AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 15

AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDIES.

Melbourne, November 19. Short, manager of the branch of the Commercial Bank at Sale, blew his brains oat this morning, having previously shot his wife and cat the throats of his two children. The wife is still living, but in a precarious state. Short did not display any unusual state of mind prior to the tragedy.. The members of the family were devoted to each other. The wife was evidently asleep when she was shot. Two bullets passed clean" through her heii The murderer then went into a roffm where the two children— girls, aged four and two years — were having breakfast, and attacked them with a knife, almost severing their heads from their bodies. Short is a member of a well-known journalistic family in Victoria. One of the brothers in in a responsible position in the LoncTon office of the Melbourne Argus. Tbe following letter was fouod in the deceased's pocket : — " I have killed my noble wife and innocent children to save them from the effects of my luin. I intended blowing my own brains out, but I cannot leave them alone to face puoifhrnent for which I am wholly liable. God help my unfortunate relations ! " Novembsr 20. A peculiar feature of the Short tragedy is that Mrs Short arranged with her sister to visit her on Monday, but on Saturday the sister received a telegram asking her to postpone it till Tuesday. On M >nday she got a note Baying she would be glad to see her that day, and shortly afler another telegram asking her to again postpone the visit. Yesterday morning she received a letter dated Monday from Short saying that on no account must the eister pay a visit, as a terrible blow was about to tall, which would be intensified if she were left a stranger in Sale alone The telegrams and note were signed by Mrs Short, but it is now apparent that the former were sent by Shorthand thab he had meditated the tragedy for several days. S> far as is known by the bank authorities Short's accounts are all right. November 21. At tbe inquest on the Short family the evidence was to the effect that Short himself had beea strange in bis manner for some time. The jury found that he committed suicide while temporarily insane. Mrs Short is progressing f avonrably. The Inspector of the Commercial Bank states that he examined tbe books of tbe Sale branch in September last. He spoke to Short about not being so attentive to business as he had been previously, or as to tbe disposition required. The matter was reported to the head office, which drew Short's attention to the complaint subsequently, but he still failed to comply with the requirements of his position as manager of the bank. Tbe inspector was on the point of again visiting the bank when the tragedy occurred. Short might have been troubled in mind over these proceedings, but certainly tbe report made or information asked for was not of such a nature as to cause tbe committal of the tragedy. The bank books are now being examined. Sydney, November 19. A movement is on foot to erect a memorial to the memory of tbe Dacresr Oae of the friends of the deceased pair is convinced that tbe tragedy bad been^premeditated for a long time, and was carried out with the deliberate oonsent of both. After the failure of their plays the deceased were constantly talking to each other about suicide. Other friends state that Mr Dacre was constantly talking and hinting at suicide. . At the inquest on the Dacres the evidence showed that prior to theirecgigement at the Theatre Royal Dacre said to a witness*: " Don't let there be any fuss when the end comes. We have talked it over together, and when we can atroggle no longer we will lie down side • by side and a bullet will end all/ A verdict was returned that tbe wife was wilfully murdered by her husband, who then committed suicide." November 20. The funeral of the D acres was largely attended. Further letters have been discovered fully proving that the deed was a premeditated arrangement between them.