TRAGEDY IN SOUTHLAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16642, 14 March 1916, Page 8

TRAGEDY IN SOUTHLAND

MAN AND WOMAN SHOT. SUPPOSED MURDER AND SUICIDE. Towards tho end of last month (says the Southland Times) a man named Edward llenr.v Smith, who carried on business as a land and commission agent in Dee street, li.vo.TCfii'gill, and a girl named Myrtle Scott, who v/ufi employed by Smith as a typist, were re ported to bo missing. Inquiries were ma<!o by the police, and numerous reports were rce. ,Ed by them. It was stated that the man and the girl had been seen in the vicinity of Seaward Bush, and another report came to hand ih-at they had been seen in Dunedin. Eowaver, until Sunday, their actual whereabouts was not discovered.

It seems that on Sunday two young men named Shepherd, accompanied by another man named Taylor, were, out shooting at the end of what is known as the Tramway road, when they saw a man amongst soma scrub, They were in the act of .withdrawing with the intention of giving information to the police, as they surmised that they had discovered the missing man, when a snot was fired, and a bullet whizzed unpleasantly close to one of the party, Joseph Shepherd. Immediately afterwards two other shots were heard

, 'i iio police were telephoned for, and two constables and a number of men proceeded as quickly as possible to tho scene. On reaching the spot the girl was found dead, having been shot through the head, and Smith had also been shot through the head, but was still living. Smith, however, shortly afterwards expired. Both bodies were removed to the morgue. The place where tho man and girl wero discovered was one that- afforded a splendid hiding place. Tho miamia, which had been constructed as a shelter, was so well concealcdl that until one happened right on to it it would have been impossible to detect it. During tho search that was being made several other similar structures were discovered, and it is thought that the ill-fated pair shifted 1 about from plaoe to place in tho bush. They evidently_ obtained food from homesteads in tho vicinity, as several potato audi turnip patches had recently been raided, and tho remains of potatoes and turnips were found at the camping places that were discovered'.

Prior to going to Invercargill, Smith had a farm at Tokanui, which he sold out shortly after the Seaward Bush railway was put through to that point. Previous to that- he resided t in the Wyndham and Gore districts. ' Smith, who w-as a married man, was over 50 years of age, and the girl Scott waa about 20 years old.