MURDER AND SUICIDE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21956, 13 November 1934, Page 12

MURDER AND SUICIDE

RECENT FARM TRAGEDY ■ i ■! ' ' " ' EVIDENCE AT INQUEST WIFE AND CHILDREN SHOT " /' r .. AN ABSENCE OF MOTIVE / [from our own correspondent] , . HAMILTON. Monday A verdict that Heury Tudor Rogers, aged 2-3, a farmer, of Horsham Downs, murdered his wife, Marion Isabella Rogers, aged 27, and his two children, Barbara Edith Rogers, aged 2| years, and Nola Marion Rogers, aged six months, at Horsham Downs, on November 5, and then committed suicide, was returned by the coroner, Mr. S. L. Raterson, S.M., at the inquest into their deaths to-day.

James McFarlane Williamson, farmer, of Horsham Downs, gave evidence that at 11 9-m. on November 5 Rogers visited his house to return some wire strainers he had borrowed. Rogers talked about general farm matters for 10 minutes, and returned home. About an hour later Mrs. Rogers' brother, Wyatt Shepherd, told him that the Rogers' family had been killed. Witness went to the Rogers' house, and found that Rogers, his wife, and two children ha'd been shot dead. A peariflu was lying under Rogers 5 body with the muz2le pointing toward his head.

"Morose Type of Man"

Witness regarded Rogers as a ffioro.se type of man who worried constantly about his farm. Rogers Mas very attached to his wife and children and as far as witness knew there had been no domestic trouble between them. Rogers had never indicated that he intended to take his life.

Detective r Sergeant J. Thompson saii that at 12.'45 p.m. on November 3 he went .out to Rogers' farm. Witness described the position of the bodies. The pea-rifle had been moved by Williamson, who frankly admitted having done so. Among the effects found in the house was evidence to show that Rogers was not financially embarrasSed. Neighbours had told witness that Roger" had worried a good deal about his farm and had expressed his fear that he'would be unable to make it pay. Sane in Legal Sense Evidence that the four deceased had died from pea-rifle bullet wounds in the forehead was given bv Dr. A. G. Waddell.

The coroner found that Mrs. Rogers and the two children died from gun shot wounds feloniously inflicted by Rogers and that the latter feloniously killed himself. The coroner held that Mrs. Rogers was killed first, the child Kola second, and Barbara third. He also held that from the evidence he could Only come to the conclusion that Rogers was sane in the legal sense of the word when ho shot his wife, his children and himself.