THE CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6177, 8 April 1907, Page 7

THE CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY

DYING WOMAN'S DEPOSITIONS. JEALOUSY" THE CAUSE OF THE CTUMK. PRESS ASSOCIATION. ciira.sTCiiruc’Ji. April g. Last night's tragedy in Moorehouso Avonues when u imm numc'l Binithcrs attempted to murder a young ivoman nilmed Nellie Jackson. b\ fiii--Ihi" her throat, nnd liicn attempted to roimiiil suicide, Inn not yet resulted totally to eitlier ot tlieni. At latest advices the woman, who was in a prc-,-ai ions last night. is ’till low, although she I: doing ns well as ran be expected. H is not likely that the man will die. Last night. when it nits reported that the woman ttas in u dying olid it ion, lift- d “pesliions were taken in open Court in the opera till)' room, before .Mr 11. W. Hi simp. 5.. M., in the presence ol' tho accused, who was charged with aUempted murder. Airs .Jackson said:— ".My lawful name is Nellie Jackson. I knew the accused by the name of James Krnithers, I am a married woman, but don't know whether my husband ii alive or dead. I belong to Atelbourne, but have been in New ZcaJalid for sunn lime. I have been living with the accused as his wile si ace -ducaist hist in Christchurch, but wo separated. 1 go out to work by the day. Tin. accused does no work. Ho Inis waylaid inn in the street. Ho has eoaio round to where 1 live in Antigua jdrre;-. He used to come round and annoy me. I spent tho day witlt him at Lyttelton. We went to ,Sumner this evening. and returned to Christchurch just a.s tin- hotels were closing. I said 'Good night’ to the accused at llm Cl own llol'-l. He knocked me dow n on tho footpath near the Crown Hotel. Ho struck mo with Ids ii.st first. and then hold me on the loot path, and then started to out my throat with a razor. He said that he was going to settle nn c, aml that lie would aio with me. I then saw the accused fail on his hack on the footpath. Aiy present injuries were inflicted by him. No ono was present. I. think ho was jealous of sue. Wo had no row previously. ' it lias been ascertained that there were two wimesses of tho assault, a, young man named Harry AlcCaw, living at .Sydenham, who arrived in time to pull Smithcrs away from the woman, and tho other an old man livin'* in the vicinity, who arrived about tho same time. AlcCaw states that ho saw Smithcrs chasing tho wo. man, and his statement is substantiated by tho discovery of blood marks on tlki road as far out as the tram line. The actual assault seems to have occurred directly opposite tho first house west of the Crown Hotel, on a little wooden culvert across tho gutter where heavy bloodstains were discernible this morning. Tho spot was visited by many morbidly curious persons, mostly young women and girls. Last night half of the handle of the razor was found, and this morning Detective L. Ward discovered the blade with tho other half of tho handle attached, covered with dust, at the side of tho road. It was thickly coated with dry blood. Tho odgo was not turned or chipped in any way however. When Detective Gibson spoke to Smithcrs ho was sitting in the gutter. On tho arrival of the police, Smithcrs said: “It’s all tho fault of —■ —” (a name that was not distinguishable). Thu case is supposed to be one of jealousy of a third party.