MURDER OR SUICIDE?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14601, 10 February 1911, Page 5

MURDER OR SUICIDE?

A CHRISTCHURCH MYSTERY. BODY IN . A RIGHT-OF-WAY DEAD WOMAN IDENTIFIED. [BT TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Chkistchckch, Thursday. Tub victim of the tragedy, which is assumed to have taken place in a right-of-way off Cashel-street yesterday morning, has been identified as the divorced' wife of a local resident, who, after obtaining a decree against her husband, resumed her maiden name of Ethel Bradley. She was about 33 years of age, and belonged to Lyttelton. At the time of her death ! the woman was employed in a domestic capacity, although she had only been at work for two or three weeks. She was seen by a nephew in Cashel-street near Ballantyne's at 8.5 on Tuesday night, and cheerfully - acknowledged his " Goodnight." Next morning, at 7.10, her dead body was found in the right-of-way, the appearance suggesting that ,it had been dragged by the neck to the place where it was discovered.' The victim comes of an old and highly-respected Lyttelton family, and she has two brothers, both occupying responsible mercantile positions in this city. Her parents are both dead. The police theory is that the woman took poison herself, and that some other person with her, in all probability a male, frightened and excited at the deed, had conveyed her to the spot where she was found. The police state that the body was certainly not in the right-of-way at two a.m., and that it must, have been placed there, probably aifter life was extinct. The relatives of the young i woman, however, stoutly expressed the opinion that the girl had been murdered. They state that she had never given the slightest indication of being depressed or about- to take her life, and had actually arranged to go with one of her brothers to the theatre on Wednesday night. The post mortem has riot so far shown any traces of poison in the stomach. . . . The local detective force is ■- busily investigating the circumstances surrounding the case, • and it. is probable that more light will be let into the whole matter in a day or two. The woman's hat is missing', and its discovery might afford a clue. Two men, who were teen by a constable in Cashel-street no great? distance from the. scene of the tragedy at about two a.m. yesterday, were taken to the police station this morning, and ■ closely - interrogated, but were not further detained. The man from whom the deceased obtained a divorce is named John Farrant, and is employed as a steward on a steamer. The inquest has been fixed for to-morrow morning.