THE WARKWORTH TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 31

THE WARKWORTH TRAGEDY.

MRS HALL COMMITTED TO MENTAL HOSPITAL. AUCKLAND, August 20. Matters in connection with the recent tragedy at Warkworth were investigated at the Supreme Court to-day, when Mary Winchester Hall, a married woman, 51 years of ago, was charged with the murder of her daughter, Isobel May Hall, aged 10 years, on June 27. The case waa heard before Mr Justice Cooper. The Crown Prosecutor described the case as a particularly sac one. The accused waa living happily with her husband. On the day of the tragedy aha suggested that her three little children—two boys and a girl—should have a holiday. The mother took them into a barn and there suggested the playing of several games. There were three swings tied to a beam in this barn. The mother stood two of her children on one box and tho third on another box with ropes tied round their necks. Then she knocked away the boxes, and the children were left hanging. The girl Isobel had had tier neck dislocated. The other two little boys, with their mother’s assistance, wero rescued from their perilous position. Evidence corroborative of this was given by several witnesses, including the accused’s son.

For the defence evidence was given by the accused’s husband and her mother t« show that she had been suffering from depression. Two doctors deposed that from a subsequent examination they had no hesitation in declaring the accused to have been insane when the deed was committed.

His Honor summed up. He said the facts of the sad case were not disputed. What the jury had to consider was whether it had been proved by the defence that the act used at, the time of the crime was insane. At this point the accused, who iiad attentively been following the proceedings, had an outburst of hysterics, and it was some time befoi'3 she could be quietened. His Honor concluded by saying the jury would be quite justified in bringing in a verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insanity. This the jury did without leaving the box. The accused was then committed to the Auckland Mental Hospital, pending instructions, from the Minister of Internal Affairs. The Crown Trosecutor said ha would ask leave from the Attorney-general to withdraw a further charge of attempted murder.

SUICIDE IN MENTAL HOSPITAL. AUCKLAND, August 2J. The sequel to the recent tragedy at Warkworth occurred ou Saturday when. Mrs Hall, who stood her trial at the Supreme Court on Wednesday ou a charge of murdering her daughter, Isabel May Hall, hanged herself at the Auckland Mentql Hospital. At the trial the jury found the woman not guilty on the ground that she was insane at the time of the commission of the offence, and therefore the judge ordered her to he committed to a mental hospital until the pleasure of the Minister of Justice was known. It appeal'd that Mrs Hall was ordered by Dr Beattie to be kept under constant observation, but that owing to the overcrowded state of the place this was nob altogether possible. About 3 o clock oc. Saturdav afternoon she was visited by a nurse, who returned about 10 minutes later. The unfortunate woman was* then found hanging by a sheet, which was secured to a window sash catch. Life was extinct. The inquest was held to-day by Mr E. C. Cutten. "Dr Beattie (medical superintendent of the Mental Hospital) stated that Mrs Hall had been admitted on an order from tha Supreme Court on Thursday. lie had. seen her the day she was admitted, when she was apparently sane, but emotional and distressed. She had complained about being sent to the Mental Hospital, and said she was not mad and that she could not possibly stay amongst the people there. On’ Friday morning Miss Wood had drawn his attention to the fact that Mrs Hall had a rash on her body. Ha had seen ~er immediately, and had told Miss Wood that lie thought the patient was a suicidal woman and that ho wished her transferred to No. 2 hospital ward. She still seemed sane, and was very much less distressed at this time. As a general rule suicidal patients weie not allowed sheets, owing to the fact that they wera easily torn. He attributed tha fact that the patient had been able to hang herself to the overcrowding of the institution, which had resulted in the matron being overworked and had made it impossible for her to exercise proper supervision. The matron (Sophia Campbell) gave similar evidence, and stated that she had often wondered that accidents had not occurred before on account of the overcrowding of the institution. The jury found that Mrs Hall came by her death by hanging herself with a sheet, and added that she was enabled to do this by an error of judgment in being ailowed to have sheets.