suggest that it had beon mado while the man was lying prostrate. It is to lio presumed that after the assault on hor husband—which in itself might have caused immediate death—Mrs. Brialey set fire to tho house, and that hor clohos caught fire. Then, in all likelihood, she Tan out to the backyard, whoro sho was afterwards found. Had sho been attired in more substantial clothing she must havo been burnt to death on the spot. However, as in the case of the man, it is not at all unlikoly that she would have suffered death by the hoad wound ii there had been no fire.