SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT CHERTSEY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8398, 23 January 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT CHERTSEY.

WIFE MURDER AND SUICIDE,

(From Ouh Special Coruesfoxdent.)

Ashuurtox, January 18. Great excitement was created in Ashburton shortly after 11 o'clock this morning by a report that a horrible murder had been committed at one of the village settlements at Chertsey, about 12 miles from here.

Immediately cm receipt of the news I drove out to Chertsey and soon gleaned that a terrible tragedy had been committed in full view of a policeman, four railway platelayers, and a widowed woman. From the particulars given below it will bo seer that surrounding circumstances of the fearful murder and culd-blooded suicide make it OSE OF THE MOST UNIQUE TRAGEDIES ever placed on record. The perpetrator of the I murder is a man named Francis Fahey, about 35 1 years of age, and a native of Ireland. His wife, i Mary, was about 3-1 years old, and both were well known in Christchurch, Fahey having nt one time been night watchman for the Lank of New Zealand, while Mrs Fahey had held a situation as cook at Mr Loughran's. There are three children—boys, aged respectively nine years, four years, and IS months. About 18 months ago fahey and his wife and family went to reside on village settlement No. 10, about a mile north of the Chertsey railway statiou. The wife was an industrious woman, fond of her home and children, but the husband was given to drink and being of a violent temper had frequently ill-used his wife. Yesterday morning he complained of the children crying, and struck the baby. Subsequently to i this Mrs Fahey went to llakaia and

COMPLAINED TO THE POLICE of her husband's conduct towards her. Fahoy in the meantime, had gone to Ashburtou and lodged a complaint with Sergeant Felton that his wife had Jeft him. Fahey, who was known to be a man who could command a ready How of tears at will, was crying. He spoke affectionately of his wife, and said she was a good woman in every way, and he could not live without her. He had, however, in the morning taken the Biblo from a shelf in his own house and made a remark that he himself or his wife should die before sunset. He had also told his wife that for her sake he had given up drinking but would, if she wished it, do away with himself. Fahey, after leaving Sergeant Felton, went to several carriers, told them that his wife had left him, and wanted his furniture removed, but each of the carriers, learning it was a case of family trouble, refused to go aud do tho removing ; whereupon Fahey remarked, " You will never see me under tho sun again." He subsequently made inquiries at Mr Robert Alcorn's shop about

TEE PURCHASE OP A REVOLVER, and afterwards purchased one — a bulldog revolver—at Mr John Orr's and left Ashburton for Chertsey by the night train. His wife came up from Rakaia, but, being afraid of her husband, slept at the house of a neighbour—Mrs Thompson, a widow—previously telling the Rakaia constable that she would stay there till he came up in the morning to make inquiries about the conduct of her husband. Shortly before 10 o'clock this morning Fahey went to Mrs Thompson's and inquired for his wife, but Mrs Thompson refused to tell him where she was. Fahey became excited and

FOHCED HIMSELF INTO THE HOUSE, and after searching Mrs Thompson's bedroomlooking in the wardrobe and under the bedwent into the kitchen and found his wife hidden under the sofa. Mrs Thompson then tried to pacify him, and advised him to go home with his wife and live peaceably. Mrs Fahey became frightened and made for the door, where she was caught round the neck by Fahey, who held her under his arm—a struggle taking place just out- ' side the door. While this was going on Constable Black, who had come up from Rakaia by j tho express train, had got within six or seven chains of the house when he heard a woman screaming and heard THREE SHOTS FIRED. He saw the woman fall, and when she was on the ground Fahey took deliberate aim and fired a third shot into his wife's body. The constable shouted with a view of attracting the murderer's atteution, and ran with all haste to the scene of the fearful tragedy. Fahey came hurriedly away off the section on to the road, and at first appeared as though he intended to make for a plantation on the opposite side. The constable was getting close upon him wheu the man nut the revolver to his head aud fired a shot which grazed his head and weut out through his hat into the air. Fahey put his hand up to the side of his head for au instant, then fired another shot, and fell just as tho constable reached him. Ho appeared to be dead, and the constable weut j a distauce of a chain aud a half towards the I house where ho had seen the struggle and the woman fall. She was quite dead. The constable theu wont back to Fahey, and saeing he was still alive went three or four chains down tho railway line to where four surfacemen were at work aud got them to assist him to remove the body of the wouuded man to the Chertsey Hotel. The whole "proceedings had been witnessed by the surfacemen, but most remarkable to relate, not one of them attempted to move towards the scene of the fatal struggle, or to render any assistance whatever till approached and asked by the constable.

Mrs Thompson saw the first two shots flred, and naturally becoming very frightened, for ber own safety turned and iled, and thought she was being fired upon when she heard the third shot. Dr Tweed and Sergeant Felton arrived at Chertsey from Ashburfcon at 11 35 a.m., aud just as they entered the room where the bodies lay Fahey expired.

Dr Tweed found that the woman had received three bullet wounds, one bullet having entered uuder the chin, and travelling outside the jawbone, weut out just below the left ear. Another bullet had entered a little in front of the right ear and penetrated deeply into the brain. The third had penetrated the ribs below the heart, and either of the two latter were sufficient to cause death. The first shot Fahey fired at himself had evidently singed his hair, while the next entered above the right ear and penetrated a depth of nearly four inches to the brain ; but, iv spite of this, Le lived for nearly an hour and a half. There was a pool of blood outside the cottage where the woman fell, and another in the ;road where Fahey himself fell, a victim to what appears to have been as cold-blooded and deliberate a double murder as was ever committed.

At an inquest held on the bodies this afternoon the evidence given was in accordance with the facts stated above, and the jury, without retiring, returned a verdict of wilful murder against Fahey, and in the case of his own suicide a verdict of j'elo de se.