THE POMAHAKA MYSTERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 36

THE POMAHAKA MYSTERY.

A HORRIBLE DISCOVERY.

EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY".

Monday,

Towards the close of the mouth of February last a woman suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the Pomahaka district, and the circumstances surrounding the affair may be related thus :— A few weeks jwevious to the time indicated, Mrs Matson— for sach was the woman's name — obtained in Dunedin a maintenance order against her husband, a native of Finland', from whom she had been living apart for some two years. The man at the time was engaged as a rabbiter on the Clj devale estate, id the Pomahaka district, and the fact thai there ,was living with him in hia hut a prepossessing young woman . doubtless proved an inoeative to his wife to seek some measure of redress iv a court of justice. Matson for a while, in obedience to the order, contributed weekly payments of 5s a weak to bis wife's support, bub the remittances then ceased, aud the arrears'accumulated. Some negotiations between the two appears to have ensued, *s Matson is said to have offered to receive his wife and keep her. Advised that she must accept thii offer or she would loss all claim on her husband, Mrs Matson left Dunedin about the middle of February, and, journeying to Clinton, proceeded thence to where her husband was rabbiting.

On arriving at the Pomahaka estate she encountered Mr Maxwell, a settler, who good naturedly placed her on his horse and conveye^l her across the Pomahaka river. Having deposited her, together with her parcels, on the other side, the settler retraced his stepa. Subsequently, however, he flaw her re-enter the river at the ford, and having safely reached the bank from which «he had originally started with him, she proceeded to the house of Mr T. Chapman. Here she was zeeommodated with food and with shelter for the night. E-»rly next morning she once more set forth on her journey in quest of her husband. With the assistance of Mr Chapman she crossed tho river, and having acoompanied her on the way for some three miles he bsde her farewell, lesviug her to travel by herself the remainder of tbe distance. That was the last seen of Mrs Matson by the Pomahaka settlers. A phort time afterwards some of the parcels which the woman was seen to carry were discoyered in the Pomahaka river. They .comprised a bundle containing dreses and female underclothing and a tin box containing three bonnets. The woman's audden disappearance and the discovery of these articles in the river created a stir in the locality, and the police were speedily on the scene. Detective Herbert arriving from Invercirgill immediately instituted a close investigation into the matter. Ihe husband was naturally approached, and requested to furnish what information he could as to what had became of his wife, but beyond the statement that on returning from his work one evening he found that his wife had taken her departure he could throw no light on tho mystery. She had left him before without warning, he added, and therefore he had deemed it unnecessary ta repoit her disappearance. Many and varied were the explanations offered by those residing in the district as to the woman's disappearance, and the theory to which most credence was attached was that finding it impossible to live at peaco with her husband she had suddenly resolved to leave him, and whilst fording the river encumbered by her bundles she lost her footing, and being swept into deep water met her doom.

No foul play appears .to have been suspected at first by the settlers in the locality, although the relations existing between Matson and his wife were well known. Those in the district wefe likewisa cognisant of the fact that he had been living with a young woman, and shortly previous to his wife's arrival he was seen to drive her to Clinton, whenoe she left by rail for Dunedin. This young woman is said to have joined Matson again shortly after the wife disappeared. The whole affair was a nine days' wonder, and as an exhaustive search in the river yielded no further results interest in the woman's disappearance gradually faded and the incident was all but forgotten.

There is reason to believe that although outwardly the police had ceased to carry ou their investigations they pursued the matter relentlessly. Having exhausted every resource in their endeavours to secure some clue that would elucidate the solution of the woman's diiappearance, they waited, though not with any degree of p&tience it may be imagined, until the rigours of winter would flood the Pomahaka river. The seaion proved an excep"frntUy B&i «a%,./^.*fta gut & a fc»4f

appearance. At length, however, the rain of last week oame, and the turgid and swollen river delivered up the ghastly secret it had so long held.

The body of Mrs Matson, bound in a saok, was dicoorered on Saturday, eight miles from the place where the bundle containing her clothes was found at the beglnniug of March. Tho fact that the body was tied in a saok does away at once with the theory that death was due to accidental drowning or to suicide, and clearly proves that the unfortunate woman met her death "by foul play— that, in fact, she was murdered, and her body being disposed of probably in some deep pool in the river, the bundles of clothe 3 were then thrown in to give the idea that Mrs Matson was drowned in crossing the Pomahaka. -

It Is understood the body has been taken charge of by the police, and it is fully expected that as tbe result of the inquiries made at the time the woman disappeared, the police are in possession of sufficient evidence to justify them in making an arrest. Unfortunately, the floods which revealed the fact that a shocking crime had been committed have so interrupted communication, that we are absolutely in the dark as to what the police in the district are doing. The bridges over the Pcnuhaka have been swept away, and as the river is still in flood it may be a day or two before further definite information can be obtained. It is evident, from what is Already known, that Inspector Pardy and his officers are entitled to much credit, as it is evident the river must hive been closely watched. ■Mrs Matson, the woman who it is believed was murdered, was about 40 years of age, and a native of the North of Ireland.