AN APPALLING TRAGEDY IN CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11690, 27 June 1901, Page 5

AN APPALLING TRAGEDY IN CANTERBURY.

A FAMILY MASSACRED. MOTHER, DAUGHTER, AXD GRANDSON BATTERED TO DEATH. . j A COLD-BLOODED CRIME. ROBBERY THE SUPPOSED MOTIVE. A MISSING MANSERVANT, [BT TELEGRAPH. —PPECIAT. to NEW Zealand HERALD.] CirRiSTCHt'P.Cii, Wednesday. Tin; immunity from crime of a serious nature — hirh the provincial district of Christchurch has enjoyed was broken on Saturday by the commission of a very foul and brutal murder. Whilst the enthusiastic crowds in the city were brimming over with excitement in connection with the great : event which happened that day, two defenceless women and a young lad were lying cruelly murdered in their dwelling 2-1 miles north of Christehurch. SCENE OF THE CRIME. East. Eyreton, or as it is more usually called. Eyreton, the scene of the. murder of Mrs. Henry Martin, Miss Ellen Martin, her daughter, and Laurence Martin, her grandson, can hardly be called even a township. It is essentially a district, where small farming is the chief occupation of the residents. The village itself consists chiefly of school and library buildings, and a blacksmith's shop, the houses of the farmers being scattered over a large area, and at considerable distances apart. The nearest telephone bureau is at Ohoka, four miles away, and the nearest, telegraph ofiiee at Kaiapoi, about seven miles distant, Rangiora being about nine miles away. An old-fashioned house, which has from time to time been added to, part two-storey, and part with garrets, was the residence of the unfortunate victims of the crime. It is almost hidden from the Eyreton Oxford Road by a clump of trees, and the nearest habitations are four or five hundred yards away, many of them enclosed and almost hidden by trees. It is not difficult to imagine how a person with evil intentions could in the early limns of the morning execute a. fiendish deed as that perpetrated on Saturday morning. Neither is it difficult to imagine, owing to the holidays in connection with the Royal visit, and the general exodus of the country population to tho city, 'that for practically lour days no particular notice was taken of the quietness that reigned round the secluded farmhouse. THE DISCOVERY OF the bodies.

The hist seen, of Mrs. and Miss Martin alive by neighbours was 0:1 Friday, when a 111,111 named McLean, who was employed by Mrs. Martin, and slept, in the house, was observed washing the spring cart, and it was thought they were all likely to go to tho Royal demonstrations in Ghristchurch. On too Friday evening, Mr. Field, an evangelist, Killed at tho house, and he unci McLean and Miss Martin spent the. evening singing hymns. Mr. Field left them all in good spirits. The man McLean was next seen about on Saturday morning by 11 man named Giles, leaving the place with the spring cart and the brown mare in the direction of Swannansa, going west. No more, was .seen or heard of the unfortunate victims of the tragedy, although a, Air. F. Sharp, with a salesman's van, called, but as he saw no one about he went on. On Tuesday evening, however, Mr. F. Biutows, who drives a grocer's cart for Mr. G. H. Blaekwell, called, and. being unable to make anyone hoar when he called, and noticing that the cows were immilked, and the bowse locked up, ho informed Mr. Obed Clothier, Mrs. Martin's in-law, who resides at (.'larkville. As Mr. Burrows was on his return to Kaiapoi, Mr. Clothier at once drove to byreton, about three miles, and. breaking in at the bedroom window he found Mrs. .Martin lying on the floor in her nighk lollies, dead, and her head severely wounded with soma instrument. He then sent, lor the police at Kaiapoi, and Constables Joyce and. Simpson, with Or. Murray, went out about eight p.m., and they were followed from Christuhnrclt by Inspector Ellison and Detectives Livingstone, Fitzgerald, end Fuhey, who arrived at three o'clock yesterday morning to begin their investigations.

