PACT WAS OUTCOME OF CRISIS IN FAMILY LIFE

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

PACT WAS OUTCOME OF CRISIS IN FAMILY LIFE

Cojllii^^ Kiddell, ifroni what, iriforma-r i tion'could'be gathered 1 m respect to his farming life, appeared to Have bePrims!mVinrfv nMa'm-elaiicholv'after pur- ■ nhaSti? tne San^lweka 9 farm which waSteTbV^ Sd^or £4000 'E^lt fjct^wever, did not appear to worr£Ernest Kiddell. , ' All tIA who came m contact with th^rtbji father- and daughter speak, of themVas a refined cultured and hiSPflntilv cuuurea Liitieis known of the family m the lo£S of theTottSeT^hic™ stands m ZSi str^e'"f? bSiorS £o*a, : koujiit-.^ll>ert. : In view "of the fact that the offi-' cial'inquest must yet be held, the • pdlipe are withholding a ' good deal of information which would probably clear '.up .many points, particularly m respect to the mo-

five behind the murder by the father and his own suicide. There { undoubtedly a suggestion -T^r'' ■-' " ■.■* # „„ oaVUU~ that-the son was far from possessing a n£rm^ y ****£ * £ ' %?V™ tr°uble oH,kfnth"e .^^tL^h^came fam^ i b 6 een s?ated thJ^^^th" affair was fh": w!Zi but ;£S whilst undouDteaiy '^.lqaen wmor aim his wife were, a party to it-and possi W the t son- sin ?| his Rref "J^i? h" mother's bed would bear out the theory Jat he was there^ tc^support her m lAsHloubtfuT ii! Se dau-hter was aware of the terrible fate impending, .. . ' To support v .-this- theory there was• evidence...in' :*"«, «lt?l"9"r^'" where the daughter 1 * body was found. ..

. It is hardly Hkely to commence with that .had Lorna Kiddell been a party to the. death pact she would have retired to bed upon the settee, peeled an * eaten it, depositing the other half and the skins m a neat pile alongside the settee, or that she would' at.some stage before composing herself m the settee' m her night, attire have cold cream on 1 her* face. - , ' These, things indicate, that the' unfortunate g.irl retired for the night she did?o-with the intention of sleeping. or at any rate;they, disclose that sh^ went,through . her customary ac- ; her m^ yntroub,ed by tne thought of "death at any moment or at a g'iyen time. : .- ; v Her clothing was.also draped over the back pf^a chair, which stood near thesettee and her watch placed on the _ _ .*; . v seat ot tne cnau. ,

These facts being so, lend color to the theory that both the "mother and son were a party to the pact, since—had this not been so—then . one or other of them would have been disturbed by the sound^f the shot whence daughter, was killed ! .by her father. . Strangely enough, there was.no m dlcatlonthat the son was-in the habit of sleepingMn the^cottage, since there was only one bedroom and the girl was occupying the settee. . a pile of folded blankets was found, though, m the sitting-room, Vhich did riot belong to the girl's bed. . Though the statement has not been confirmed so far by the policed it has been asserted that Kiddell senior made his will, leaving his effects : and estate to relatives m Ehgland. '■•' His wife was born at Southampton. . * .• / v.p v . .