SOUTH MELBOURNE TRAGEDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18997, 19 October 1923, Page 5

SOUTH MELBOURNE TRAGEDY.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. DOMESTIC UNHAPPINESS REVEALED. Prau Association—By Telegraph—Copyri ret MELBOURNE. October 18. At the inquest on the victims of the South Melbourne tragedy a witness gave evidence that Mrs Lay and Mrs Dougherty informed him the day before the tragedy that Dougherty had visited the house and wanted to see his wife, but she had refused. He kept knocking so long that eventually she saw him. She told him that it was no use coming, and shut the door in his face. Dougherty gave evidence that ho had been living apart from his wife for three months. On the day of the tragedy a discussion arose between him and the two women about the trouble with his wife in which he told his wife that Mrs Lay was doing her best to keep them apart. lie made a reference to Mrs Lay’s character which caused her to say that she would get her brother to deal with him. Upon this he produced a revolver and said ho would give the brother the contents of the revolver if he came to his place. Dougherty then repeated his story as to how the shooting occurred. When he saw the two women shot he reloaded his revolver with the idea of ending his own life. The Coroner returned a verdict that the women died from gunshot wounds, but there was no evidence to show who fired the shots.