APPEARANCE 01? THE VICTIMS

The house preset)led internally a scene ol the greatest disorder. In the kitchen at the back, Miss Ellen Martin, aged 48 years, was lying on her back, near a tabic, with several gashing wounds in her head. Near her was a kitchen poker, and there were signs of a desperate at niggle. The table and chairs had been moved. Miss Martin was almost fully dressed, but had no shoes on, and it might be assumed she had been preparing breakfast when attacked. The fact that the index finger of her right baud had been completely severed, and was found on another part of the floor, was evidence "1 the desperate encounter that had taken place. The medical gentleman gave it as his opinion that she had been dead two or three days. To the left of the kitchen, across a passage, was Mrs. Martin's room. The old lady, acred '0 had probably been in the act of getting up, or had been attache:! in bed and then fallen on the floor, where the body lay with the head backed by her assailant, and blood covering the floor. In the coiner ol this room was the dead body of the little boy who had probably never struggled, and had' been foully murdered with four or live blows on his head in his sleep, and the head nearly,'/- severed from his bodv Not only was the place all confusion, but the drawers of a chest, near where the boy was lying, had their contents emptied over him. He had been sleeping on a mattress between the chest of drawers and the fireplace, and it is thought probable that "Miss Martin hud slept Willi her mother, as all the other beds in the house, with the exception of that slept m by McLean, had not been disturbed. ACTION BY THE POUCH.

On receipt by the Kaiapoi police of the intelligence of the crime by Mr. Clothier, tin: telegraph wires were at once set lo work, and at midnight, just as Inspector Allison, who Ims had an exceedingly trying time of late in connection with the .special police precautions and arrangements for the Royal visit, was retiring to ml, be received the" telegram from the Kaiapoi police. The news the telegram contained was, however, of sufficiently grave import to cause him to at once abandon all idea of rest, and, ordering a, conveyance, he. in company with Detectives Livingstone. Fahey, and' Fitzgerald - , and Dr. Irvine, started for the scene of the tragedy. The night was bitterly cold, and the thick fog made the journey a difficult and somewhat dangerous one. On reaching the scene of the murder entry was obtained without: bursting open the. doors, and a sickening sight was encountered. Lying close to the bed, with her face downwards, was Mrs. Martin, in her night, elo.hes. The little boy, as already described, was discovered lying across the mattress, evidently Laving been' killed in his sleep. The child's head was crushed, and a gaping wound, from the right eve to the left ear,' inflicted. There was also another deep diagonal cut across the forehead. Mrs. Martin had a deep wound on the centre of her forehead, and hot- skull was cleft open at the top, exposing liio brain. An ugly wound behind her ear was also found. Kiitering (he kitchen Inspector Kllison found another ghastly sight, and lifting up the blood-stained sheets, which had evidently been thrown over (he murdered woman, to '•" some measure shut our, the sight even from the callous perpetrator of the awful crime, the body of Miss Martin was revealed lying face upwards, end partly dressed. Miss Martin's skull was cleft right open, and Dice were live other gaping wounds in her head. She was lying in what had been a. great pool of blood In addition, the forefinger of hei right hand had been cut quite through, this fact, apparently, indicating that she had put her hand to her heed to in some measure | ward off her assailant's first attack. The. j weapon used was evidently a blood stained j tomahawk, which the police; found on. the! flow, 1

! A COLD-BLOODED CRIME. j That the crime is one of the most coldi blooded end deliberate murders ever comj mitted t'b.ere is bo doubt, for the pc-ipetra-I tor appears to have gone coolly and delibe- ■ rately to work, and to have been in no hurry ito citbtr «!.vr up his tracks or to leave i the premises until he had curried out- his I quite evident intent of robbing Hie establishment of any money or valuables of 'an easily portable "nature. 'j he bouse was J ransacked from end to end. Drawers were [ lurried out, articles oi oil descriptions ! thrown about, broken, and heaped up in all ! directions, showing that the search had been ! thorough.. Exactly what the murderer car- ; ried aw a j is quite a. matter for conjecture. | So far no arrest has been iiwde, though susj pieion points in n, certain direction.

