A MELBOURNE TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2106, 5 July 1894, Page 35

A MELBOURNE TRAGEDY.

Our cablegrams have announced that a Mrs C. Anderson shot a man named John Fraser at the Southern Cross Hotel, Melbourne, on- the night of the 19th insfc., and afterwards attempted to commit suicide. From a telegram in the Sydney Morning Herald we learn that the inquest was formally opened on the 21st and then adjourned till sth July. Ellen Maude Fraser, widow of the deceased, stated that her husband was 49 years of age. He had no occupation. He had left two children by a former marriage. In conversation with the detectives Mrs Fraser stated that she married deceased on the 28th March last, and had known him and his family for 20 years. He told her Mrs Anderion was bothering him, and declared he did not owe her the money she claimed, as he bad a contra account for keeping her books and for furniture he supplied her with. Frequently he said she had threatened him, but latterly he seemed to have given up tho idea that she would do him harm. Her husband had tald her afler their marriage that Mrs Anderson had urged him to elope with her, but ho point-blank refused, and did all he oould to induce her to cease her importunities.

Mrs Anderson, who was about 45 years of age, kept a boarding house at Surry Hills, Syduey. Early in 1887 Fraser, the son of a wealthy Victorian grazier, now dead, waa introduced to her by a Mr James, who had been boarding with Mrs Anderson fora number of years. At this time Frascr was not in good health, and his t-ffairs do not appear to have been very prosperous, as fora time, at any rare, be obtained credit for his board and lodging. In 1889 he went to Victoria on business. A good deal of correspondence pissed between the parties, but there was no apparent rupture between them uutil a few moDtbs since, as Fraser, during one or two short visits that he paid to Sydney, always lodged with Mrs Anderbou. Mrs Anderson then brought an action to recover £357 alleged to bs due for board, &c, and Eraser directed that a set-off should be Butered pluiruipg £220 for furnishing Mrs

Anderson's house, and £180 for services rendered. The case, however, nefer came on for trial, as the parties had an interview and some settlement was arrived at between them. This led" to defendant's plea being withdrawn, and judgment was entered ror Mrs Anderson by the court. Soon alter this Fraser returned to Victoria, and Mrs Audarson appears to have made several attempts to get. the money from Fraser, but was unsuccessful, and in September last, heariug that ho was about to be married to a Victorian lady, she threatened to expose hi 3 conduct to Me prospective vrtfe unless he settled nor claim. She at this tittte was under the impression tint her debtor had inherited upwards of £20,000 in his father's estate. As she was unable to gefc any satisfaction by writing, sSe proceeded to Melbourne.

Mrs Anderson's friends say that she treated Frascr with great kindness, and, iv addition to giving him credit for his board and lodging, also lent him money. This statement is borne ou"b by a letter the woffiaa wrote to- Eraser's relatives in Victoria recently. In this she said she wished to refute the calumnj that had been cast on her by Jfohn Fraser, and proceeded i — "The calumny is that 1 brought an action against him in the Supreme Court of N-S.W. to recover money due to mo out of jealousy, and that I W3a in love with him. This is a gro«s 6lander. I merely wasted to obtain my money." The friends of Mrs Anderson are intensely scandalised at the aspersions cast on her character. They ridicule the idea fchab there was more than a sort of brotherly and sisterly feeliDg between the pair ; and Jametf, who introduced Fraser into the house, laughs at the idea that] Fraser had any counter-claim on Mrs Anderson. As against this, however, the brother and brother-in-law of the deceased have handed to the detectives a series of extracts made by Mrs Fraser from a diary kept by her late husband. Atrtoug the entries in the diary are the following ; — "April 6 : Met Mrs Andersen by appointment at the Federal Coffee Palace. She invited me to walk with her and talk matters over. She agreed to withdraw her case against me, as 1 was married and lost to her now, stating it was not money flho wanted. The astion was brought to scare me into marrying her. She received a telegram informing her 1 was to marry noxfc week, and to come to Melbourne at once and stop the marriage. Accordingly she left Sydney by express train, taking her revolver with her. She determined to prevent my marriage, even to the death of us both. She arrived too late, as tho marriage was over threo days before j ' too previous for her. April 7 : Yesterday i Mrs Anderson exhibited to mo a revolver loaded in five chambers with which she had ; intended to shoot me, an well as herself, i had I been free and refused to marry her. As it turned out, I was married three days before her arrival, and then she thought better of her murderous resolves, seeing I was lost to her. I feel sorry for the poor woman, bub am not responsible for her love of mo. June 10 : My brother Tom called and had dinner with us. He told me of the threats made by Mrs Anderson. The latter confeßsed to him that sho wao infatuated with me, and that money was not her chief object, but to attach me personally to herself, and that she was using the judgment against me to coerce and force me to her wishes." Thomas BVftser gives personal corroboration of the last entry in the diary.