GRIM DRAMA OF FAMILY DEATH PACT

NZ Truth, Issue 1127, 7 July 1927, Page 7

GRIM DRAMA OF FAMILY DEATH PACT

lifter Ten Days Neighbors EHseover Bodies of Mother, 1 j Dau^iter and Son Slain By Demented Father

STf^KT^^E^

-■■■"'■ ' (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) t - ■ THERE 13 now! \rery> little doubt that^aWeast two members of the m : fa^ sibly a third agreed m the cosy comfort of the charmiiig little bungalow lit Moiint- Albert upon that most; temblevofair«ontracts-^ < ;• i : ■"•77 ' "■»'■ v

IT is ■definitely established that Ernest Whitly Kiddell, the father, murdered his Tvife, - his son and "his daughter and!th^n:turned'upon.; himself • the weapon' with wide h he- had killed those he <■ loved.

'■MuL^hm^ ' ' iv' NE. of the most ex-j! y E|||j||||r^ ■ traprdihary. - feai £~*\ ■ \ tui ;? s °* tne .- £ nsLSt■RSn vly ! - 5 ■ ly aftairlies m the. . rUj^l 7**"^ ■1 .• length ■of time ■'■'-I ''^'^ ■»!''■ ' ' ■ '- J which elapsed beL; *^^v"sS!l^^ .. itween the dreadful K^rtHs^ *b^vz<§^ ■ ee ,'d' arid' the dis- ' E!Sx^ • covery of the bod-. ml Z^^rJ^'^fM state that . • death XtilatMnmtfc^syir -p or( ji n g.. to 1 evidence';iii,} their .possession from letters written Iby/Kiddell seniors—on June, 22.From ;ti'at fatal night ■•until Monday, July 4,^the electric' lights, m ;the house burnecr day 'and night. . HadC it not 'been" for the intuition' of a neighbor living opposite the 'cottage m .West Streets Mrs. ~E. 'JR.. JVlcMahpn, m 'all .probability, the gruesome secret, contained m. the pretty little , home might still be unrevealed. V. / This neighbor communicated with

*— ; r—— ..,'•;■'.■ j. '. ; .-'>.■ :*- •' : .'...■'■:■ the owner of the property, who .got m to; touch with :-the police' after she; had received back, from the' Post and Telegraph Department, a telegram she bad sent, to .Kiddell Junior at, his .farm at Mangaweka. . .. • ; ' • This' telegram was endorsed to the; effect that the farm was hot occupied. i ■ The police/on being communicated With, acted promptly ,. ; securing : a .key from the owner. / • : ' A' body of police and detectives, en-, tered the cottage. , .. The appallirig odor when the cottage door was opened; warned them that death lUrked m ;the silent interior, but they__were. not prepared for .the .terrible sight that awaited thehi % m the sitting-, room arid later, m the only bedroom 1 m thehoiise. . "' /... . ' In the' sitting-room they found; the

body of the. daughter, Lorna, aged 27. Wheri death struck her down! Lorna Kiddell must have been.lying^ peace*-, fully m bed on her right side. ' The body was lying partly; on /the settee, with the left arm stretching down and a. hand touching the floor arid apparently/ supporting the weight of the body from falling -off the settee. ' .The'; unfortunate g|rl's head was hanging forward over the side of the settee, the body being turned , over almost face, downwards. There was . nothing iin the ' attitude or. m the state; of llie room to indicate that there ; had : been ' any struggle. Examination- shpw.ed , that the gun must have been held' close to the girl's head -just behind' the left ear. , To the horrifying, shock of the first discovery was added the far greater one when the three bodies Avere found m the; only bedroom iof 'the cottage. Lying upon the double .bed were the bodies of a/man and. a woman and between the bed and the front windows ; was the body of another man, along-

side which was a- Winchester repeatIng rifle. ■ , : All .were victims ' of. fatal 'I head wounds caused by a rifle -bullet. ■ •'■-'• . The' body on the floor 'Was latei .f6und to be that of Ernest Whitly Kiddell,' the father; arid those upon the bed were Collen W. Kiddell and his mother, Louisa Jane Kiddell. ''. The former, a. young man of 30, was lying close to his mother, who had; one . arrri. around , her son's . .. neck.':, -.'■..'■■.■''.■".: ' ' ■.":'•".■■.".■■ The bedclothes were covering both bodies, ■, which were m their night attire, whilst that of the father was clothed m his shirt. •;'■ ' Lprna Kiddell was also ■m her nli^ht attire, and it was evident from the state of the slttingeropm,; as well as the bedroom, that whether the^terrible death pact was' actually .arranged prior to the family retiring or some days before, the members of the, -little household seemed to have gone to their respective couches m their customary nbrmal manner— that' is, save for the presence of the son m .his mother's bed; / ..- ;■, ; It was. a trying morning's work; for the police m, their siarch for every particle of evidence wjiich would tend to thiow some light on the motive- for the ghastly tragedy. . ■ ■ •