! THE VICTIMS. j Mr. Henry Martin, the deceased husband j «i Mrs. Martin, the oldest of the victims.of j the tragedy, came with his wife from St•; t - I fordsbiis in 1839. in the Clontarf. They j settled at Kaiapui, m-zr the site of the i woollen inilis:. 'He worked as carpenter, ! assist in? to pot up whet was once a very ' fine building in that town, the Assembly i Rooms. He aNo made the first bullock I dray north of the "*- S~lji ;;■ 1 -c.-t3 ■ ij i. and in ! Ja.n\iorv. 1861, he took up land at EyreUm. ' and elected the house in which this sad I affair lias taken pl.t-.--. ¥'>•■ assisted in I many public duties, and held oflice .is Metho- ' disl society steward, '.the late Mr. Martin j led the congregational psalmody of his \ church with a, concertina-. ' Hi's death took ! place in November, 1898. anil lie left his 1 widow and son, Mr. *'. IT. Martin (veil- | known as a Ihreshinir-maeliine owner). Miss Martin and Mrs. 0. F. Clothier, of Clarkville, daughters. Mrs. Martin was of a hind disposition, and, with her daughter. was deeply interested in all works of a charitable and religious character. The. grandson was a boy of great promise and a favourite with his grandmother and aunt. and was staying with them at the time of the murder as company for Mrs. Martin, who was devotedly fond of him. On the floor beside Mrs. Martin's body was found 8-5 6d in silver, whilst Is was picked up in the vicinity of Miss Martin's body. On (he kitchen table was found a. cheoue book. Another alleged fact is that the key of a safe built in one of the outhouses, and said to contain valuables and a will and certain deeds, cannot be found. This safe was built by Mr. Martin, who, during his lifetime, was understood to keep his money on the premises rather than at a bank. It. is assumed that the perpetrator of the deed I has the key of this safe, or has hidden it. A WALK OVER THE HOUSE. An examination of the premises revealed a. few additional facts to those already recorded. The clock in the kitchen' had stopped at five minutes to one o'clock one day. The features of both Mrs. and Miss Martin were scarce!." discernible, owing to the thick coating of blood on them, Mrs. Martin's left Land was over her breast, and j her ring was still on one of the fingers. There was i;o sign of pain on the feces of either of the victims so far as could be seen. Upstairs in the man's bedroom the bed showed signs of having been slept in. His trunk, a tin one, was open, and several cheap editions of popular novels were to be seen in it. A pair of hoots worn by the man. and some of his clothing were also strewn about. A. steep staircase led from the man's bedroom to the kitchen. The clock in. the mail's room had stopped at ten minutes to two. With (.be exception of the man's, room the upstairs rooms •were all in order, and presented a totally different .appearance to those on the ground ilojar. Signs wore found in one of the outhouses indicating that the man had washed soma of his clothes before he left the place.

THE MISSING MANSERVANT.

Mr. James Giles, 20 years of age, the. son of Mr. Lot Giles, who lives about, half-a-mile further along the Eyretmi-Oxford Road than tho Martin's, described to a reporter what had occurred on Saturday morning last. About a-quarter pn.st. seven o'clock he left his home for the Matideville Nation, to take the train for Christchurrh. He had pro' ceded some distance along the road when about, a quarter of an hour'afterwards McLean passed in the Martin's trap. Young Giles thought it somewhat strange that McLean did not slop end nß'er to give him a lift, as lie assumed thai, he was going to the station for something. "Ho was just jigjogging along." explained Giles, "and i was a'xHit two yards from him as he passed. I could see him plainly enough, hut I cannot say whether he was wearing his ordinary clothes or not. He said " Good-day' to me, and I noticed nothing peculiar or different in his manner, tie was just the same as I have seen him before. I saw no signs iof blood on him." Gileawntched McLean J along tho road, and saw liiui pull up at a j point where, ii branched, off into two. as if | hesitating which he should take. Tie at J-length took the road to Swannasa.. Though this-- peculiar incident was noticed by Giles, ho did not attach any importance to it, and preceded on his way to the station. 1