TRIPLE TRAGEDY ON FARM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23671, 1 December 1938, Page 5

TRIPLE TRAGEDY ON FARM

v ' . IDLE GOSSIP BLAMED , SYDNEY,'Nov. .25.;,. The father .of one of- the victMs blamed idle' gossip, for„the deaths 'of Mrs -OE-iith Eyb, 28, arid her only child. Heather, aged 11 months, found drowned in a dam on her husband's < farm, at Hilldale, near Maitland, New South Wales, : arid of Robert James Archibald Mannall, 24, whose body was found 100 yards from the dam with a gunshot woundin the head. ;' '"... ;: ;' ,' •'.[.'■ Mannall was employed as a dairy hand by the dead woman's husband,'-,. George Eyb, and rivet at the farmhouse until he returned to'his father's home nearly'- three days before the tragedy occurred. Mannall and his-father ; were working inan orchard on'Eyb's property whenthe son went away. A little later, the father heard a shot, but thinkr . ing someone was shooting parrots or snakes, took no notice. When he. was going ■ later for' luhch, he -fpupd : of gun.. <A. little;further on', Mr Mailr ; nail noticed a;pair of shoes on.the' : bank of the dam, and>' going across! \ to the ; dam, saw. a :child's >,body Afloat-'; ing in.the-;water* ,' T '■? The]p'olice were.,riotlfiedi,arid, with;" [ the assistance of ■■ they, £s-'■■ : covered, the body qf- Mrs; Eyb froih: . the wiater;.' *There" were rid markstof;, violence -on yeither-'Mrs'-Eyb baby. the tragedy;is that Mrs, Eybdrowridctv, her baby,, and then/herself, and. tlVat.- - ManriaU„" after leavirig ? hi? ■ f found their, hoodies iri 1 . the darn, airyi&ii stricken: by shot;'liirnsei'f.. ;V ' "It 'was-.' all.: ; thei.result'>■ of ■. siUy*/" talk ) father,; x wtis: : told ol a. meetingwith 'Mrs. Eyb ion-'. the mbrriirig ; "of "-the ■ tragecty;:-;::H&: '■ said he went to the door of the kitchen of Eyb's house, and' Mrs Eyb was standing there with tears in her eyes. Maririall asked,'" Whatisthe matter?" She said. -"I. some- > times think I cannot go through., with it. It* is all this talk about Bobarid George and pie." Mannall put * , a hand on her. shoulder, and'- she swore there, was' nothing, in it, Mannall said, "When.you know them,as long as I do, you will -take ino notice of their tongues. Do not worry. You will always have two'frierids— Mum and me." " .''''. "There was no affection .what-,' ever between my boy" and Mrs Eyb," said the sorrow-stricken old man.. "It was.just talk, the whole thing, She had worry and sickness—lost her other chik) and nearly,.died,... after the last little one. My tioy was living -tlierfe;' wdrki'hg'.''' "Ebb's sister is pretty straight and she put -it to Bob. Bob swore there was nothing between him and Mrs Eyb. •He said it in front of his mother. What I think is that she just got upset about the talk and went into the..., darn. She . loyed-v her baby daughter and Tsuppose she just had to take the baby with her." '